United Nations Day — Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

Father Vannicola, Assistant Provincial of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province, stands in front of a display case at Father Judge High School honoring his mentor, the late Father John J. Hurley, OSFS.

On October 24, the international community will mark a commemoration that does not receive a lot of attention in the United States. It will be United Nations Day, which marks the date on the calendar in 1945 when the Charter of the United Nations went into effect. I find the lack of attention curious because our nation has been so central to the UN’s founding and mission. President Truman realized that while the United States was in a position following victory in the Second World War to hold and yield a lot of power, it was more important to bring the world together so that the horrors of the preceding years would never be repeated. There always had to be a way. There always had to be a path to peace.

Honestly, the day would probably have gone unnoticed by me if it were not for an Oblate who became such a key figure in my life as a mentor and guide. When people ask me why I wanted to become a priest I always tell them that I am not completely sure why at first. (My mom told me I first expressed that wish when I was four years old so I figure God implanted that from the beginning.) When people ask me why I wanted to be an Oblate, I knew the answer, because of other Oblates and how they lived their lives.

One of the first Oblates I met as a student at Salesianum School was the late Father John J. Hurley, OSFS, who had learned that I wanted to join the Model United Nations. I did not know much about the UN but I loved debate and public speaking. As the Oblate overseeing the program, Father Hurley welcomed me to Model UN.

Father Hurley was a phenomenal coach. Model UN debate requires incredible discipline because one cannot simply fashion an articulate argument for what they themselves believe but must represent the official positions of the assigned country. I was all over the map. From Poland to Lesotho to Bosnia to France to China to the Seychelles and other countries in between, I learned to speak articulately and intelligently on the issues of the day, always prepared to defend a position that might be far from my own and that of my own government. Studying the country, its people and its concerns was far more than strategy to me. In a pre-internet age, it opened the world up as I would run to the mailbox to receive position papers and other replies from the official Permanent Missions at the UN of the countries I was representing. I always wanted to know more. I wanted to understand why governments held the positions that they did. Father Hurley helped me to understand. His knowledge of world affairs and his understanding of dynamics among nations is unmatched by anyone else I know. He coached me in giving remarks, in making points, in calling the question.

However, he also taught me something else, perhaps something much more valuable. A lot of the UN work is done in caucusing, in dialogue between the member states to achieve solutions. This takes place outside of formal debate. Caucusing is key. Seeking to encourage compromises, seeking to come up with solutions even and especially in a moment of crisis is a large part of the competition. Father Hurley taught me how to invite others into opportunities for collaboration and cooperation. Yes, it was a competition but victory came in achieving compromise.

We live in a world where “winning” has become so important but it is the kind of winning that leaves others behind. It is not built on dialogue or compromise or cooperation but on a sense of mutual distrust, anger and greed. We need United Nations Day to be reminded that we have long ago determined these methods never to bring about real success and certainly not real peace. When I hear criticism of the UN, I always like to suggest to others that they consider that the United Nations is a collection of its members. If the UN is not doing what should be done, it is really its member states that are not living up to the principles they themselves adopted, that were embodied in a global organization that reflects the desire of the international community for real peace and care for each other.

In my role as Assistant Provincial, I have been enjoying my visits to the various Oblate apostolates. Recently, I made such a visit to one of our great sources of pride, Father Judge High School in Philadelphia. While there, Father Jack Kolodziej, our Provincial, was anxious to show me a display case set up as a permanent tribute to Father Hurley who not only coached Model UN at Salesianum and Father Judge but also at North Catholic, Bishop Ireton, Padua Academy, and several other schools. I was so moved because it was clear that what Father Hurley did for me he did for so many others as well. He opened up the world to me and made me believe I could make a difference. There is no doubt that he is one of the main reasons why I am an Oblate of Saint Francis de Sales.

In my Oblate life, I learned that Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, was also committed to peace. He famously met with Theodore Beza, the successor of John Calvin. Calvin and Beza had purged Catholicism from the city of Geneva and Francis was forced to live outside the walls across the lake in Annecy. Francis never gave up and, in what is believed to be the first act of ecumenism, reached out to the religious leader who had literally sought Francis’ assassination. Francis believed in dialogue rather than violence. He believed in a new way, a better way. As his faithful sons, we Oblates try to do the same. I pray each day that what Father Hurley has passed on to me I might be able to continue to share with others.