THE YOUTH CONGREGATION AS MOTHER

Exploring the Rules of 1813 and the later Statutes written by Eugene as a Rule of Life for the youth, one is surprised by how detailed and all-encompassing they are. Furthermore, all this did not remain on the level of theory, but was lived with commitment and fervor by a large number of young men who freely chose this way of being Christians.

In the section entitled Duties of the Congregation towards its members, Eugene uses a favorite concept: that of the Youth Congregation as a mother.

Art 1. The Congregation must be regarded as the spiritual mother of every congregant; he must find within her all the spiritual help (and temporal insofar as possible) according to his needs.

Statuts, Chapitre XIV – Devoirs de la Congrégation envers les congréganistes

Seven years earlier, while describing his vocation to the priesthood, Eugene spoke of the Church as a spiritual mother who was suffering persecution:

At a time when the Church, our Mother, was bountifully opening her bosom for us to draw from there all the riches of which she is the depository and faithful dispenser, how could we not but reflect with grief about her as we considered her sorrows and sufferings, how could we not be moved with sympathy for the condition of abandonment she is in…
No, no, these deeds that rend our Mother have penetrated deep into our souls…

Conference on [sub-diaconate] Ordination Day, 23 December 1809, O.W. XIV, n. 65

The Youth Congregation, as a manifestation of Church, was to be regarded as a mother. When he founded the Missionaries of Provence he understood this Society in terms of being a spiritual mother. It was a concept that became dear to the Oblates. For example, writing about the Oblate Congregation to one of the Oblates in 1853:

Attach yourself to her as you would to a mother…
…never cease being grateful to God’s goodness for having called you, that you attach yourself, as I was telling you a while ago, to the family that has adopted you as to a beloved mother.

Letter to Alexandre Audruger, 24 October 1853, O.W. XI n. 1182

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2 Responses to THE YOUTH CONGREGATION AS MOTHER

  1. John Mouck says:

    “At a time when the Church, our Mother, was bountifully opening her bosom for us to draw from there all the riches of which she is the depository and faithful dispenser, how could we not but reflect with grief about her as we considered her sorrows and sufferings, how could we not be moved with sympathy for the condition of abandonment she is in…”

    OMG! This sounds to me like Eugene is right here right now.

    I read in “Oblate Spirit” about Oblate missionaries in Kenya, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and other deprived parts of the world building up the Body of Christ which is awesome. And yet right here in my own back yard I watch the Church, my parish church, slipping away. Let me re-phrase that, the Church is not slipping away, she is steadfast, but my community, my ‘body of Christ’ is looking more and more anorexic. It seams people in my privileged part of the world are not receiving nourishing, relevant food of life from “our Mother”.
    And so, it looks like the Church is dying – the Church is not dying but the people are (spiritually) and the people are the Church. Therefore She is self-destructing, spiritual anorexia, gradually fading away.

    I see it happening.
    What can we do?
    WHAT CAN I DO?

    (I have my thoughts and opinions on this but they are not for this blog, they are beyond my control I think, and besides, I am probably wrong…lol)

  2. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    I have been drawn back here a year later. Both this morning and again this afternoon, wanting, needing to read it again and again. Perhaps because it is Saturday, perhaps because I continue to think of my experience with Our Lady while in Rome, perhaps because I am giving to her my dear friends Tom and Elaine. I am not sure.

    I keep reading “…never cease being grateful to God’s goodness for having called you, that you attach yourself, as I was telling you a while ago, to the family that has adopted you as to a beloved mother.” which is to me a new way of thinking of it, looking at the Oblates and in fact the entire Mazenodian family, In truth even as I reread this phrase I find myself filled with gratitude for that is really how I have experienced this is some ways.

    Still my thoughts refuse to slow down. I continue to ponder and wonder. Do we then, each one of us, become mother to and with each other? I look at all I have received, from first one and then another, and another …. And I recall the times that I have felt like a mother in some ways. I feel that were I to see the face of Our Mother I would find her smiling as perhaps many of you are now. I weep a little – in joy? Just because I am touched? I don’t suppose it matters. I hope John you are okay, we are not dying, look and you will find us.

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