Monthly Archives: March 2012

NOTA BENE – TAKE NOTE!

Having reflected on the damage caused to the Church by bad priests, Eugene dipped his quill into the inkwell and launched into an impassioned reflection of the vocation of the Missionary. NOTA BENE, he writes: take note! The text that … Continue reading

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FAULTY INSTRUMENTS

So far we have seen that in the Rule, Eugene specified that the main aim of the Missionaries was to preach the Gospel to the most abandoned. Then he began to list the secondary aims, starting with that of making … Continue reading

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KEEPING ALIVE THE IDEALS OF DESTROYED MONASTERIES

Around the year 415 AD John Cassian had established the first monastic complex in Western Europe in Marseille – a concept that was to inspire Benedict to do likewise in the following century. The Provençal Eugene would have been justly … Continue reading

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THE MOST DEPRIVED

At a moment in his youth when Eugene felt “most deprived” of a direction in his life, he understood that it was in the direction of the Cross that his solution would come. Understanding the love of Jesus Christ the … Continue reading

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WHO WE ARE

The first article of the Constitution of any group is always the one which defines the purpose and juridical nature of the group. Eugene’s first paragraph does exactly this.  The purpose of the Institute of the Missionaries of Provence Until … Continue reading

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A READINESS FOR RESPONSIBILITY

The vocation and life of the Missionary was presented in glowing terms in the first paragraph of the Foreword, and the members were exhorted to allow themselves to be totally transformed by these great ideals. Now Eugene continues to show … Continue reading

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AN EIGHT-POINT IDENTIKIT

In writing the Rule in 1818 Eugene wanted to put down in writing the spirit of how the Missionaries had experienced themselves for three years. His aim was that others would be transformed by the same spirit through following this … Continue reading

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