21 MAY 1861 – COMMEMORATING THE DEATH OF OUR SAINT

The day before his death Eugene entrusted this message to his Oblate family:

Be sure to tell them that I die happy… that I die happy that God was so good as to choose me to found the Congregation of the Oblates in the Church.

Then as the last wish in his heart:

Practice among yourselves charity
charity
charity
and outside, zeal for the salvation of souls.

Joseph Fabre (Eugene’s successor as Superior General), Circular letter of 1861

Last year, the Oblate Congregation and the Archdiocese of Marseille gathered at St Eugene’s tomb to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his death. His present successor as Superior General recalled:

For us Oblates, Saint Eugene was a man on fire with a great love for Jesus Christ, for the Church and for the poor. He shared these gifts with the people of Marseille for 37 years, as Vicar General and then as Bishop.
At the same time, he was the Superior General of the Missionary Oblates and he guided this growing Congregation from the bishop’s house across the street.
It is from this same city that he sent us to preach the Gospel throughout the world… We Oblates are proud to continue following his inspiration in nearly 70 countries, with more than 4,000 missionaries and numerous lay associates.

Father Louis Lougen OMI

In his homily during the Mass, St Eugene’s present successor as Bishop of Marseille said:

Bishop de Mazenod was animated by a passion to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. It is the way to the encounter of the poorest that Christ came to him and tied it to Him. He made an untiring apostle
In this he is a model for us.
May the passion of the Gospel fill us! May it lead us to the poorest today in the church … “

Archbishop Georges Pontier

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3 Responses to 21 MAY 1861 – COMMEMORATING THE DEATH OF OUR SAINT

  1. Jack Lau, OMI says:

    Happy Feast Day to All and we will remember you in today’s mass and oraison.
    The de Mazenodian Family of Galilee Centre/Arnprior Ontario Canada.

  2. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    “Be sure to tell them that I die happy… that I die happy that God was so good as to choose me to found the Congregation of the Oblates in the Church.” There is to me something incredibly humbling and joyous – his dreams & desires, and those of his God coming together.

    Thank you Eugene for your having given your all – to God and so to the rest of us.

  3. Anda says:

    As Fr Jack noted above, we met on Galilee property outside his home for the past few years. WhiLe I had seen the name ” de Mazenod” at St Paul’s University while taking summer courses, it was Fr Jack who introduced me to St Eugene. In commemoration of the death of St Eugene, we the ones gathered for mass, felt, I think, a kindred spirit to those beside the death bed of St Eugene, for Fr Jack was saying his last mass with us before moving on to the novitiate centre the next day. From the tears in my and other’s eyes, or lumps in his and other’s throats, we knew we too had been blessed by the presence of someone very special in the de Mazenodian family. “Well done, good and faithful servant”! Certainly an exemplary model of ST Eugene’ s charism and a mass befitting the commemoration of death of St Eugene.

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