WHO IS SAINT EUGENE? PRIEST OF THE MOST ABANDONED

1812 : returned to Aix as a young priest and lived in the house of his mother in the centre of the city

My major occupation will be to love Him, my greatest concern will be to make Him loved

Retreat notes, December 1812, E.O. XV n. 109

1813: Beginning of his ministry among the most-abandoned. They were those who were not being touched by the structures of the Church of Aix: the youth, the prisoners, the people of Provence who did not speak French

… my whole ambition was to consecrate myself to the service of the poor and of the youth. I thus started out in the prisons, and my first apprenticeship consisted of gathering around me young boys whom I instructed. I formed a large number in virtue. I saw up to 280 grouped around me, and those who today still remain faithful to the principles that I had the happiness of instilling in their souls and who do honour to their faith in every rank of society or in the sanctuary, will uphold for a long time, either in Aix or in the other places where they are dispersed, the reputation that this congregation had rightly acquired for itself while I was able to care for it.

Diary of 31 March 1839, E.O. XX

******** IPAD APP *******

You can have a “Saint Eugene speaks” app on your ipad by going to http://myapp.is/Eugenespeaks ON YOUR TABLET and following the instructions

This entry was posted in DIARY. Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to WHO IS SAINT EUGENE? PRIEST OF THE MOST ABANDONED

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    Again today I look at St Eugene in a whole new light and yet the same as before. None of it new and yet there is a new depth or reality to it. Perhaps I have just cleaned off a little the glasses to the eyes of my heart. For I find myself responding, not so much on a feeling level but something deeper. I find myself not distracted by my feelings and so I simply ponder and respond. There is an invitation in all of this to reflect on my own life, myself, not only of the ‘bad’, on my brokenness and sin, but on the goodness and life. More than my AA 4th step, for one that reflects on the goodness and life and grace given to me living in the light of God. And not here but something I need to do.
    A kind of ‘who is Eleanor’. Scary in a way – its much easier to look at the messiness and brokenness than the goodness and light.

    “My major occupation will be to love Him, my greatest concern will be to make Him loved” This you did Eugene, so greatly. Priest of the abandoned, father to many. I think again of Abraham (and I imagine that there are scripture scholars out there who would cringe at my doing this), but that is how I think of you. Called and who said yes in a way that was not often seen in your days. A father who left a legacy for all of his sons and daughters. Not limited to the norms of the day but able to see past to what could and should be. You showed, you continue to show us who we are called to be priests to. Looking through the eyes of our crucified Lord who are the most abandoned, in this time and place.

    St Eugene pray for us. More than just a nice little prayer. A statement of expectation, a claim from one whom you invited into your family.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *