John Freund, CM
Author
Who Do We Represent?
It is no secret that we tend to label people very quickly. No doubt there is some utility to labels even if today they are used like arrows of insult. Labels try to identify who we represent. To my mind labels lead a question for followers of Vincent and Louise. "Who...
What must be done – Framing the questions
Seeds of future systemic changes....Father Gregory Gay, during his twelve years as Superior General, consistently invited us to think beyond what we were accustomed to, especially in terms of collaboration for systemic change. Here are the questions that he presented...
St. Vincent, Kevin Spacey and sending the elevator back down
An elevator goes up, goes down. People get on and off. I live in a large Vincentian community facility where at 78 I like to think I am in the mid-range age group of this community (okay maybe upper). It is no surprise that the elevator is crucial for so many of us....
Appreciative Discernment and Vincentians
During the three weeks of the 42nd General Assembly of the Congregation of the Mission the delegates will frequently employ a method called Appreciative Discernment (AD) or appreciative inquiry (AI). The material following the definition of AD/AI is adapted from a...
A bishop experiences homelessness for 36 hours
The headline cried "Saskatoon bishop tries out homelessness for 36 hours in charity challenge". It caught my attention. Perhaps because Father Pat Griffin eloquently reminded us recently that Vincent felt the pain for the poor... and they knew that. An undeniable...
Is your pastor worth $12,000?
A recent article by Peter Feuerherd in the series "The Church as Field Hospital" got me thinking about what is a pastor worth. And as I thought about it I also wondered what people ought to legitimately expect from a pastor. The article begins... The buzz went around...
Systemic change, learning organizations and the SVDP
At the conclusion of an excellent article, Frederick Ozanam: Systems Thinking and Systemic Change, noted Ozanam researcher Ray Sickinger, points out that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, for which Ozanam was such an inspiration, is a learning organization which has...
Following Vincent – “Wherever He Went Good Things Happened”
Let's get right to the point! Do good things happen wherever you and I go? Why is this question important? For at least two reasons! We call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ. And of him, it was said, "You know what has happened throughout the province of...
Does Laudato Si matter to you?
Was Laudato Si a "blip" or a "game changer"? An important question, no doubt. But a more important question for us is, does Laudato Si matter to you...and the Vincentian Family? Someone recently said of the Church “We’re collectively the largest global humanitarian...
Vincentian systemic change – within our institutions
What about systemic change within our Vincentian Family sponsored institutions?