FATHER DOREY IS WORTHY TO REPLACE HIM HERE BELOW

Today I ordained good Father Dorey. On this same day, some 22 years ago, one of our men entered into glory. Father Dorey is worthy to replace him here below. He has just obliged me to stop my letter by a short visit of thanks.

Letter to Fr. Joseph Arnoux, 20 August 1848, EO X n 985

Yvon Beaudoin tells us more about young Father Eugene Dorey

“He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop de Mazenod on August 20, 1848. The day after his ordination, he was appointed master of novices at Nancy, a novitiate opened the preceding year during a vocation recruitment tour conducted by Father Léonard Baveux. In an August 22, 1848 letter, Bishop de Mazenod presented Father Dorey to Father Dassy in these terms: “I am sending Father Dorey to Nancy. He is a distinguished young man. He will replace Father Santoni in his function as Master of Novices. He made his apprenticeship at l’Osier and will spend some time with Father Santoni who will complete his formation. […] Father Dorey makes up for his youth in the priesthood with a great spiritual maturity, very good judgment and an exemplary piety.” (Letters to the Oblates of France, 1843 to 1849, Oblate Writings I, vol. 10, no. 986, p. 232) Father Dorey remained Novice Master until the closure of the novitiate at the beginning of 1850. Father Dassy who usually saw only the faults of the Oblates in his community never ceased praising the qualities and the virtues of the Master of Novices.” (https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/dorey-eugene/)

REFLECTION

“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.” (Anne Frank)