Feast of St Eugene de Mazenod

On the 21st May 1861, Bishop Eugene de Mazenod left this life to be united with his heavenly Father. He was surrounded by his fellow brother Oblates and said to them, “Among yourselves practice charity, charity, charity; and outside, zeal for the salvation of souls.” These were his parting words to us and we continue to strive by his command. Today, we celebrate the great feast day of our founder and we give thanks for all that has been the Oblate congregation and we look forward, in hope, for all that is to come. We pray particularly for vocations, that the spirit and charism of St Eugene may inspire many young men to consecrate themselves as Oblate missionaries and that the same charism will be shared by many lay people in the one and same mission of God; to bring the Good News to the poor and most abandoned.

The following article is the Annual Letter for the Feast of St Eugene de Mazenod, written to the whole Oblate family by our Superior General, Fr Louis Lougen OMI.

Dear Brother Oblates and all our Brothers and Sisters living the Oblate Charism,

The feast of St. Eugene de Mazenod always brings us the renewed desire to live more faithfully as he insisted: with charity among us and zeal for the salvation of souls.   May this day be a special day of prayer, communion and joyful celebration!

Very shortly, in July, the Major Superiors of the Congregation will be meeting for the Interchapter in Obra, Poland.  We will be evaluating how the decisions taken in the 2016 General Chapter have been carried out and how to further implement them; the remote preparation for the next Chapter will also begin at the Interchapter.  Please pray to the Holy Spirit so that we may achieve greater effectiveness in responding to the Chapter directions.

In January of this year, the members of the Central Government spent several days in Palermo, Sicily, following the footsteps of Eugene de Mazenod.  It was in Palermo that he spent the last stage of his exile, from 1799 to 1802, before finally returning to France.  He would have been there from the age of 17 to 20 years.  We were guided on this pilgrimage by a member of MAMI, Enzo David, and by the president of the secular Institute, Oblate Missionary Cooperators of the Immaculate ((COMI), Ileana Chinnici.

We spent hours in the streets of Palermo, seeing the places where Eugene lived, the palazzi of important families whose circles he frequented and the churches he attended.  We accompanied his life as a young noble, stopping at various sites to read excerpts from his letters and memoirs.  We came in touch with different aspects of Eugene’s personality and we recognized experiences from his sojourn in Palermo that surely left marks on his personality, his future and the Oblate charism.

We visited what had been a working-class neighborhood of the leather-tanners where he dwelled for a short period.  He lived among these laborers, met them in the streets, saw them washing the animal hides in the river and working in their shops.  He was aware of their hard toil and their plight.

Also, his close attachment to the Cannizzaro family and, especially to the Duchess, whom he loved as a mother, was an important influence on him.  Not only was her maternal presence and love deeply significant in these youthful years when his own mother had returned already to France, but the Duchess was a woman of faith and engaged Eugene in the responsibility for much of her charitable work for the poor.  This ministry brought him directly in touch with the difficulties experienced by the most impoverished inhabitants of Palermo and must have increased his own compassion and concern for the poor.

Looking back over two hundred years ago to this period, it certainly contributed to the formation of a man whose first sermon at the Madeleine fills us with pride and expresses our way of seeing the faces of the poor.

“Come now and learn from us what you are in the eyes of faith. You, the poor of Jesus Christ, the afflicted and wretched, the sick and suffering and covered with sores, etc., whom misery overwhelms, my brethren, my dear brethren, my dear respectable brethren, listen to me.  You are the children of God, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, the co-heirs of his eternal Kingdom, the cherished portion of his inheritance; you are, in the words of Saint Peter, the holy nation, you are kings, you are priests, you are, in some way, gods: ‘Dii estis et filii Excelsi omnes’.”

Eugene’s life in Sicily increased his closeness to the poor, his awareness of the challenges they faced each day, his love for them and his respect for their dignity as beloved sons and daughters of God.

Along with visiting places connected to Eugene, mentioned in his letters from this period, we also accompanied present-day Oblates and members of the Missionary Association of Mary Immaculate (MAMI) and COMI as they live the Oblate charism today.  It was striking to see the new place of Oblate ministry in the heart of old Palermo, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Parish, recently taken on by the Mediterranean Province. An international community of Oblates has been established in this parish with a missionary outreach.

Two Oblates have been ministering to the migrants and refugees for many years, while living with other Oblates at Madonna delle Grazie Parish on the outskirts of Palermo.  They have been commuting back and forth each day to the old part of Palermo for ministry where the immigrants and refugees are clustered.  The Oblates emphasized that the new place of ministry at St. Nicholas is innovative in two ways.

