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De Mazenod Conference – January 22-24, 2016, San Antonio, TX December 28th, 2015
World Day of Peace: January 1, 2016 December 23rd, 2015
January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and New Year’s Day, has, for many years, been designated by the Church as World Day of Peace. The theme for Pope Francis’ World Day of Peace message for 2016 is “Overcome Indifference and Win Peace.”
In his message the Holy Father states, “God is not indifferent! God cares about mankind! God does not abandon us!” He goes on to note that while, sadly, war and terrorism, accompanied by ethnic and religious persecution and the misuse of power, marked the past year from start to finish, and have become, in some parts of the world, so common as to constitute a “third world war fought piecemeal”, other events are reason for inspiration, demonstrating the human capacity to show solidarity and to rise above self-interest, apathy and indifference in the face of critical situations.
Pope Francis asks us, during the present Jubilee of Mercy “to pray and work so that every Christian will have a humble and compassionate heart, one capable of proclaiming and witnessing to mercy…to ‘forgive and give’, to become more open ‘to those living on the outermost fringes of society’…and to refuse to fall into ‘a humiliating indifference or a monotonous routine which prevents us from discovering what is new! Let us ward off destructive cynicism!’”
Links to the full message, along with other resources are available on the USCCB website.
Join us in praying to overcome indifference(USCCB):
All too often, Lord, we turn away from the world’s many problems,
which seem too big, too complex, or too far away.
Forgive us our indifference.
It is easier, Lord, to see only what is around us:
our lives, our homes, our challenges.
Forgive us our isolation.
Help us to see with your eyes:
eyes which notice one another
and help us understand.
Help us to dream your dream:
of communities that reach out and dialogue
and where diverse people creatively cooperate.
Help us to be people of solidarity and action,
so moved by prayer, encounter, and understanding
that peace can become a reality.
Amen.
Christmas Blessings From U.S Province Missionary Oblates JPIC Office! December 21st, 2015
Missionary Oblates join other faith leaders in open letter to Donald Trump December 11th, 2015
Upon the recommendation of the Oblate JPIC office, Provincial of the U.S. Missionary Oblates Province, Fr. William Antone, OMI endorsed a letter by faith leaders addressed to Mr. Donald Trump concerning comments about Muslims.
The Oblate School of Theology (OST) Executive Committee in San Antonio TX has also endorsed the letter.
Visit OST’s website to see the endorsement.
Open letter from faith leaders to Donald Trump
As leaders in America’s faith community, our institutions do not engage in partisan politics. We do, however, speak to important moral and ethical issues facing our nation.
In this spirit, we write to express in the strongest possible terms our deep disappointment and even disgust with the proposal made by you to stop allowing Muslims to enter the United States.
Our faith traditions demand that we extend a welcoming hand to those in need. America is an immigrant nation. We know that many have come to our country, and continue to do so, seeking religious freedom and an end to persecution…..
Read the faith leaders letter to Mr Donald Trump……
Celebrating the Jubilee Year of Mercy December 8th, 2015
Celebrating the Jubilee Year of Mercy,
(2015 – 2016)
Honoring the Mother of Mercy – Immaculate Conception
(December 8)
&
Thanking God for the grace of Oblate Triennium
(1816 – 2016)
In his letter for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, our Superior General notes, “One of [Mary’s] titles special to the heart of St. Eugene was the Mother of Mercy.” This is especially fitting as the solemnity marks the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, inaugurated by Pope Francis. In a recent interview with the Italian Catholic magazine Credere, Pope Francis was asked why he chose ‘mercy’ as this Jubilee’s theme. In response the Holy Father notes, “It’s obvious that today’s world is in need of mercy, it is in need of compassion. We are used to bad news…On one hand we see the arms trade, the production of arms that kill, the murder of innocents in the most cruel possible way, the exploitation of persons, minors, children…” The Pope goes on to say that “we must cultivate a revolution of tenderness as the fruit of this Year of Mercy: God’s tenderness towards each one of us. Each one of us must say: “I am an unfortunate man, but God loves me thus, so I must also love others in the same way.”
On this great solemnity let us ask Mother Mary to teach us the true meaning of mercy and to give us the grace to love others as God loves us.
