Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

In the formal letter sending out his Missionary Oblates, Eugene de Mazenod as Superior General mandated their mission.

GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, who has chosen and predestined us for the praise of the glory of his grace, has established us so that we may go and gather fruit and our fruit may remain.

Eugene was emphatic that the existence of the Oblates was brought about by God’s intervention and not by human effort. He recalled the foundation and its fruitful evangelization in Provence:

You know that from the moment the Father sent us, his little flock, at the last hour to work in his vineyard, we returned from our modest labours with abundant fruit; that on beginning to proclaim his Word, God accomplished great things through us though unworthy and that many were the wayward brought back to the right path as we went through the regions about us to seek sheep in peril.

Just as God had blessed their humble beginnings, God would continue to bless the Oblates in the vast new field that was opening up in Canada.

But here is a road that leads afar and an immense field that unfolds. A gateway is wide open to us. We are now sent not only to those who are close and who are brothers in the faith but to others who are far afield and outside the faith, we who, being so few, were unequal to the task of gathering the abundant harvest lying before us.

Letter of Obedience to the first Oblate missionaries to Canada, 29 September 1841, EO I n 8

Today, the same spirit impels the Mazenodian Family to be missionaries in every situation in which we find ourselves.  “A gateway is wide open to us” in our daily lives to see those around us and the world through the eyes of our Crucified Savior and to witness to his love in whatever way possible. Mission begins in our immediate environment.

Finally, the moment of departure of the six Oblate missionaries had arrived. The gathered in Marseilles for a farewell. Filled with admiration for their generosity and spirit of oblation, Eugene exclaimed in his diary:

September 28: Tonight we parted with our dear missionaries who leave tomorrow for Canada. Nothing more edifying than the feelings that animate them, they leave full of holy zeal and boundless devotion, generously sacrificing the most natural affections without even the thought of taking pride in them so that they be appreciated. It must be said because it’s true: they were all perfect; God will take it into account for them.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 28 September 1841, EO XX

Choosing the first missionaries to go to Canada required the application of discernment on the part of Eugene and his Oblate council

I assure you, my very dear son, that I thought of you only as well motivated in offering yourself to me as one to be chosen to found our first establishment in Canada. I have blessed the Lord for the dispositions in which His grace has put you. Yet I hesitated on remembering the letter you wrote me when I told you that you were assigned as member of the community of Lumières…

After talking about the difficulties that Fr Bermond’s attitude had caused, Eugene continued:

You know that in a far-off mission like that of Canada, one must be equal to any trial. We must be able to count on the solidity of the religious virtues of those who are going to find themselves 1500 leagues from me. Who can foresee the afflictions that one will suffer from men or events if one is not strengthened in the practice of humility and abnegation, if one is not rooted in obedience which is the basis of any religious edifice, if one is not disposed to endure the imperfections of others and especially if one has not so thoroughly renounced his own will that it no longer hurts to submit to that of a superior, which he even does without effort, without sadness, without the least murmur?

Eugene then concluded:

You will not bear me any grudge, my dear son, if I tell you frankly all I think. Give me more reassurance and you will be included in a second contingent.

I embrace and bless you.

Letter to Fr. Francois Bermond, 19 August 1841, EO I n 4

“In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 

I Peter 1; 6-8

For more details: https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/bermond-francois-xavier/ 

Before accepting the Canada mission, Eugene had consulted every member of the Oblate congregation. The majority of members had indicated their desire to be sent there, so it was difficult to make a choice. Here is a letter to one of them who was accepted.

My dear Father Lucien, bless the good God. He has granted your wish. I have definitely chosen you to be a member of the community which will go and plant the standard of the Congregation, which is that of the Cross itself, in another part of the world.

I have the greatest confidence that you and your companions will be worthy of your vocation, that you will do much good and that you will honour the Congregation by your devotedness, your zeal and your regularity.

These were the first Oblate missionaries to arrive in a new country. First impressions count, and all future missionary invitations would depend on this.

