On 21st July began the 3rd International Oblate Congress on Mission with Youth at the General House in Rome. Fr Christian Fini OMI and Ms Emma Rice, as part of the international Commission on Mission with Youth, gathered with 33 delegates from around the world, including our own Fr Joshua Nash OMI, representing Asia-Oceania. The Congress gathered Oblates and youth leaders from all regions of the world to discuss, discern and dream about the future of the Oblate mission with youth. Stories were shared about the realities of young people in different parts of the world and through prayer, spiritual conversations, and group work, the delegates worked throughout the week to produce recommendations for the Superior General and the Central Government about how we proceed with the Oblate mission with youth. It was an amazing time of fraternity and community, of sharing and learning and allowing the Holy Spirit, through St Eugene de Mazenod, to speak to our hearts and together envision what the future of this mission could be. Gathering in the General House as they prepare for the 200th anniversary of the Oblate Constitutions and Rules gave us a sense of inspiration and excitement for the future of the Oblates and the wider De Mazenod Family.
Following the Congress, delegates stayed on to participate in the Oblate Jubilee of Youth on 29th and 30th July. The first day saw 600 Oblate youth from many provinces gather at the General House in Rome with Fr Chicho Rois OMI, our Superior General. Groups of youth were given tours of the General House including brand-new exhibits about the history of the congregation and its missions far and wide. They visited the chapel where they could pray in front of the heart the founder, in front of the altar where Eugene and Tempier took their first vows, and finally in front of the Oblate Madonna, the statue of the Immaculate Conception in front of which Eugene had a great moment of grace in 1822. The day also included a concert in the grounds of the General House with a great Italian Christian band called Kantiere Kairos, a presentation about the Oblate charism from Fr Chicho and a time of adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Following lunch and time for youth to meet each other, we all headed to St Peter’s Square for the Opening Mass of the Jubilee of Youth, presided by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery of Evangelization. Pope Leo XIV made a special appearance at the end of mass, making a tour in his pope-mobile through the streets of the Vatican.
The next day was an opportunity for the Oblate Youth from across the world to walk the streets of Rome on pilgrimage in the footsteps of St Eugene de Mazenod. I began with visiting the Chiesa del Gesù, the home of the Jesuits in Rome. I visited the church, prayed at the tomb of St Ignatius and toured the rooms next door where St Ignatius lived and died and where St Eugene came to say mass on three separate occasions, one of these being in 1826 when he came to Rome to have the rules of our order approved by Pope Leo XII. I was also able to visit the Church of St Ignatius, where lies the body of St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of youth; and the Chiesa Nuova where lies the body of St Philip Neri, founder of the Oratorians and known as the ‘laughing priest’. I ventured up the hill to the Quirinal Palace, the home of the President of Italy, and visited the church of San Silvestro al Quirinale, where Eugene stayed with the Vincentian Fathers in 1826 whilst he awaited for the approval of his rules. Finally, I made it to the church of Santa Maria in Campitelli. This is where Eugene came to pray to Our Lady the day before he was summoned to see Pope Leo XII, who approved the constitutions and gave us a new name, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Here, the 600 Oblate Youth, together with about 20 Oblates and the Superior General, celebrated Mass to conclude our Oblate Jubilee of Youth.
I pray this Jubilee Year will be a special grace for our Oblate and De Mazenod Family communities and most especially in our mission with youth. I pray also this year will prepare us well for the anniversary next year of 200 years of papal approval. May the Lord continue to bless our congregation and our family and give us 200 years more.
