Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

We will hear and make heard the clamour of the voiceless, which is a cry to God who brings down the mighty from their thrones and exalts the lowly (cf. Lk 1: 52).(Constitution 9)

“Let us, then, be the first to rise up to protest against anything that prevents creatures from responding to the vocation and mission for which they were created. Let us be the first defenders of life, especially human life from its gestation to its natural end, passing through all stages of its development, being creatively active in trying everything in our power to favour the human, Christian and holy development of each person, especially caring for the most vulnerable and caring for our endangered common home. Each member of our charismatic family, each institution and especially the parishes we animate (PEC n. 13) are invited to live and promote an ecological spirituality imbued with our charism.

…. The care of our common home can be a privileged place of missionary collaboration of our whole charismatic family. In particular, the Chapter speaks of the laity (PEC F. Laudato Si n.4). We have to learn together, we have to learn from each other, we have to pray together, we have to work together. Together we have to fight for the poor and make them the centre of our discernment. Could we choose one or two concrete actions that we all engage in as a sign of our family commitment to care for our common home? It would be something within everyone’s reach, but which could have a significant impact. For example, let me dream that we would commit ourselves to one of these actions: to reduce the use of plastic, to recycle our waste, to generate clean energy, to consume responsibly with an eye to justice, to facilitate access to drinking water for all, etc.

Since the youth of our societies have shown global leadership in raising our awareness in caring for our common home and ensuring a sustainable future, I ask all the young people of our charismatic family, men and women, lay and consecrated, to lead us in this field. Please, young people, help us to get down to work with concrete commitments to care for our common home. Help us to walk together.”

Fr L. Rois Alonso, Superior General, (https://www.omiworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Letter-of-the-Superior-General-Havana-Cuba-August-15-2023.pdf)

Action on behalf of justice, peace and the integrity of creation is an integral part of evangelization. Rule 9a

“I do not believe that cultivating an ecological spirituality is in contradiction with our charism; on the contrary, I hope it can help us to grow. As missionaries, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ who chose to announce the Good News from the poor and invited us to trust in God’s Providence by speaking to us of the lilies of the field and the sparrows.

To make us understand the transforming power of the Kingdom that we proclaim, he spoke to us of the seeds that grow into great bushes and how they grow in secret and how they bear fruit according to the soil in which they are sown. Jesus invites us to discern the signs of the times as we do the winds that announce warmth or rain. Creation is shaken when Jesus dies on the cross and his rising from the tomb on the third day causes the dawn of each new day to renew our hope in the new humanity and new creation born in his resurrection. He directs history by sending his Spirit to complete his work of recapitulation so that God may be “all in all” (Eph 1:10; 1 Cor 15:24-28).

The hopeful contemplation of creation from the perspective of redemption and definitive recapitulation leads us to love God more, to identify with him, to let him live in us (Constitution 2) and to serve him as his co-workers (Constitution 1). Our relationship with Jesus, carefully cultivated, leads us to discover the Incarnate Word, through whom everything was created and in his creation we discover his presence. We praise that presence every day when we pray the Psalms as we praise him present in the poor. Authentic ecological conversion will lead us to grow in intimacy with Christ and will also lead us to action and commitment, for in communion with Christ even the simplest actions take on a transformative dimension beyond all expectations.”

Fr L. Rois Alonso, Superior General, (https://www.omiworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Letter-of-the-Superior-General-Havana-Cuba-August-15-2023.pdf)

Action on behalf of justice, peace and the integrity of creation is an integral part of evangelization. Rule 9a

“Some years ago, I read an article reflecting on our dehumanising pace of life. According to the author, a monk, this way of living causes a triple rupture: rupture with God, with creation and with others. The monastic life proposes a humanising rhythm of life that is marked daily by an encounter with God, with all that is created through work, with the community and with the poor. The conclusion, which we can make our own, is that in order to humanise our society we must promote the experience of reconnecting and growing in these dimensions which, besides being deeply interconnected, serve as communicating vessels.

