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
In 2011, 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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You can have a “Saint Eugene speaks” app on your ipad by going to http://myapp.is/Eugenespeaks ON YOUR TABLET and following the instructions
A happy Feast Day to all! Today on the anniversary of St. Eugene’s death we celebrate him, his life, his gift of himself to God and so to the world. No small thing but rather everything. I am thinking of this legacy left to us, as Fr. Louis Lougen said; “We Oblates are proud to continue following his inspiration in nearly 70 countries, with more than 4,000 missionaries and numerous lay associates.” We follow his inspiration, the model left for us, a way of living and being. We express and try to give voice to that way of living and being through vision statements and mission statements such us “Disciples of Jesus, with the heart of Mary Immaculate, sons and daughters of Eugene de Mazenod, we are called to be Oblate missionaries in this time and place. As daring members of the prophetic Church, we stand with the voiceless, hearing and making heard their cry, which is a cry to God who brings down the powerful and lifts up the lowly.”
Recently in passing, I overheard a group of Oblates talking about Eugene and saying that he of course never had real sons and so perhaps brothers would be a better word. Hearing that statement caused me to reflect the past few days on who Eugene was and continues to be. From all that I have read and learned and experienced in my heart I must say that to me Eugene was truly a father to many. I think of how Abraham was a father to generations and how we speak of that. I have always thought that meant much more than just dna and blood lines. The same with Our Blessed Mother, Maman. Eugene loved as did, does a father and he did not limit it – as quoted from the top of this page “A father’s communication with his many children… that is one of the most agreeable occupations of my life”
What a legacy you have left for us Eugene. We celebrate you every day in following the way of life you modeled for us, that you gave to us in your Constitution and Rules, in the many writings left for us to try to live with. Today on this the 152 anniversary of your death we remember you perhaps just a little more consciously, we celebrate you and thank you. Today we do it perhaps with just a little extra of that charity and zeal.