Author Archives: franksantucci

As the Oblate Congregation grew and became more widespread we find that Eugene’s letters do not always give too many details of the missions.  For this reason, I think it important to fill in the details with some narrative. We … Continue reading →

Ordination of Brother Richard Moloney in my chapel. I ordained him sub-deacon and will ordain him deacon at Sitientes and priest on Easter Monday. He is one of the three who is destined for the Buffalo mission. Diary 22 February … Continue reading →

I have had three Bishops here one after the other, and you can understand that with such guests it is not easy to have time to oneself. One of these prelates was Bishop Timon, the Bishop of Buffalo in the … Continue reading →

Visit of Bishop Timon, Bishop of Buffalo. This prelate inspires me so much that I shall not refuse his request. Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 26 December 1849, EO XXII Bishop John Timon was a Vincentian religious who had been a … Continue reading →

HOPE: THE GIFT OF THE CRUCIFIED SAVIOR ONE GOOD FRIDAY   A moment of encounter one Good Friday turned an unsettled 25 year-old into a man with a purpose: a man with new meaning and hope. Eugene became totally enthralled … Continue reading →

Bob Wright continues the story of the foundation of the Texas mission: Since Brownsville was a new town on the north bank of the Rio Grande, the river that had just become the international boundary between the United States and … Continue reading →

As we have no writings of Eugene on this period in Texas, I think it important to tell the story of this mission. Fr. Bob Wright takes up the narrative: The Oblates selected by Father Telmon parted paths in New … Continue reading →

On November 20 the five Oblates, destined for Texas, reached New Orleans, where they remained for a few days. All the correspondence between the Oblates in Texas and Eugene have been lost, so we are lacking in details. A priest, … Continue reading →

Eugene’s diary was a personal document in which he noted some of the happenings of the day and often expressed his sentiments in a way that he could not in public. On this day he had received two letters, each … Continue reading →

I couldn’t resist sharing this snippet from Eugene’s letter to the novice master in England. Keep firm control lest the abuse of tobacco be introduced into your novitiate. Be quite sure that it is only a mania. The human species … Continue reading →