The fact that we are used to looking at the world through the eyes of the crucified (C.4), enables us to listen with our hearts to the cries of the poor and the groaning in travail of all creation waiting to be delivered from corruption (Rom 8:18-23). We have to recognise that many of these painful cries are provoked by us, by our actions and by our omissions. This is what Patriarch Bartholomew has called the sin against creation, something we must repent of and correct. At the General Chapter, we acknowledged our inadequate efforts. Each of us could make our own examination of conscience.”

Fr L. Rois Alonso, Superior General, (https://www.omiworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Letter-of-the-Superior-General-Havana-Cuba-August-15-2023.pdf)

Responding to the call of the Spirit, some Oblates identify themselves with the poor, sharing their life and commitment to justice; others are present where decisions affecting the future of the poor are being made. (Rule 9a)

Several Oblates have played an active part in faith-focused investment groups. Father Séamus Finn has played a prominent role here, as the following attests:

The ICCR (https://www.iccr.org/about-iccr/) is a U.S.-based coalition of institutional investors committed to engaging corporations on issues of environmental sustainability, social justice, governance, and human rights. Fr. FINN has been a long-standing and influential member of this coalition, offering visionary leadership, thoughtful guidance, and a moral voice that has helped shape the movement for responsible investment grounded in faith values.

Through his tireless commitment, Fr. FINN has ensured that Catholic institutions, alongside other faith communities, have a meaningful role in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges of our time—climate change, economic justice, corporate accountability, and the defense of human dignity.

The tribute offered by the ICCR was not only a recognition of Fr. FINN’s personal achievements, but also a celebration of the values he has consistently championed: integrity, justice, sustainability, and a preferential option for the poor and most vulnerable. His work stands as a powerful example of how faith can inform and transform the world of finance for the common good.

https://www.omiworld.org/2025/10/25/fr-seamus-finn-omi-honoured-by-iccr-for-leadership-in-faith-consistent-investing/

Responding to the call of the Spirit, some Oblates identify themselves with the poor, sharing their life and commitment to justice; others are present where decisions affecting the future of the poor are being made. (Rule 9a)

Father Daniel LeBlanc is based at the United Nations in New York, and is involved in VIVAT, a faith-based non-governmental organization rooted in Catholic social teaching, which has grown into a global network of over 17,000 members from 12 religious congregations operating in 121 countries.

Founded in November 2000 by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) and the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS), VIVAT International takes its name from the Latin verb vivere—“to live.” This name reflects a deep commitment to promoting life in all its fullness, especially for the most vulnerable. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) joined in 2009, bringing with them a deep-rooted presence in marginalized communities and a shared dedication to global justice.

VIVAT’s strength lies in its dual presence: deeply embedded in local realities while actively engaged on the international stage. Holding Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and being associated with the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC), VIVAT brings grassroots voices into global decision-making spaces. Whether advocating for human rights, environmental justice, or sustainable development, VIVAT serves as a bridge between people and the policies that shape their lives.

(https://www.vivatinternational.org/vision-mission/)

See also: https://omiusajpic.org/2025/07/10/4th-financing-for-development-ffd4-takes-place-in-sevilla-spain/

Action on behalf of justice, peace and the integrity of creation is an integral part of evangelization. (Rule 9a)

“As Oblates, we look at the world through the eyes of the Crucified Savior so that those who suffer will be strengthened with the hope of the power of the resurrection (C#4); this was the perspective of our Founder St. Eugene de Mazenod and the Oblate charism. As Father Louis LOUGEN, former Superior General, said about the Oblate Charism:” “We are fired by a charism that is unique and special in the Church, one that makes us very close to the poor, the rejected, the forgotten, the people that society ignores, and the people who don’t feel accepted in church…We show a very human face of Jesus to the world, one full of compassion and solidarity.”

https://www.omiworld.org/our-mission/justice-peace-and-integrity-of-creation/

 Thus, many Oblates all over the world are working with, among and for the poor and are therefore exercising this ministry, even though they may not use this JPIC terminology.

 Action on behalf of justice, peace and the integrity of creation is an integral part of evangelization. (Rule 9a)

“Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Ministry is central and at the heart of our mission as Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

… Therefore, the ministry of JPIC begins with seeing, to ‘really see’ – to have a truthful and deeper look at – to take a contemplative stance and a prophetic reading, to be able to discern in light of the values of the Gospel what is happening in our world today – our common home. JPIC ministry assists us in analyzing the current reality with a contemplative perspective to see more deeply the structures that generate poverty, devastation of the environment, conflict and violence and how we might more fully make the values of the Kingdom more visible and functional. This is the reality and the world in which we as Oblates live and minister to the people.”

