Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

Bishop Vital Grandin OMI had been a missionary bishop in Canada for 47 years. Not long before his death in 1902 he composed this prayer to Mary Immaculate. As we prepare for our patronal feast tomorrow,  I share it with you.

Prayer to Mary Immaculate

O good and most loving Immaculate Mother, in my fears and my concern for the eternal salvation of the dear souls of this Mission, seeing so much misery and so many needs, I entrust them to you today. I commend everyone: children and adults. I consecrate them. I give them to you. Since you are the Mother of the Good Shepherd, defend them against the enemies of their salvation…

I myself a poor sinner, place myself under your protection. My end is near; the Good Lord is going to call me. Very soon I will say: “Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart, my soul and my life.” Obtain for me from the Most Sacred Heart of our good Master the ultimate grace of perseverance.

Ah, Lord, cast your eyes on the Divine Mother, who is also my Mother. It is she who presents to you this oblation; It is her immaculate heart that I give you. Ah, take me from the arms of my dear Mother. O Holy Virgin, what happiness. I am your privileged son, your Oblate! O my Mother, I come to consecrate myself entirely to your service! Yes, Mother, I promise not to neglect anything to make you loved and respected by all. O my Mother, receive me in the bosom of your merciful goodness. All my life, I swear to love, respect, and trust you like my mother. Oh! Do not abandon me in trouble, in pain, and especially at the hour of death. You know my nothingness, my sinfulness, so, pray incessantly for me, a poor sinner.

Bishop Vital Grandin OMI

Vatican approval was necessary for this new mission, which Cardinal Fransoni granted. In responding to him, Eugene described the qualities of Fr. Semeria.

In keeping with the views of the Sacred Congregation, it has been my concern to select three very good men. This was not a very difficult task since our Oblates of the Most Holy Mary Immaculate, by the grace of God, are all good and all ready to sacrifice their lives for the glory of God to and work for the conversion and sanctification of souls. That is the precise goal of their vocation.

I have selected the best from among these good men: Fr. Etienne Semeria. He is still rather young, only 34 years old, but does possess the required maturity as far as virtues and all religious qualities are concerned. He has been the superior of the Corsican missions for a number of years. It is unbelievable with what success, with what blessings of God, even bandits have come to prostrate themselves before him; and marvelous indeed are the cases of reconciliation in this land we all know due to his zeal and goodness.

When the bishop learns of this theft I am about to perpetrate, I don’t know if he will forgive me. The Congregation, however, loans its members, it does not donate them. It is of utmost importance that there be a religious such as Fr. Semeria at the head of this first small community.

Letter to Cardinal Fransoni, Prefect of the S. Cong, of Propaganda Fide, 25 September 1847. EO 5 n 6

REFLECTION

Etienne Semeria was a good choice and was eventually to become Bishop of Jaffna. (See: https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/semeria-bishop-etienne/)

“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.” (Douglas MacArthur)

Leflon writes, ‘‘There can be no doubt that once again, and with very sure insight, Bishop de Mazenod had looked far beyond the feasibility of the present to envision the realizations of the future. It does not seem so certain, however, that he had a clear appreciation of the odd and complicated situation which existed in what the first Oblate superior would soon call a ‘strange country’ and which would discourage his sons as well as himself…” (Volume 4 p 167)

In view of the expected difficulties, Fr. Semeria was chosen as the superior of the four Oblates destined for Ceylon. He was the highly-respected rector of the major seminary in Ajaccio, and his departure was a blow to the Bishop. Eugene wrote to him to justify his choice:

“It is an infinitely difficult mission for several reasons, and I needed a proven man like Fr. Semeria to entrust it to for my own peace of mind. This is the sacrifice that God has asked of us, and I had to make it with joy in firm confidence regarding the great good that will result from it; the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda calls the help that it has asked from us “opportunissimo et necessario”. I have every reason to think that Fr. Rolleri, who will replace him at Vico, will do good work.

Letter to Bishop Casanelli d’lstria of Ajaccio, 7 October 1847, EO IV page XXIV

REFLECTION

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” (C.T. Studd)

Sending Oblates to the foreign missions and maintaining them, especially in the poorest rural regions, required funds. Each year Bishop Eugene had to write to Rome and to the French Propagation of the Faith asking for grants.

Dear Sirs,

Since some of our missionaries are about to leave for the missions which our Congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate has founded in North America … That same period will also mark the departure of a group of four of our missionaries I have placed at the disposal of Bishop Bettachini, the coadjutor of the Apostolic Vicar of Ceylon. During the few days he spent in Marseilles, when I had a number of conversations with him, this prelate painted such a picture of the deplorable state of the religion in that island that I was unable to refuse coming to his aid despite the needs of the other foreign missions entrusted to our Congregation. …

I recognize the fact that we cannot claim a large grant in light of the requests already advanced this year by our Congregation for its missions in America and England. Therefore we will restrict ourselves to what is strictly necessary for our mission in Ceylon; the travelling expenses of the four missionaries and the initial settlement and support costs. That will require at least 12000 francs.

