POPE LEO XII
FOR FUTURE REMEMBRANCE OF THE MATTER
… This Society has for its aim the following objects: its members, who are bound by simple but perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and perseverance in the Institute itself, (from which vows they cannot be dispensed except by the Superior General or the Roman Pontiff).
…Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, under the Fisherman’s Ring, on the twenty first day of March, 1826, in the third year of Our Pontificate.
Pope Leo XII. Apostolic Letter of Approbation
From the beginning Eugene had realized the need for a permanent commitment for the members of the Missionary Society. Initially he and Henri Tempier made this commitment on Holy Thursday 1816. Two years later, all the Missionaries pronounced vows.
These, however, had no legal standing in the Church and were regarded as private vows. These few lines in the Papal Brief showed that the Church recognized that the Oblates were a legal Institute of Consecrated Life within the Church. Once lifetime vows had been made, it was only the Pope who could dispense the Oblate from his obligations. If they were temporary vows, only the Superior General could grant a dispensation. Our oblation binds us to the Church which is the Body of Christ.
Over the years, many members of our Charismatic Family have felt the need to make some form of public commitment as Lay Associates. They are not vows, but an expression of the seriousness of their desire to live their lives in the spirit of St Eugene and the Oblate charism. Being made in public adds the element of accountability to the faith community.
