Many Oblates and many more of our people see the injustices, the poverty, the underdevelopment, the lack of peace, the pollution, the damage to the environment that are all facts of daily life. They are moved to respond to such realities.
We will respond to this need through the JPIC Basic Orientation Seminar-Workshops given to Oblates, sectoral groups and communities. A JPIC Apostolate Group can be put up at each local OMI ministry level, which animates vigilance on the implementation of political development programs of the government and observe JPIC concerns. JPIC are values, which challenge every Oblate to live by, as witnesses who awaken concern among people on such issues.
Many people in our areas of ministry are victims of violence, injustice, exploitation and oppression. They find themselves helpless for they simply do not know where to go or what to do.
The JPIC office responds to this situation by welcoming such victims, by making correct and thorough documentation of facts and happenings that are essential in order to handle these cases judicially or extra judicially. Networking among existing OMI ministries can facilitate resolution of such cases, as for example through the NDU College of Law or with the help of Oblates in Manila for access to government offices there.
In war-torn Mindanao, Peace is the dream, the quest and the solution to many problems.
We respond to this challenge of ‘peace building’, through the JPIC Basic Orientation Seminar-Workshops (JPIC-BOS) that foster and promote the development of peace attitudes and mindsets and through networking with OMI Peace Centers and with other peace advocacy groups towards a ‘culture of peace’.
The environmental damage is pervasive. Pollution increases. Land, seas and rivers so necessary for life are becoming hazards. The reality of destructive logging programs, un-ecological agricultural practices, unhealthy mining and coastal mismanagement all cry out for our attention.
We respond to this situation by documenting the cases of such damage and destruction in our areas. Through the JPIC-BOS we make the participants aware of these cases, awaken them to their responsibilities in regard to them and help the participants to organize themselves and their people for action. The IC orientation also includes education to waste management and Balag technology.
“The attention to the issues of JPIC is a dimension of all our ministries. It has to be integrated and expressed in our in our preaching, our catechesis, our sacramental celebrations, our presence to people, our solidarity of compassion, our life style, individually and in community. It affects each and everyone in his daily life and mission.” (cf. OMI JPIC Vade Mecum, Chap. III #1 P.17-18)
This challenge comes not just from an OMI document but also especially from the situation and needs of the world in which we live and minister. To respond to it, the co-operation of all Oblates is needed. Initially this co-operation will mean: sharing ideas on what could be done and ‘how’ to do it; surfacing the kinds of help needed; expressing views on the involvement of our lay-cooperators; offering suggestions for a structure/mechanism, at the district, province and ministry levels, that will be practical, effective and helpful to us in our efforts to respond to this challenge.
The rootedness of JPIC values, work, and lifestyle in Oblate spirituality and charism require a common effort. Secularism, consumerism, and economic globalization challenge our spirituality and calls for solidarity with the poor of the world.
In our own ministries, we can initiate recollections and retreats focusing on JPIC concerns and responses among the people we work with or the people we serve.
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