Author Archives: franksantucci

The “Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us” blog began in May 2010 and with it came a free service offered by Google to subscribe to an email version of the daily reflections. Several hundred people did this. Many have been … Continue reading →

“For we are the aroma of Christ for God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2,15) A wealthy Englishman, Ambrose Phillips owned the mansion of Grace Dieu, in Leicester county, England. He … Continue reading →

“Fire and swords are slow engines of destruction, compared to the tongue of a gossip.”  (Richard Steele) Eugene writes to Father Courtès, who had been badly affected by some gossip, to implore him not to be disturbed by it. A … Continue reading →

Do I believe that when a door closes, God opens a window? In 1841 when the Oblates discerned that God was calling them to establish a missionary community in Canada, it seemed like an impossible undertaking for a Congregation of … Continue reading →

“O my God, teach me to be generous, teach me to serve you as I should, to give without counting the cost, to fight without fear of being wounded, to work without seeking rest, to labour without expecting any reward, … Continue reading →

Where is home for me? Home is where the heart is – what is God’s place in my heart? As Superior General, Eugene needed to move Oblates to different places when the need arose. Approaching Father Jean Joseph Magnan about … Continue reading →

Do we consider some of our deceased loved ones as being saints? Are they present to us in the communion of saints? The bodies of some of the first Oblates to have died, as well as of some of Eugene’s … Continue reading →

“The Holy Spirit can be with you always and guide you back to Him, but in order to enjoy the benefits of this holy gift, you must truly receive it, and then you must use it in your life. How … Continue reading →

“The message of Jesus is summed up partly in the Sermon on the Mount, and partly when he begins his ministry and quotes the passage from Isaiah: ‘I have come to set free the prisoners and restore sight to the … Continue reading →

“It is dangerous to make everybody go forward by the same road: and worse to measure others by oneself.”  (Saint Ignatius of Loyola) Eugene had just appointed Fr. Jacques Santoni as Novice Master in France and shared some advice about … Continue reading →