Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Hall, 151 Stratford Rd, Stratford. To register (before November 20) please email latinamericamissionprogram@gmail.com (Note: without the ‘n’ on America) or call Marie Burge 902-894-4573. All are welcome.
The theme of the event is Colombia: Understanding the Structures of a Conflict.
The presenter is Reverend John Molina, who immigrated to Canada as a refugee from Colombia in 1999. Over the years he has remained in close contact with his native country. He continues to study the causes and effects of the decades-long devastating conflicts in Colombia.
Father John is a member of the Latin American Mission Program (LAMP), a priest of the Diocese of Charlottetown. He was ordained in 2005. He has a License in Canon Law, a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Divinity and a Diploma in Philosophy. Before coming to Canada, he worked in the area of rural development in his native Colombia. In PEI, he has been a pastor in several local parishes and has served as Chancellor and Judicial Vicar at the diocesan level. He currently serves as pastor of St. Simon and St Jude Parish in Tignish.
In trying to understand the structures of conflict in Colombia, LAMP is following its commitment to learn with and from Latin America. Colombia is a rich and biodiverse country in South America which has experienced a long history of internal conflict. By taking a view of its recent history, Father John proposes to identify some elements of that conflict which could shed light on the consequences of the social issues we experience in Canada and in PEI.
LAMP notes that it is clear that Canada is now involved in many serious conflicts both internally and internationally. Most people tend to think that current wars in Europe and the Middle East start with the first invasion, or the first rocket. Taking a close look at Colombia will help Canadians to understand what is behind the conflicts. Marie Burge of LAMP says “just as social and political conflict is built on unjust structures, so also people in every country have the capacity to build structures of peace and prosperity. This is what Colombians are teaching us today as we witness their courage and their pride in what they are building”.
Each year since Daniel O’Hanley’s death on July 3, 1991, LAMP honours him and all Islanders by presenting the Daniel O’Hanley Memorial Lecture. Dan was deeply aware of the causes and effects of conflict on the lives of the Nicaraguan people with whom he worked. He was always proud to accompany them as they struggled to re-built their country and their lives. Dan was murdered in a botched robbery attempt. He is remembered for his courage and social justice convictions and actions.
Daniel O’Hanley: Presente.