For Eugene the establishment and growth of the Oblates in England and Ireland was important because Oblate missions were opening in several of the British colonies, where knowledge of the English language was important. A novitiate and house of theological studies for Oblates was now necessary in England.
Eugene was always conscious that the spirit of the Congregation, according to which it was founded, should be the guiding light of all their lives and actions. Today we use the word “charism” to describe this God-given spirit.
All our Irishmen have been imbued in France with the excellent spirit which belongs to them and the attachment that they manifest for the Congregation. We must find a means to avoid the disadvantage in question. Here it is. In deciding to proceed with this plan of a house of theological studies, we could place in it both the Irish who have already spent some time in France and the French who are destined to the foreign missions. The English and the Irish would come on exchange to study for at least two years in France, to be trained in our spirit and our language and to become known to the Superior…
Letter to Fr Casimir Aubert on official visitation in England, 24 February 1849, EO III n.2
In the footnote, Yvon Beaudoin quotes from the General Council minutes of July 8, 1849: “It will serve as novitiate for the members who come from Great Britain and Ireland. It will also be a house of studies for the course of theology for those of our members destined to go and evangelize distant and foreign countries either in America, or in Canada or wherever English is spoken. The establishment, situated a short distance from the great manufacturing town of Birmingham and the celebrated university of Oxford, could acquire eventually the importance which will be necessary for it to become better known and to exercise a salutary influence on minds now turned towards Catholicism”
Having been asked to speak at the 40th Anniversary of a Women’s Centre which began as a small ministry in our parish and which has grown and adapted to current needs in the last 40 years. As I shared what I wanted to say with the staff who work at the centre I could see that they were affected by the love that I hold for all the women who have gone through their doors. Still they suggested that some of the words I planned on using carried some demeaning connotations. Words and ways that were the norm 40 years ago were no longer acceptable. Time for me to let go of them and listen to how my heart would speak…
Eugene and his family, his congregation and his sons – being sent to evangelize the poorest of the poor: and the poor continue to be evangelized. No longer inculturation, but rather the transformative enculturation.
The “excellent spirit” that Eugene speaks of is nothing less than the “charism” which states the nature of the gift of God shares with us through the Holy Spirit. A way of being that gathers-in rather than excluding. I think of how the ancient words of Isaiah where we are invited to enlarge the space of our tents (which I always think of as the space of our hearts) which has been widely used for the 3 year process of Synodality.
The “excellent spirit” which is shared with all of us, so that we might be sent out as missionaries in today’s world.