“It is believed that they died professing their faith and forgiving their executioners. We do know that none of the 22 Oblates, despite the psychological torture during their cruel captivity, was an apostate, nor denied his faith, nor denied having embraced his religious vocation. For this reason their families, their brother Oblates and the Christian people, knowing their faithfulness until death, have unanimously held them to be martyrs from the first instance.”
Postulation of the Cause
We rejoice that the Church recognizes and presents them to all the faithful as authentic Christian martyrs.
[table id=7 /]
At the risk of repetition and simply being a copycat I repeat what you gave us yesterday and that is: ”
You, you alone will be the sole object to which will tend all my affections and my every action. To please you, act for your glory, will be my daily task, the task of every moment of my life. I wish to live only for you, I wish to love you alone and all else in you and through you. I despise riches, I trample honours under foot; you are my all, replacing all else. My God, my love and my all: Deus meus et omnia. Eugene de Mazenod”
I say this prayer often and yet today I reflect upon how truly each of these 22 men lived this prayer of Eugene’s to the fullest – it brings new depth and inspiration to the words My God, my love and my all – they truly lived it. And so I join in today with all members of our Mazenodian family and the entire church and celebrate their beatification . “Help me make of my life an oblatin to God. Amen”