First of all, the ministry with immigrants and refugees will be the common ministry of all the members of the Oblate apostolic community, with the parish as their base.  They are actively integrating in various ways, lay associates, young people living the Oblate charism and members of COMI in the mission.  The other new dimension to this apostolic community is that the Oblates are living at the parish house, right in the midst of the poor, among the many immigrants and refugees coming from around the world to Sicily.

On January 27th, the members of the Central Government celebrated the Eucharist with the local Oblates at St. Nicholas Church.  It was packed with people of every shade of human flesh, celebrating in many tongues the Eucharist, each contributing something beautiful from his or her local culture in prayers, songs and dances.  We saw the new faces of the poor.  We encountered Christ the migrant, the refugee.   It was a beautiful celebration of communion.

In order to take on responsibility for this parish in the heart of Palermo, the Mediterranean Province had to decide to withdraw from the parish on the outskirts of Palermo, Madonna delle Grazie.  Some 15 years before, the Oblates had taken the responsibility for this parish and gradually it had become a very life-filled parish community with strong lay leadership and many ministries.  The Central Government had an evening social with the leadership of this parish, and in speaking with them, I found it both truly surprising and refreshing that they, the parish leadership, were not complaining and lamenting that the Oblates were withdrawing from the parish!

The leadership, very conscious of the Oblate charism, have understood that the Oblates have accomplished our mission at their parish and, called to be faithful to our charism, we must now move on to new missionary territory.  They wish us success in this new project so that we continue to respond to the urgent needs of the poor.  Congratulations to the Mediterranean Province, responding to the call of recent General Chapters to welcome new missionary challenges and to seek the new faces of the poor, even if this means having to give up very good ministry!

Being in Palermo was a time of grace for the members of the Central Government.  Those days brought us a deep awareness of the last period of exile of young Eugene de Mazenod.  It also showed us many Missionary Oblates, MAMI members and COMI, living the Oblate charism today, not only in Palermo, but also in strong apostolic communities, diverse ministries and collaboration with laity and youth in Misilmeri and Messina, in a beautiful communion of life and mission.  An added touch to this rich experience was that during these days, while being warmly welcomed by the Oblates and the Sicilian people, we were also invited to enjoy the delicious food and wine of this enchanting island!

In communion with our first brother Oblates, who chanted the Salve Regina around their beloved Father as he lay dying, we invoke the Mother of Mercy with tender devotion as one Oblate family.  Let us ask Mary to help us be creatively faithful and audacious in living the missionary charism bequeathed to us by our Founder.  Saint Eugene, pray for us!

Happy feast day!

Father Louis Lougen, OMI
Superior General
May 21, 2019

Year 12 Mazenod Leaders visit Seminary

On 3rd May 2019, five of the Year 12 school leaders and prefects from Mazenod College VIC, visited St Mary’s Seminary, Camberwell as a part of an opportunity to “Come & See” the life and mission of the Oblates and in particular, the life of our seminarians.

The Mazenod School Captain, Elvis Tran, accompanied by four of his peers and Mrs Pier Bourne, Year 12 Coordinator, joined Frs John Sherman, Daniel Szewc, Andrew Chen and Brs Joshua Nash and Thuan Bui in the new St Mary’s Seminary. They began with a tour of the new Camberwell premises and were all thoroughly impressed. The school leaders and Mrs Bourne joined the community for their evening prayers and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, before sharing pizza for dinner and lively conversation. It was a great opportunity for these young men to have an inside look into an Oblate community and specifically the formation community. They had many questions and were able to discuss these with our Oblates over dinner. These young men are coming to a crucial point in their lives where they are discerning what to do after school and this evening provided them with an insight into one great possibility, whether they are called to be Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
Please keep these young men in your prayers as they continue through Year 12 and into their futures. Please continue to pray for Oblate vocations and if you are interested in joining in a “Come and See” you can find information here about the next one on 24-25 May.

Oblate seminarians reach out at Ignite Conference 2018

Over the last four days, Br Josh and Br Thuan have been at the Ignite Conference in Redcliffe, Qld. They have been running an expo space at the conference with the help of Fr John Sherman, promoting vocations and the wider Oblate family. The Ignite conference was an amazing experience for them all, with heart-provoking worship and encouraging and informative workshops. The brothers designed many give-aways, including earphones, pamphlets, and even an origami Mary Immaculate for the visitors to the stall to take with them. It was encouraging to see how many young people were committed to their faith and the life of the Church in Australia. There were 1,500 people at Ignite and that is now 1,500 more people who know of the Oblates and their work around Australia. The brothers were particularly delighted with the help of staff and students from St Eugene’s College and parish in Burpengary. From helping them with set-up to promoting the Oblates all around the conference, they were truly apart of our Oblate family and mission.