To the Members of the Central Council of Southern France for the Missionary Society of the Propagation of the Faith, Lyon, 14 August 1847, EO V, n106

When they delayed in responding, Eugene feared that he would not have the money to be able to send the 4 missionaries to Ceylon and would have to cancel the project. Two months later he wrote again:

Dear Sirs,

I awaited your response to my letter of September 15 last with a sort of anxiety. In effect, I saw the day arrive when it would be necessary to decide on the departure of our missionaries for Ceylon and I still had no assurance of finding the means to send them to their destination…

Gentlemen, this gives you an idea of the distressing state from which I was rescued by the reception of your letter of October 4th and the draft for 3 000 francs it contained.

Letter to the Members of the Central Council for Southern France, of the Missionary Society of the Propagation of the Faith, Lyon, 14 October 1847, EO V n 109

REFLECTION

“I’ve heard people say, “I want more of a heart for missions.” I always respond, “Jesus tells you exactly how to get it. Put your money in missions – and in your church and the poor – and your heart will follow.” (Randy Alcorn)

Father David Muñoz OMI has prepared this beautiful series of daily meditations to help us on our Advent journey.

As we make use of them, let us consciously unite ourselves with all the members of the Mazenodian Family throughout the world who are pilgrims of hope in our suffering world.

https://sites.google.com/view/mazenodianfamily/news/november-2023-updates/advent-with-the-mazenodian-family-2023?fbclid=IwAR2iCSFIg1GadqN_Ed5vrQ5oUZOg2w5Uww3gbeqU1KcmYFJYNMkHq–g5MU

Father Vincens was the Novice Master, preparing future Oblate missionaries. In the previous entry we saw Eugene’s letter to him announcing the acceptance of our first mission in Asia, which concludes with:

Bishop Bettachini left with his heart full of joy; and unless the Propagation presents obstacles, which I hope will not happen, next month our first missionaries will leave with the Bishop to lay the first foundations of this great endeavor.

This departure will not prevent four missionaries from leaving for America, who will soon be followed by several others. You see that we need a lot of people to satisfy all these needs.

Let’s have courage then and put our confidence in the Lord. The important point will always be to form good men; neglect nothing to that purpose.

Letter to Father Ambroise Vincens, 12 August 1847, EO X n 936

REFLECTION

“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” (John Keith Falconer)

Tomorrow begins the Novena in preparation for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Click the link to see the Mazenodian Family novena in its entirety or check back daily.

https://sites.google.com/view/mazenodianfamily/news/december-2023-updates/immaculate-conception-novena?fbclid=IwAR3GtY42upLJwc-3yye1fn09z8LW3X-at1UmWHHpW-f3QJpqKo2PPSoN0Mg

Eugene wrote enthusiastically to Fr Vincens about his conversation with Bishop Bettachini from Ceylon (today Sri Lanka).

Here is a magnificent mission opening up to us. The Coadjutor to the Vicar Apostolic of the isle of Ceylon has just spent two days with me. Our conversations kept on until after eleven o’clock in the evening.

What a mission field is opening up before us! One million five hundred thousand Gentiles to convert in the most beautiful country in the world, one hundred fifty thousand Christians to instruct. This immense population is disposed by its gentleness of character and a certain trait of religiosity to listen with docility to the voices of the Lord’s envoys and will receive those who bring them the Good News.

Having given all these reasons for accepting the new mission, Eugene continued:

How can we resist so many pressing motives and not answer with gratitude to the invitation to cooperate powerfully in such a great good work. I have therefore accepted this new mission, one of the most beautiful in the world. I foresee that this great island will one day become an endowment our Congregation will sanctify entirely.

Letter to Father Ambroise Vincens, 12 August 1847, EO X n 936

REFLECTION

“Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love.” (Roland Allen)

Bishop Horace Bettachini, Coadjutor of the Vicar Apostolic of Colombo, came to Europe in 1845 to seek missionary help. He obtained no more than one member of the Congregation of the Oratory, and one Sylvestrine Benedictine. In vain he travelled throughout the rest of Europe, pleading everywhere. Every door was closed to him. In his distress he met Bishop Berteaud of Tulle, who said to him: “Go to Marseilles. There is a Bishop there whose Congregation is still small, but who has a heart as large as Saint Paul’s, as large as the world. Go and make it clear to him that it is a matter of saving those poor, poor souls — insist on that point. When he hears that, he will be unable to resist.”  (Yvon Beaudoin in EO IV page XXIII)

Bishop de Mazenod responded enthusiastically to this request.

What a mission field is opening up before us!

Letter to Father Ambroise Vincens, 12 August 1847, EO X n 936

REFLECTION

“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Paul’s Letter to the Romans 10:14-15.

“Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”

Paul’s Letter to the Romans 15:20

From their first sermons in Limoges, the style of the Oblates was not understood and appreciated by the clergy and others. Fr Courtès did not allow himself to be disheartened and responded well to the critical comments. Eugene commended him:

Bravo, my dear Courtès. That is the way to answer all these pretentious remarks from men who judge everything by their own measure and who do not know how to recognize that true merit can be found in a sphere other than that of their own rotation.

Let us spurn their prejudices and go at our own rate. We shall finally see who has brought the greater number of souls to God, those academics they seek after, or apostolic men who preach as they should to instruct and convert.

Letter to Fr Hippolyte Courtès in Limoges, 30 December 1847, EO X n 961

REFLECTION

“You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.”  (J. Wooden)