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Paris Olympics are Behind the Curve on DEI August 1st, 2024
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Seamus P. Finn, OMI, Director of USA JPIC and OIP shares a letter he received from the president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation reflecting on some controversial elements in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics)
DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) has been an important part of the ICCR (Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility) mission in recent years. It has been indeed engaging to read different responses to the opening ceremony at the Olympics. I like Brian Grim’s reflection found here: https://bit.ly/3ykjvgT
I have given two presentations at the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation that seeks to bring the values and a religious message to the G20 meetings in recent years. They continue to labor in what some would say is a very secular and unreceptive audience, but they persist, and I like the direction they are leading us.
-Seamus P. Finn, OMI
Dear Seamus Finn,
A performance during the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics triggered a backlash as many saw a sketch meant to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as being offensive and biased. Many took the sketch to be a parody of the Last Supper of Christ, which organizers denied being the intent.
Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps apologized on Sunday for those offended by the scene. “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly [the ceremony’s artistic director], we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” 
Descamps said. “… If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really, really sorry.”
Jolly said that religious subversion had never been his intention. “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that.”
However, rather than being avant-garde and inclusive, the Olympic organizers appear to be behind the curve when it comes to DEI — what they purportedly were trying to promote. The latest data show a significant surge in Fortune 500 companies including religion as part of their DEI initiatives, which helps them avoid such offensive and COSTLY mistakes (one Olympic sponsor has already withdrawn in reaction to the sketch). READ FULL LETTER
2024 Laudato Si Action Platform: Building a Future Together July 31st, 2024
The Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP) is an action-oriented 7- year ecological conversion journey in the spirit of integral ecology intended to support and empower families, communities and institutions to achieve total sustainability.
In PART I of OMI JPIC’s Laudato Si Action Platform we view this as a fresh opportunity for each of us to commit to sustainability in the spirit of Laudato Si. In this resource we promote works from Oblates and allies as a step toward integral ecology.
In PART II of OMI JPIC’s Laudato Si Action Platform, we revisit the commitments we have taken on and ponder what other action steps we might add to our list.
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FEATURED PARTNER – Sisters of the Holy Cross Pope Francis reminds us, “All Christian communities have an important role to play in ecological education” (LS 214) and “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue” (LS 217). We are continually motivated by the urgency of these global crises and the call for communities like our own to act and journey toward integral ecology. |
Laudato Si Action Platform – Partner Resources
Visit VIVAT’s website: www.vivatinternational.org
Watch this video about the one billion bamboo project of VIVAT members in the Philippines.
VIDEO: https://bit.ly/3A53fBb
This is an example of how the local communities address the impact of climate change (i.e., typhoons and floods in the Philippines) by planting one billion bamboo by 2030. This effort is for climate change mitigation and adaptation through a nature-based solution.
Additional Resources:
- Oblate Ecological Ministry (Godfrey, IL)
- Looking Ahead: OMI Commitments to Laudato Si (August 2023)
- Oblates Partner with Three Part Harmony Farm (Washington, DC)
- OMI JPIC Laudato Si Action Platform – PART I (August 2022)
- OMI JPIC Laudato Si Action Plan – Part II (July 2023)
- Laudato Si in Action at Oblate Parish (August 2020)
- Laudato Si themes to integrate in Justice & Peace work (May 2020)
Reflection on July Field Trip with OMI Novices July 25th, 2024
(By Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director, La Vista Ecological Learning Center)
[L to R: Novice Elisha Chisanga, Novice Chandu Ponugumai, Brother Pat McGee, Father Paul Wightman, Novice Alvaro Chapa]
In the opening chapter of the encyclical Laudato Si, we learn about urgent environmental issues facing “our common home.” For our final field trip of the year we focused on one of these, biodiversity loss, learning that a unique Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate has quietly been promoting biodiversity health for many years, well before Laudato Si was published.
Father Paul Wightman, OMI, followed a youthful allurement to caving, and as a result has had a significant impact on biodiversity in southern Illinois. In his delightful and informative presentation Father Paul took us on a pictorial tour of Fogelpole cave, entertaining us with stories about his underground experiences through the years. With a twinkle in his eyes and a charming grin, Paul showed us what it is like when a person is allured by a special part of our rare and precious planet and gets serious about enjoying it.
Located near his hometown of Waterloo, Illinois, Fogelpole Cave is the largest and most biologically diverse cave in Illinois, and exploring it became his hobby. He took many students and scientists into the cave throughout his life. Because the owners were careful about providing access to the cave on their land, it has remained pristine to this day. The cave is home to threatened and endangered species; consequently, it is now part of the Illinois Nature Preserves System, preserved in perpetuity, contributing to the health of biodiversity forever!
[Father Paul with students inside Fogelpole Cave]
In addition, the 500 acres above the cave are also preserved and dedicated in the Illinois Nature Preserve System as the Paul Wightman Subterranean Nature Preserve. Because of this preservation, the water flowing into the cave remains free from pesticides and herbicides. In addition, volunteers have turned the farmland above the cave into a native prairie, providing habitat for many pollinators.
The Novices, Brother Pat McGee, and I were touched with the way Father Paul modestly shared his impactful caving career, and we felt inspired to contribute to the health of our rare and precious planet, each in our own special way.
A New Heaven & A New Earth New York City Pre-Launch Concert & Livestream July 23rd, 2024
OMIUSA has been apart of this special event, which has been organized by the A New Heaven & New Earth (HNE) Collaborative to lift up gospel inspired songs and the special God-given gift of creation, which we are called to protect and care for.
Inspired by the call of Laudato Si, the encyclical letter of Pope Francis, people of faith across the world are responding to the challenge and have made this mission a special part of their ministry and values. (Fr. Séamus Finn, OMI)
A Ministry of Presence: Ceasefire Walk in Oakland, California July 17th, 2024
Republished from OMIUSA.ORG
By Jack LAU, OMI
[On Friday June 28, 2024, Bro. Noel Garcia, OMI (Secretary General), joined Fr. Jack Lau, OMI, and Ms. Carrie McClish, an Associate of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, for their weekly walk against gun violence in Oakland.]
For the past three years, they have walked every Friday night, seeking an end to the violence that plagues their city. They are part of Faith in Action East Bay, a faith-based community organization dedicated to promoting peace and ending gun violence through shared values from diverse faiths, races, and social backgrounds.
The evening begins at a local church with a prayer, followed by a review of the safety rules. Equipped with signs, they then take to the streets.
The group usually walks between five and ten blocks, eventually standing on a busy corner with signs displaying messages like “Stop the Violence,” “Violence is Not an Oakland Value,” and “Honk for Peace.” Drivers frequently show their support by honking as they pass. This is a ministry of presence, signaling to the neighborhood that the “beloved community of varied faiths” stands with them.
Oakland Ceasefire employs an evidence-based strategy to reduce community violence. This initiative, driven by a community-police partnership that includes clergy, street outreach workers, service providers, and law enforcement, uses data to identify those most at risk of being shot or killed. The program then engages these individuals, offering them options and opportunities for change.