Let us continue to pray for vocations in Australia and for our continued mission here.

The Inspiration of the Cross

The Year of Oblate Vocations – The Inspiration of the Cross

Oblate crosses serve as both an inspiration and a challenge for the Oblates who own them and these crosses have the potential to continue to inspire and challenge others, even after their owners have entered eternal life. As a direct symbol and reminder of the mission of Christ to the world, Oblate crosses were never intended to be left to gather dust. These powerful religious pieces were always intended to draw people towards the mission and to encourage and challenge people to continue the mission of Christ.

In this Year of Oblate Vocations, a great initiative has started in two Oblate communities on either end of the country to each other. Amidst the sunshine of Queensland, the school community of Iona College have invited the boys and their families to host the Oblate crosses in their homes for a week at a time. The crosses of the late Fr John Hannah OMI and Fr Michael Clarke OMI accompany the boys home each week and invite their families to reflect upon the significance of the mission cross and pray for vocations.

On the other end of the continent, in the lush, green La Trobe Valley, the parishes of Moe and Newborough have started a similar venture. Each week a different family from the parishes or one of the school communities is presented with the cross of the late Fr John Dunlea OMI at the Sunday Eucharist. They take the cross and accompanying prayers home for the week. The parishioners have taken to the idea and even now invite other parishioners, neighbours and family to join them in their home for this time of prayer and a cup of tea to follow. The parishioners pray for the Oblate Year of Vocations, but also for Synod on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment and the 2020 Plenary Council, which is already underway here in Australia. When the cross is taken by a school community, it is the task of the ‘Mini Oblates’ group to take the cross to a different class each day to lead the prayers there.

In both communities, we hope that the Oblate cross will inspire people with the knowledge of the immense love God has for them, just as it did for Eugene that one Good Friday. The cross is a challenging symbol for many, but for Christians it is the sign of unconditional love and doorway for our own redemption by Christ to a life hereafter. Let us pray alongside these families and communities that the cross of Christ may inspire us to love more openly and more deeply. We continue to pray that this Year of Oblate Vocations may inspire young men to discern the call that comes from Christ to take up our own crosses and follow him as Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
 

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Special thanks goes to Fr Michael Twigg OMI, Rector of Iona College, Mr Wayne Wilden, Dean of Faith and Mission at Iona College and Fr Harry Dyer OMI, Parish Priest of Moe & Newborough.

The Year of Oblate Vocations

On 8th December 2017, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, it was announced by our Superior General, Fr Louis Lougen OMI, that the following 12 months would be the Year of Oblate Vocations.

The theme given to this special occasion is 'Come and See!’ (John 1:39): Focusing on the Joy and Generosity of Our Oblate Life. This Year of Oblate Vocations is naturally dedicated to the promotion of vocations to the Oblate Life, in its many varied forms, both religious and lay. This Year of Oblate Vocations coincides with the Year of Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment, announced by Pope Francis and is already underway to the Synod later this year focusing on those three themes. Luckily for us, in Australia, we have a third layer on that cake, with the Australian Bishops announcing 2018 to be the Year of Youth for Australia. As we can see, the Church all over the world sees the importance that young people bring to our community and it is imperative to listen to their voices, for they are not just the Church of the future, they are the Church of today as well.

From these young people, will surely spring our future vocations. Although a vocations to the Oblate life can occur at any age, it is important that in this year we dedicate ourselves to our relationships with the youth, who walk alongside us in our missions and are often integral parts of that mission. All young people need a vocation, a calling, a direction in life. Many of them find it in their work, many will find it in single or married life; and a chosen few will find it in the consecrated life as a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate. All together we make up our Oblate family and it is important to foster the vocations of all people in our communities.

This year will provide an opportunity for us, as Oblates, to get out there and be visible witnesses to the joy and generosity of our Oblate vocation. This is a great opportunity to hold special events in your community to promote vocations. There will be resources provided for us to reflect on how we engage with the topic of vocations. And lastly, but by far not the least, this year draws us into a more dedicated spiritual practice of praying for vocations. This is one of the most important things we can do; wherever we are and whoever we are.

Stay posted on this website and on our social media for updates about this exciting occasion and I wish you all the best in your adventures for this Year of Oblate Vocations! Let us all renew our vocation to be Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

- Br Joshua Nash OMI