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- I COULD NOT HOLD BACK MY TEARS, SO TOUCHED WAS MY HEART BY THIS GOODNESS. IT IS SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY AND WE CAN ONLY BE DUMBFOUNDED BEFORE GOD AT THIS PROTECTION
- “THIS SOCIETY PLEASES ME; I KNOW THE GOOD IT DOES… MY INTENTION IS NOT MERELY THAT THESE RULES BE PRAISED BUT THAT THEY BE APPROVED” (POPE LEO XII)
- IT IS IN THIS STATE OF HOLY ABANDON THAT I WAITED
- EUGENE PLACED THE RULE AT THE TOMB OF PETER AND IMPLORED HIM AND SAINT PAUL AND THE OTHER HOLY POPES WHO ARE BURIED IN THE SAME PLACE, TO ACCEPT AND BLESS THEM.
- THE CUSTOM WAS TO ENCOURAGE, NOT TO APPROVE
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- Mildred March on A SUMMARY OF TEN YEARS OF OBLATE MINISTRY
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on FAITH-FOCUSED INVESTMENT GROUPS: A PRESENCE WHERE DECISIONS AFFECTING THE FUTURE OF THE POOR ARE BEING MADE (Rule 9a)
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on VIVAT: A PRESENCE WHERE DECISIONS AFFECTING THE FUTURE OF THE POOR ARE BEING MADE (Rule 9a)
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on WE SHOW A VERY HUMAN FACE OF JESUS TO THE WORLD, ONE FULL OF COMPASSION AND SOLIDARITY (Rule 9a)
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate on JUSTICE, PEACE AND THE INTEGRITY OF CREATION AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF EVANGELIZATION (Rule 9a)
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Category Archives: LETTERS
I FLATTER MYSELF THAT SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE SOME POPE WILL BEATIFY MY SON…
In his letter to his father Eugene had told him about his venture of bringing together a group of missionaries: … It is a foundation of Missionaries whose duty it will be to cover the countryside and bring people back … Continue reading
FINANCE: WE MUST TRUST FULLY IN DIVINE PROVIDENCE
Eugene’s father was still in Palermo, and his son writes to inform him of his missionary project. He also asks his father to look for benefactors among the wealthy of Sicily. Eugene firmly believed in divine providence to make his … Continue reading
FINANCE – AT THE SERVICE OF MISSION
Continuing our reading of Eugene’s chatty letter to his friend Forbin Janson, we come across the practical point that every dream has to have a down-to-earth foundation of the means with which to put it into practice. How to pay … Continue reading
EUGENE’S CHARISMATIC “DREAM” FINDS A HOME
Eugene continues to describe his “founding efforts” to his friend Forbin Janson. He needed a large house and property to accommodate the nearly 300 energetic youth who met every Thursday and Sunday for prayer, instruction and games. At the same … Continue reading
UNWAVERING IN HIS MISSIONARY GOALS: SERVE THOSE WHO ARE MOST IN NEED AND IN A LANGUAGE THEY UNDERSTAND
These chronological reflections now begin deal with the beginnings of our family, the Missionaries of Provence, later to be known as the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Forbin Janson had invited Eugene to join his group of mission preachers, the … Continue reading
WHEN I REFLECT ON IT, I AM CONVINCED THAT IT SO PLEASES GOD TO PUT AN END TO MY INDECISIVENESS
Having been pushed by God’s grace to finally make his decision to start a group of missionaries, Eugene now plunges himself into a flurry of activity to make his dream become a reality, dramatically portrayed in terms of having “a … Continue reading
IT IS THE SECOND TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I AM MAKING A DECISION OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE AS A RESULT OF A STRONG IMPULSE THAT COMES FROM OUTSIDE OF ME
With the definitive removal of Napoleon, the way was now clear for Eugene to put into practice his dream of establishing a missionary community to work at the restoration of the place of God in the lives of the most … Continue reading
I REGALE HIM EACH TIME I MEET HIM WITH THE STORY OF SOME SUDDEN DEATH
La Poire, nickname of the marquis Boniface de Périer, was a childhood friend of Eugene’s father. In this extract from a letter of Eugene to his father, one gets a glimpse of Eugene’s sense of humour. I can imagine him … Continue reading
THE ADVICE I AM GIVING IS NOT DIFFICULT, BUT EVEN IF YOU FIND IT HARD TO FOLLOW, I THINK YOU SHOULD MAKE THE EFFORT
The 14 year-old Léon-Jules Saboulin, member of Eugene’s Youth Congregation, had written to Eugene, in September 1815, from where he had been spending the long summer away from Aix. The extract of the letter is interesting because it shows the … Continue reading
NOT BEING ABLE TO SERVE MY KING WITH A SWORD, I MUST SERVE HIM WITH EVERY MEANS MY MINISTRY GIVES ME
After the Revolution, the restoration of the monarchy had ensured the restoration of religion. In this climate, Eugene was able to work freely with the youth of Aix and also to imagine starting a group of mission preachers to restore … Continue reading