Monthly Archives: June 2017

The Bishop of Marseilles proved to be far more enthusiastic than his nephew on this occasion. In fact, on July 11, without first consulting the Founder, Fortune proposed, in a letter to the Grand Aumonier, that the Oblates of Mary … Continue reading →

The Oblate Missionaries themselves eagerly sought the “signal favor of going overseas and being the first of our Fathers to have the happiness of bringing the light of the Gospel to these poor people.” Even Tempier volunteered to be one … Continue reading →

When news of the capture of Algiers arrived on July 9, public delirium reached its peak… The general enthusiasm gripped even the bishop’s palace. Writing to Father de Mazenod, Tempier informed him: At two o’clock, all the church bells were … Continue reading →

The next few entries refer to the French conquest of Algeria in 1830. We need to read these events through the missionary eyes of Eugene nearly two centuries ago and not judge his reactions according to our present theological and … Continue reading →

When Pius VIII became Pope in March 1829, he had written a pastoral letter to all the bishops of the world. The Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs in France, Bishop Feutrier, had forbidden the bishops of France to publish it until … Continue reading →

The initial struggle against the liberals was about defending the freedom of education in which Eugene declared: I find myself like a lion who feels all his vigor, his strength and his courage… Letter to Henri Tempier, 24 June 1828, … Continue reading →

Yvon Beaudoin describes an example of the effects of the liberal movement on an Oblate priest, André Valentin, in Aix : In the course of the struggle for freedom of education in 1828, the university students held a demonstration against … Continue reading →

In the face of the laws of 1828 which undermined the role of the Church in Christian education, barred religious from teaching, impeded minor seminaries, and expelled the Jesuits, Eugene was moved to action. The decree which, by expelling the … Continue reading →

Eugene was away from Marseilles, but was involved in giving all possible support and advice to his uncle the Bishop in his war against the laws preventing the Church’s influence on religious education. But I would wish to be at … Continue reading →

With the restoration of the Bourbon kings in France, the Church was once again given the chance to function freely. Many in France, however, became uncomfortable with the close bond between the monarchy and religion and feared a return to … Continue reading →