Tag Archives: close to the people

HUMAN, CHRISTIAN, SAINT: FROM EXPERIENCE TO CONVICTION AND A WAY OF LIFE

Can I ever thank God sufficiently for getting for me, out of his infinite goodness, help such as this precisely at the most difficult time of life, a decisive time for me, in which were planted by a man of … Continue reading

Posted in DIARY | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

MINISTRY TO IMMIGRANTS RECOGNIZED

Marius Suzanne seemed to have teased Eugene about a civic honor he had just received from the King of Sardinia: I really think you make fun of me in your manner of remarking about my knighthood. Letter to Marius Suzanne, … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

HE LIVED, AND LET OTHERS WATCH HIM DO IT

Eugene, as founder of the Oblates, considered himself the religious father of each member. Hippolyte Courtès had a special place in Eugene’s life. As an adolescent he had been a member of Eugene’s youth congregation, then he was in the … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

FORMATION: BE CLOSE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE

The Oblates who accompany the novices need to be fully available to them and not absent because of other preoccupations (no matter how worthy these could be). In our demanding mediatic world of today, this could also be seen as … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

PREACH WITH SIMPLICITY IN ORDER TO CONVERT, NOT TO PLEASE

Eugene encourages his missionaries in their style of modest preaching by noting how loved they are by the simple people who appreciate the Oblates’ closeness to them. I have noted with exquisite consolation that all good people and especially those … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , | 2 Comments

IT IS A GREAT INCONVENIENCE NOT TO BE UNDERSTOOD BY HALF OR THREE QUARTERS OF YOUR LISTENERS

The aims and methods of Oblate preaching were always clear: break the Word of God for the most abandoned by speaking simply in their language. In Eugene’s time it was the Provençal language – and only rarely did he permit … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , | 2 Comments

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONSIDERATE OF THE DAILY WELFARE OF THESE POOR PEOPLE

Scholastic brother Marius Bernard, who was preparing for his diaconate ordination, was part of the mission team. They had him teaching catechism three times per day, but Eugene saw this as an exaggeration that was putting undue demands on the … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , | 2 Comments

CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTIONS ARE MUCH MORE USEFUL TO THE UNEDUCATED THAN BEAUTIFUL SERMONS

During the months of October and November, the Missionaries had joined the Jesuits for a mission to the city of Gap, near the Alps. The language of the mission was French and in this connection Eugene refers to a letter … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

CLOSE TO THE PEOPLE IN THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

In making preparations for the Aubagne mission, Eugene touches on the heart of the mission, which is the personal God-encounter of each individual in the sacrament of reconciliation. The Pastor of Aubagne had been a former member of the Lazarist … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

ONGOING PASTORAL CONCERN FOR THE WELFARE OF THOSE EVANGELIZED THRU A PARISH MISSION

From 14 January to 25 February 1821 Eugene and the Missionaries had preached a demanding mission in the town of Brignoles. As was their custom, the Missionaries wanted to arrange the dates for a return visit during the following year. … Continue reading

Posted in LETTERS | Tagged , , | 1 Comment