Dear Brothers and Sisters of the OMI Family,
I would like to greet you all as the new Provincial of the Australian Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Thank you very much for the messages of support and prayers sent to me since I was appointed in September 2024.
Last week, the Provincial Council officially commenced our mandate as the leadership team for the Australian Province for the next three years. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Fr Christian Fini, who has led us over the past six years with great energy, creativity, vision, and passion, guiding us through one of the most challenging periods in recent history. A significant milestone during his leadership was the formal establishment of the De Mazenod Family in the Australian Province. This was born out of conviction that the Charism of St Eugene and the Oblates is a gift from the Holy Spirit to the wider Church.
I very much share this conviction; that the future of the Australian Province must include you- our partners in mission -journeying with us, as Pilgrims of Hope in Communion, to quote the theme of the 37th Chapter of the Oblates in 2022.
Yours openness and your enthusiasm to appreciate the charism of St Eugene and the Oblates and incorporate it into your personal faith and daily life gives us, vowed Oblates, a renewed sense of appreciation of this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit that we vow to live out daily in community.
Thank you for walking this journey with us. Thank you for your continued support in our mission and ministry. Thank you for your example of faith commitment.
I look forward to meeting you in person as I go around the Province and vising all ministries. May God bless you abundantly!
Yours in St Eugene and Mary Immaculate,
Fr Andrew Chen OMI
Provincial