THE OBLATE CONGREGATION CONSIDERS ITSELF FORTUNATE TO BE CALLED TO THE VICARIATE OF COLOMBO
The proposal advanced by His Excellency the bishop of Usula and Apostolic Vicar of Colombo, undoubtedly inspired by Bishop Bravi, merits our gratitude. The Oblate Congregation will consider itself fortunate indeed if it is called to that Vicariate to do the good it has been able to accomplish in Jaffna.
As we shall see later, Bishop Bravi had some strange ideas regarding missionaries.
On the other hand, I fail to understand the whim that led Bishop Bravi to be so discourteous in his exclusion of French missionaries who are not known to be any less zealous than others. In this case, the good prelate is in disaccord with Pope Gregory XVI whose words I will not repeat for the sake of discretion. Nonetheless, I would not be too concerned about his resolve and it would not be impossible to satisfy him, despite the somewhat singular nature of his manner. I had already been informed about Bishop Bravi’s prejudice and so I am not offended.
Letter to Bishop Barnabo, Secretary of the S. Congregation of the Propaganda Fide, 18 December 1850, EO V n 18
Eugene immediately applied for funds to cover the travel expenses of these four Oblates:
Propaganda has asked me for four more missionaries for the Apostolic Vicariate of Colombo on the island of Ceylon. I will not refuse them, obviously, if the passage is paid. I have been instructed to settle the matter with you…
What pleases me in this correspondence is the information it provides me on the good accomplished by our Oblates of Mary in the vicariate of Jaffna. That is the reason why their presence is so insistently requested in that of Colombo.
Letter to the President of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Lyon, 22 December 1850, EO V n 122
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We were not created to be segregated from each other: rather we were created, formed, called and sent… Not just one or two of us, but all. To seek out new ways of sharing Eugene de Mazenod’s charism from the Spirit.
It is about the love that unites all of us, it is about how are hearts are called to be a part of the greater whole. To remain relevant rather than torn apart from each other. It calls for love and perseverance, knowing our own calls to obedience and a willingness to share our own poverty with that of others. And it takes structures that allow us to flow back and forth.
That’s what Eugene was striving for; looking for ways to have that flow back and forth. He did not want for the fullness of the Spirit to be watered down and lessened. He was looking for the fruitfulness to be shared and continued from one generation to the next. He wanted to ensure that others were not following their own ways, but rather to stand in his light, sharing the movement of the Spirit within us. And if we struggle we continue to walk with him to find new and relevant ways to follow the OMI Rule of Life.
Last night I took part in a Zoom gathering with other members of our Province looking at some of the possibilities that could arise from our shared call to restructure. How we might continue on, in spite of diminishment and politics. The flames that are our hearts continue to burn brightly as new needs appear on our horizons. No ideas of allowing the flames to die out, but rather running towards the horizons so as to fuel the flames, finding new ways to fan them.
It’s all in the hearts…