On the impression you give will depend the growth of the family not only in all of Canada but in other mission countries ready to be evangelized and to which are lacking only the workers to announce to them the good news of salvation. You will be the first to open the way; others will follow you.

I shall have difficulty to console several who hoped to be included in the first contingent.

Adieu, I have only time to embrace and bless you,

Letter to Fr. Lucien Lagier, 28 August1841, EO I n 5

“No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 15-16)

For further details see: https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/lagier-lucien-antoine/

We have seen how God’s providential invitation to send missionaries to Canada had been welcomed by the Oblates. Eugene gave Fr Courtès the latest news:

The response to the question I put has been unanimous. Moreover I have received a great number of letters which express to me the special attraction that they feel for this mission. I will therefore not have any difficulty except about the choice that will have to be made. It is agreed that I send four priests and two brothers to staff our establishment in Montreal…

Such, my friend, are all the details I can give you about this important mission. I hope that God will bless it and I think as you do that it will be advantageous for the Congregation.

Eugene then addressed the question of who should be chosen to be sent.

Now the difficulty will be to form this new community. The ones chosen must prove to be men capable of proclaiming the Word of God and good enough to be presentable to the clergy of Montreal which is not without merit. It will be necessary therefore to impose sacrifices on other communities. Readiness to accept a great mission is not enough. We must know how to face the consequences of such a decision.

Letter to Hippolyte Courtès, 11 August 1841, EO I n 3

A reminder of Jesus’s words:

“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him.” (Luke 14:27-29)

Zeal and enthusiasm is not sufficient to see any of our good projects carried through.

Dear companion on the journey of Saint Eugene de Mazenod,

It is so good to be back after a two-month break! The Christmas pause was a bit longer than usual because of the pandemic and the extra demands made on priestly ministry. Those of us who have been blessed to be spared, have been filling in for those who have been ill or in quarantine.

Saint Eugene has been speaking to us since 2010 and I am humbled to realize that we have had over 2400 entries in that time. The reflections have become very much part of my daily life.

It is important to underline the nature of this reflection. It is not primarily a choice of Eugene’s spiritual thoughts to inspire us. Its main purpose is to familiarize you through a selection of the writings of St Eugene in chronological order. I am not guided by themes, but by the order in which his writings appear. They are also available online so that people can look up themes (through the WordPress search engine on the homepage https://www.eugenedemazenod.net/) or read about a particular period of our original Mazenodian family history.

They are produced in a spirit of prayer in the presence of this icon, so I do hope that you do get some insight or inspiration from them sometimes.

Each morning Eugene looks at me, and you, through his icon with the reminder that Mazenodian discipleship is about embracing the Cross each day and allowing it to be transformed into a living scroll of Good News for  all who read these reflections and all those we meet each day.

May our daily journey with St Eugene be richly blessed.

Frank Santucci OMI

Oblate School of Theology

Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate, Father Ron Rolheiser, invites you to a lecture and an online retreat.

LECTURE:  “The Real Obstacle to Holiness – Our Pathologically Complex Nature” (Friday April 16)

WEEKEND RETREAT: “Spiritual Wisdom from the Deep Wells of Christian Mysticism – Principles for Living a Mystically-Driven Life” (Friday April 16 – Sunday April 18)

For registration and further details: https://www.galileecentre.com/save-the-date-ron-rolheiser-retreat/

“January 25 1816 is the beginning of our congregation, characterized by the missionary spirit of Eugene and his companions to respond to the situation of the Church by preaching the Gospel to the poor and most abandoned. They responded to this missionary call by coming together in poverty and joy to live in apostolic community.”

Rev. Father Louis Lougen OMI

The all-important first day of community life for the Missionaries was obviously a story often repeated in all its details. In his Memoires, Father Tempier, described it as: “This memorable day that I will never forget for as long as I live.”

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is God’s name.
God’s mercy is from age to age”

Visit the Mazenodian family USA website: https://sites.google.com/view/mazenodianfamily/monthly-oraison/january-24-2021

Wishing you many blessings in 2021 – especially health and peace.

Looking forward to continuing our spiritual journey with Saint Eugene together.