Walking the Talk
Valiant pioneers, past and present, give URI roots and wings. Father Louis Dolan, a Catholic priest and member of the Passionist order, a citizen of the US and Argentina, an Irishman fluent in Spanish, a founding URI leader, and the first regional coordinator in Latin America, is one such pioneer. His dedication, joy and integrity are planted deep in URI and he inspires us today to “walk our talk” as an organization.
Charles Gibbs said, “Louie attended the first URI Global Summit in June 1996 and was one of the loudest voices for the necessity of taking the URI on the road to help ground the vision in other parts of the world. "If this is just another project controlled by the United States," he said, "I don’t want any part of it. But if you’re serious about involving the world, I’m ready to help."Louie died in 2000 shortly after a history-making URI gathering in Ecuador where indigenous people from 11 different pueblos and 12 different countries shared their spiritual practices and cosmo-visions.
Father Louis Dolan in Quito, Ecuador at the historic meeting of Indigenous Peoples in 2000.
After his death, accolades expressing Louie’s contribution to URI poured in:
“Fr. Louie taught us so much by his example of walking his talk, speaking his truth, always learning, and never giving up, even in the face of great adversity. He brought so much to the "birthing" circle of URI. I remember the particular joy and exhilaration on his face as we all danced and sang together at the closing of 1999 URI Global Summit.”- Beverly Britton
“His love and devotion are woven into the foundations of the URI community and our relationships with each other. URI is an international organization in no small part because of Louie’s efforts and the seeds he planted are ripening all over South America and all over the world.” - Paul Andrews
“The first time he stepped on the soil of a foreign land he experienced what he later called a sense of ‘global consciousness’ which was to guide his actions for the rest of his life” - Marie Claire Cournand
“Father Louis Dolan was truly the father for all of us doing interfaith work at the United Nations. Ever passionate for the voice of Latin America, he opened so many doors and fought tirelessly for what he believed, and he got things done. We thank Louie for the immense contributions he made to the URI and to the good of all life on this planet. We pledge to continue to build on the foundation he helped us to establish.” - Betsy Stang