THERE ARE HOPES FOR JOYFUL FRUITS OF SALVATION IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND
Continuing his letter to the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, Eugene boasts about the Oblate achievements in England and Wales and their hopes for the conversion of many to Catholicism. The vocabulary is of that time – bear in mind that in the 19th century Catholics held that outside of the Catholic Church there was no salvation, so it was imperative to focus on the conversion of people in a predominantly Anglican country.
This same Congregation has also opened a house in the county of Cornwall in England. This house begins with the founded hope of being a powerful means for the conversion of the Protestant population of the county. Everything already bodes for the best and a number of conversions have in a certain way inaugurated a work which from its very birth has encountered a nearly general sympathy in the country. The Church of the Missionaries constructed in Penzance is spacious but it has not been paid for entirely. In this sense, nothing can be requested from the Protestants who nonetheless enjoy coming to attend the services of the Catholic Church and listening to the instructions delivered by our men. This initial success has given rise to the upcoming establishment of a new foundation in Wales in keeping with the wishes of the Apostolic Vicar of that district. There are hopes for joyful fruits of salvation in England.
I also felt it necessary to consent to the opening of another house in Cork in Ireland. Besides the fact that our missionaries, who have already tested their mettle in that country, will be very useful assistants to the local clergy since their own spirit makes them particularly suitable for a ministry which furthers the action of the Irish clergy, it is necessary for our men to recruit workers from among this clergy for Upper Canada where English is spoken and for the English missions. Candidates for this will not be lacking and they will be able to fulfil their vocation perfectly if we receive them young enough to form them properly in the religious education of a good novitiate.
The activities abroad, however, are too vast for our Congregation to be able to suffice with its resources alone. The Congregation needs the assistance of the Missionary Society of the Propagation of the Faith, and I request that aid with all the more confidence since what we have done has assumed today sufficient importance and extent for us not to be disregarded in the distribution of funds destined for the foreign missions. I hope that as of this year you will be so obliging as to grant us the aid which will allow us to accomplish what the Lord has permitted us to begin with the visible effect of His blessing.
Letter to the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, 15 June 1843, EO V n 82
Then the personal touch was added here as well to arouse the generosity of the benefactors.:
There is another missionary of the same Congregation of the Oblates of the Immaculate Conception who will come to visit you. He too will have wonders to tell you about his mission in Ireland and in the county of Cornwall in England. … He is one of the most distinguished men who has already earned the esteem and trust of all the bishops of Ireland and England with whom he has been in contact. These bishops place upon him and his companions all their hopes for the conversion of the heretics in the county of Cornwall and the principality of Wales. His name is Fr. Aubert.
He has already opened a church in Penzance where for the last 300 years no one has ever seen a single external rite of our holy religion. Ten abjurations have been the prelude to what grace will bring about in these areas. However, he will need the assistance of your Council. I hope you will be good enough to promote the cause of these poor heretics who await only the moment of grace to return to the fold. Fr. Aubert’s community now consists of three priests and four novices. He is coming to France to ask me for more men whom he needs in order to include the provinces ready to receive him and thereby respond to the pressing requests from the bishops who have placed their hope in him. Fr. Aubert will be able to give you a better explanation of his position and the state of affairs. I think you will consider his a just case to benefit from the aid of the Missionary Society.
Letter to the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, 3 June 1843, EO V n 81
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I had to look up the word ‘abjuration’ – the act of solemnly disavowing or renouncing something for something newer. For some reason I am reminded of the Gospel yesterday and the laws that the Pharisees took to extremes and how Jesus did not abolish the law but rather showed how we can live them. I think for a moment of our renewal of our Baptismal promises and how we reject Satan and then how we affirm our beliefs. I am grateful for the focus that we now live with. And for a moment I think of Jesus dying and then being resurrected. It is no longer of case of “one or the other” but rather a sense of living the “both and”.
We have also the introduction of Casimir Aubert into our picture, an Oblate who is considered to be the Founder of the Anglo-Irish Province. He fulfilled many tasks and jobs within the Oblates. Yvon Beaudoin wrote in Aubert’s historical record with the Oblates: “After the acceptance of foreign missions, Fr. Aubert wrote out every year the report to be presented to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in order to obtain grants for the different missions. These reports, written clearly and with exemplary conciseness, won the admiration of the authorities of the Society.”
And because I have been thinking about it this past weekend, I find myself looking at Eugene, Founder and Superior General and Bishop of Marseilles as not only father but also mother to his many sons and daughters who make up this Mazenodian Family, who get to share in this beautiful charism and gift of the Spirit to Eugene.
This is what great love and a heart as big as the world looks like. No walls to build around ourselves to protect us, but rather the taking in and encouraging all. Another small image of what “oblation” looks like.