The 2017 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast was a beautiful depiction of Christ’s love through people of faith gathering together to pray for America. Speakers, such as Vice President Michael Pence, spoke of the power of prayer in our nation and the gratitude he felt for the religious community. Another speaker, Mother Olga of the Scared Heart, reminded the audience of the religious roots of America and the importance of religious liberty for true democracy and human flourishing.
An Iraqi immigrant, Mother Olga, moved the audience with her speech centered on what it truly means to be an American patriot. Mother Olga came to the U.S from Iraq in 2001 in hopes of becoming educated to help the ones she loved in Iraq. She earned her Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College. At Boston College she started the Nazareth House, a house of prayer for young women. Prior to coming to America, she started a lay movement called Love Your Neighbor in which she helped the poor, the homeless, prisoners, and others in need.
Mother Olga’s journey to become an American citizen was not centered on a love for America in an abstract sense, but for the American people. In her speech she said, “By birth I am Assyrian from Iraq but it is because of the love for the people of my new country I am an American citizen.” She continued and referenced the historical heritage of America, in particular Governor William Bradford and the pilgrims’ journey in 1620 to America in hopes of establishing a home of freedom with a foundation grounded in faith.
Patriotism for many could be defined as love for one’s nation. However, patriotism defined as loving the people of a nation may not be the first definition one may think of. For Mother Olga, her love for the American people shaped her patriotism towards America.
In her speech, she illustrated the beautiful parallels between men and women serving in the military and her own service to others through her relations with the American military. Mother Olga visited Iraq in 2007 on a trip to visit American troops:
Many people could not understand why as an Iraqi religious woman I would risk going to the green zone when there was so much conflict and dangerous happenings [activities] at that time in that area. Also, during my time in campus ministry in Boston, I used to host annually appreciation ceremonies for the ROTC students and their families. In these occasions, I was asked why as a religious sister I make an effort to honor men and women in service. My answer was because we both give our lives to others out of love.
“We both give our lives to others out of love.” Love for others is at the center of patriotism. Mother Olga continued to connect the history of the American men and women in service and of faith expressing acts of love for their fellow countrymen and women. She stated, “People in public service and people of faith are united in one vision, the common good of people that they serve. In that light we can find a common ground in service for all parties acting as Americans first. Our pilgrim fathers and those who came after them overcame many sacrifices to build of us not a country of many divided parties but one nation under God.”
Faith and service are necessary for America to continue to prosper and be the city on the hill our pilgrim forefathers dreamed it to be. Mother Olga described the essence of true democracy as “…not only being seen as an expression of the political will of the people but also in our embrace of our own identity as Americans and appreciation of the religious roots of our foundation as a nation.”
At the end of her speech, Mother Olga left us with a message of hope for the future of America and all her freedoms. She stated, “As long as we keep our roots grounded in the soil of grace that comes from God, the tree that has no roots will never blossom. When we forget where we came from and where we have been planted and what we need to do in order to flourish we can lose hope.” Mother Olga encouraged Americans to strive for a “freedom planted with faith, grounded in hope, nourished by love in the soil of truth and in the service of the genuine good of all humanity.”
Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, founder of Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, arrives to speak at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast June 6 pic.twitter.com/bkkjEfiTAN
— Pittsburgh Catholic (@PghCathnews) June 7, 2017
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