Systemic change

Are You a “Whack-a-mole” or “Big picture” Person?

by John Freund, CM | March 16, 2022 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change | 0 Comments

It occurs to me that there are two approaches to problem-solving. – “Whack-a-mole” or “Big Picture.”

Luke’s Gospel – Trees or Forest?

by John Freund, CM | March 11, 2022 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change | 0 Comments

I often heard two seemingly contradictory thoughts about parents in “real families.”

Our “Real Families”

by John Freund, CM | March 9, 2022 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change | 0 Comments

I often heard two seemingly contradictory thoughts about parents in “real families.”

Please Don’t Feed the Trolls

by John Freund, CM | March 4, 2022 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change | 0 Comments

In the language of the internet, a troll is a person who makes inflammatory, insincere, or otherwise off-topic comments in a social setting.

Flying Geese, Fighter Pilots and Ministry

by John Freund, CM | Jul 7, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

The next time you watch a flock of geese, pause for a moment — think about what they can teach us about ministry in general and, especially, “long-haul” ministries of systemic change.

What Can We Learn From Grasshoppers?

by John Freund, CM | Jun 30, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

“When you first capture the grasshopper, it jumps and jumps and jumps, trying to get out, banging its head against the lid.”

“But the longer the grasshopper’s in there, the less high it jumps, the less it tries, until finally it just sits on the bottom.

Which Story Interests You Most?

by John Freund, CM | Jun 23, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

Whose story are you most aware of? Can you recognize the interconnection of all stories? Do Vincentians have a special vocation as storytellers?

Are You Part of the Problem?

by John Freund, CM | Mar 4, 2020 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

Am I part of the problem... or part of the solution? How can I know? I recently read something attributed to Coretta Scott King, "It doesn't matter how strong your opinions are. If you don't use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem.”...

What Did St. Vincent Do For the Homeless of His Day?

by Fr. Michael Carroll, CM | Feb 27, 2020 | Collaboration, Formation, Poverty: Analysis and Responses, Reflections, Systemic change, Vincentian Family

Vincent and Louise de Marillac were deeply committed to the education and moral formation of young people living on the streets or in dire conditions.

Pope Francis and Ozanam on Systemic Change

by John Freund, CM | Feb 26, 2020 | Formation, Justice and Peace, Reflections, Systemic change

What do Pope Francis (2020), Pope Pius XI (1927) and Bl. Frederic Ozanam (1848) have in common?

Lent is a Call to Change Our Way of Thinking

by John Freund, CM | Feb 19, 2020 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

Over his lifetime he created a network of institutions dedicated to initial formation. We call this systemic change by the name of seminaries.

Collaboration Works! – Good News

by John Freund, CM | Feb 12, 2020 | Formation, Justice and Peace, Systemic change, Vincentian Family

Demonstrations of the power of collaboration in systemic change.

Homelessness – First Aid AND Long Term Solutions

by Fr. Michael Carroll, CM | Feb 6, 2020 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

Former Eastern Province Provincial, Fr. Michael Carroll, CM, reflects on Homelessness – First aid AND Long-term Solutions, the first in a series of reflections.

What’s Your Take on Systemic Change?

by John Freund, CM | Feb 5, 2020 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

What’s your take on Systemic Change? I thought I would ask you to share what you think is the state of systemic change in the Vincentian Family.

Under-utilized Ways of Being God’s Story-tellers

by John Freund, CM | Jan 29, 2020 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

How conscious are we of being both God’s story and God’s storytellers… and of the many ways we can tell God’s story to a world desparetly in need of Good News?