 (http://www.omiworld.org/en/content/news/3805/towards-a-spirituality-of-jpic-the-oblate-charism-at-the-service-of-the-poor/ )

Action on behalf of justice, peace and the integrity of creation is an integral part of evangelization. (Rule 9a)

The commitment of the Oblate Family to live this is incarnated in the General Service of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (OMI-JPIC) It is a ministry that is our way of life and our way of mission and forms an integral part of our process of Evangelization.

Officially, the OMI-JPIC became an Oblate pastoral and animation General Service in 2001 and there is a full-time Director in Rome: Fr. Jean-Hérick Jasmin, OMI, who was appointed in October 2020. Fr. Jasmin is originally from Haiti and served for 17 years as a missionary among the poor in and around Bogota, Colombia.

The General Service coordinates and supports the efforts of Oblates around the world as a resource for Oblates, and the people whom they minister, to help fulfill their commitment to strive for human dignity, just corporate policies, and to foster commitment to care for creation.

See: https://www.omiworld.org/our-mission/justice-peace-and-integrity-of-creation/ and https://omiusajpic.org

We are members of the prophetic Church. While recognizing our own need for conversion, we bear witness to God’s holiness and justice. We announce the liberating presence of Jesus Christ and the new world born in his resurrection. We will hear and make heard the clamour of the voiceless, which is a cry to God who brings down the mighty from their thrones and exalts the lowly (cf. Lk 1: 52). This prophetic mission is carried out in communion with the Church, in conformity with the directives of the hierarchy and in dependence on our Superiors.  (Constitution 9)

The religious historian, Timothy B. Tyson’s words help us to live Constitution 9:

“Every minister worthy of the name has to walk the line between prophetic vision and spiritual sustenance, between telling people the comforting things they want to hear and challenging them with the difficult things they need to hear. In Oxford, my father began to feel as though all the members wanted him to do was to marry them and bury them and stay away from their souls.”  

Eugene looked at the Cross and saw himself as he really was: confused and lost and lacking direction. Conversion meant that he had finally found his focus. It was seeing himself through the eyes of the Crucified Savior that gave him a focus. They led him to begin to look at the world through those same eyes and understand the purpose of his life as being a “co-operator of Christ the Savior.”

Through the eyes of the crucified Christ he became aware of a crowd of poor lost people milling at the foot of the Cross, focused on themselves and their misery . Just like Eugene, once we enter into this personal process as missionary disciples, then we find ourselves becoming even more aware of those around us who are most in need of the same change of vision.

Here is the Oblate message and mission: journey with the poor and abandoned, in their humanity, to discover the liberating presence of Jesus Christ and the new world born in his resurrection in their human struggles and joys, and then to accompany them in their growth as Christians and saints in the process.

We announce the liberating presence of Jesus Christ and the new world born in his resurrection. We will hear and make heard the clamour of the voiceless, which is a cry to God who brings down the mighty from their thrones and exalts the lowly (cf. Lk 1: 52).

(Constitution 9)

In our many parishes around the world, we need to ask ourselves the question: “What is the difference between an Oblate parish and the diocesan parishes around us?” Do people see and experience a difference?

This call is addressed in a special way to our parish ministry, in which we have a strong presence. Oblate parishes, which should have a particular missionary character, are appropriate places, for example, to offer an adequate response to the widespread indifference to the tragedy of migration and the degradation of creation. The joint work of Oblates and laity in such Christian communities can be the basis for recovering the “sense of responsibility for our fellow human be- ings on which every civil society is founded” (LS 25).   (Acts of 2022 General Chapter n. 13)

On the subject of being at the service of the Catholics of Bytown, we know it is quite repugnant to our Fathers to serve in a manner too similar to the parish ministry. They have been known to say on other occasions that they were made to be missionaries, not parish priests. ne should be able to organize their service as a kind of mission…

Letter to Bp Bruno Guigues, 26 September 1848, EO I n 103