JPIC: Rediscovering the OLA Charism Through Justice, Peace and Care for Creation
The journey into Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) took a deeper, more reflective turn on Tuesday afternoon as the OLA Sisters gathered to share their experiences and rediscover the close connection between JPIC and the Congregation’s charism.
The session began with presentations from various entities, offering a glimpse into the many ways OLA Sisters are responding to people’s needs and the challenges facing our world. Although the contexts differ from one entity to another, a common desire emerged: to stand with vulnerable people, promote human dignity, and care for our common home.
The initiatives presented reflected this diversity. Some Sisters accompany migrants and people experiencing hardship; others are engaged in the promotion of women, recycling, ecology, and reforestation. Each experience revealed a concrete expression of the OLA mission and showed how JPIC is already woven into the everyday ministry of the Sisters.
JPIC: An Expression of the OLA Charism
It was against this rich background that Sr. Liliana Parlanti invited the participants to look more deeply at the OLA Charism in the light of JPIC. Rather than presenting JPIC as an additional ministry or a programme to be added to the Congregation’s activities, Sr. Liliana helped the Sisters to recognise it as something much more fundamental: JPIC belongs to the very heart of the OLA vocation.
Her presentation encouraged the Sisters to see the connection between justice, peace and the integrity of creation and the way they live their consecration to God. The evangelical counsels are not lived in isolation from the realities of the world. Rather, they shape the way an OLA Sister relates to people, uses resources, responds to injustice, and contributes to building a more humane and peaceful society.
Through this perspective, JPIC becomes more than a collection of activities. It becomes a way of living the OLA vocation.
Sr. Liliana’s reflection invited the Sisters to look beyond what they do and to consider who they are as consecrated missionary women. Their commitment to justice and peace flows from their identity and from the Gospel values that inspire the OLA mission. Every encounter with a vulnerable person, every effort to protect creation, every action that promotes dignity and equality can become a concrete expression of the Congregation’s charism.
This reflection also highlighted the importance of integrating JPIC into ordinary community and missionary life. The call to justice begins not only in large-scale projects but also in everyday choices, relationships and attitudes. It challenges each Sister to become more attentive to situations of exclusion, inequality and environmental degradation and to ask how her life and mission can contribute to transformation.
Listening, Sharing and Learning from One Another
The reflection naturally opened the way for the Conversation in the Spirit. The Sisters were given space to listen attentively to one another, share their experiences, and allow different perspectives to enrich the common reflection.
The sharing revealed that while the realities of the entities may be different, the concerns that animate JPIC are deeply interconnected. The experiences shared became an opportunity to learn from one another and to recognize possibilities for greater collaboration and mutual support.
The day concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist. During the liturgy, symbols representing the different entities were carried in procession and placed before the altar. The gesture offered a meaningful expression of the day’s journey: the diverse realities, commitments, and experiences of the OLA family were brought together and entrusted to God.
As the JPIC journey continues, the reflection of Sr. Liliana offers an important reminder: justice, peace, and care for creation are not separate from the OLA mission. They are a way of embodying the charism and living the Gospel in the realities of today’s world.