Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

Only six years after having sent Oblate missionaries to countries outside of France, Eugene de Mazenod was constantly delighted when he received news of their successes.

I am receiving letters from England which fill me with consolation. Daily our Fathers receive new conversions… Everyone, even our subdeacon Noble, is bringing souls back to the fold by giving instructions.

Letter to Fr Hippolyte Courtès in Aix en Provence, 11 January 1847, EO X n 920

REFLECTION

“The best teachers are those who pass on their zeal and enthusiasm as a legacy to their students.” (Robert Meehan)

Dear God, thank you for the teachers you have sent into my life – especially those who taught me about you. May their example bear fruit through the quality of my life.

A month after Pierre Fisette had left the Oblates and had gone to the Carthusian monastery, Eugene wrote to his former provincial in Canada:

The day before yesterday I received a letter from the Prior informing me that he is no longer there. Today I receive one from him giving the motive of his flight. So accustomed to be treated kindly by us, he could not endure the rudeness of this Prior who, on seeing him a second time, said: What! You are still here! I thought you had gone! He turned on his heel and left for good.

Pierre, still convinced of his vocation to contemplative life moves to the Trappists. Again, Eugene wrote him a letter of recommendation.

This poor child writes to say that he is on his way to the Trappists of Aiguebelles. May God accompany him since these journeys are not without great danger for him. I am immediately going to write a letter of recommendation to the Father Abbot.

Letter to Fr Bruno Guigues in Canada, 27 September 1847, EO I n 89

Father Fisette had finally found his vocation and persevered in the Trappists eventually being sent to establish the Trappist monastery of Staouéli in Algeria where he died in 1878

REFLECTION

God of silence and God of all sound, help me to listen.

Help me to do the deep listening to the sounds of my soul,

waiting to hear your soft voice calling me deeper into you.

Give me attentive ears that begin to separate the noise from the sounds that are you;

you who have been speaking to me and through me my whole life, for so long that you can seem like background noise.

Today help me hear you anew.

Author Unknown (https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/discernment)

The young Canadian Oblate, Father Pierre Fisette, did not settle into his ministry in Corsica because he discerned a vocation to the contemplative life.

Eugene wrote in his diary:

A day of deep heartache. Father Fisette came to spend the day with me. It will perhaps be the last time that we will see each other. This pitiful and dear priest has taken leave of me to go off to the Carthusian monastery.

Despite experiencing the loving care of the Oblates, he was prepared to make the sacrifice of leaving it in order to follow where he believed his heart called him to.

When it became evident and I was convinced that he needed other means of salvation, I consented to his pressing and repeated entreaties and I wrote a letter of recommendation for Father Prior. It is impossible not to like such a charming fellow. In addition, our separation has been very painful because, for his part, Father Fisette had become extremely attached to the Congregation and to me in particular, as well as to Father Guigues and all of our priests that he got to know.

Eugene de Mazenod’s diary, 26 August 1847, EO XXI

REFLECTION

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Almighty God, author of my life, help me learn to read what you have written on my heart.

Give me discerning eyes and an untiring spirit to look within me in order to understand how to reach outside of me.

And once I have begun to read you aright, give me the generosity to help others to read you, to sound you out one letter, one word of radical giving at a time.

 Author Unknown (https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/discernment)

Canadian-born Oblate Father, Pierre Fisette, had ministered for two years, but had made mistakes and was sorry for them. Eugene summoned this 26-year-old to leave Canada and come to France in 1846, saying: “I am quite disposed to welcome the penitent with paternal feelings.”

Writing to Father Guigues, the Provincial Superior of Canada, Eugene confided:

After such experiences, it is true to say that one must hope against all hope.

Eugene, the ever-hopeful father of his Oblate family, made Pierre accompany him in all his activities for a few days, heard his confession, and introduced him to some of the French Oblates and their ministry, before sending him to work in Corsica.

The one of whom I am speaking was able to see by this attention on my part and the kindnesses that I showed him that “leprosy and all the infirmities” that disfigure a son do not extinguish the affection in the heart of a father.

Letter to Fr Bruno Guigues in Canada, 8 January 1847, EO I n 75

REFLECTION

“Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.” (Ann Landers)

Loving God, help me to share what I am and what I have with those who are in need. May my love for those who are weak or have made mistakes show itself in my actions and words.

Eugene wrote to one of the Oblates about the reaction of the mother of the 23 year old Jean Chares Pandosy to her son being sent to Canada from France.

They have all set off with joy in their souls and have greatly edified everybody here. There was no exception, least of all in the case of one of their mothers, that of Pandosy, who gave the example of a Christian heroine. In the midst of tears she cried: “How can I not thank God for the grace of choosing my son to make known Jesus Christ to the unbelievers!” They are now on their way across the ocean, having left at the beginning of this month.

Letter to Fr Pierre Aubert, in Canada, 3 February 1847, EO I n 81

REFLECTION

“Let every mother realize that she has no greater blessing than the children who have come to her as a gift from the Almighty; that she has no greater mission than to rear them in light and truth, in understanding and love.”  (Gordon B. Hinckley)

Perhaps a moment to pause and pray for our mothers and other mother-figures in our lives to whom we owe so much

There is but one and only one,

Whose love will fail you never.

One who lives from sun to sun,

With constant fond endeavor.

There is but one and only one

On earth there is no other.

In heaven a noble work was done

When God gave us a Mother.

An Irish blessing

Eugene proudly noted in his personal journal the departure of the first Oblate missionaries to the USA: Fr. Pascal Ricard (41 years of age) and Brother G. Blanchet, 28 years of age, and scholastics Eugène Casimir Chirouse, 26 years of age, and Jean Charles Pandosy, 23 years of age. Chirouse and Pandosy were still doing their seminary studies , and would be ordained to the priesthood in Walla Walla a year later.

Departure of our apostles for Oregon. Ah, how touching this was! How wonderful it was! While blessing them, I would have gladly prostrated myself at their feet to kiss these “feet of those who announce the Good News” [ed Is. 52, 7]. They departed pleased, happy to have been chosen for this great mission.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 22 January 1847, EO XXI

REFLECTION

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”  (Mahatma Gandhi)

Let us pause to pray for all missionaries: lay, religious and priests. May their courage and joy in proclaiming the Gospel in all lands build strong communities of witnessing disciples around the world.

Kusenberger Chair of Oblate Studies 2023 Public Lecture

Wednesday February 15  7:00PM – 8:30PM Central US Time at Oblate School of Theology IN-PERSON AND ONLINE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

The charism embodied and expressed by a founder or founding community has often “spun out” and seeds have been planted for the foundation of not just one, but often many, religious communities. In addition, these communities have welcomed lay missionaries, associates, co-workers and other lay partners who share the spirit, the spirituality, the outlook and the mission of the founder and those who have followed in their footsteps.

Through bringing together stories and theology, the participants in this session will explore the dream and the vision of what it means to be and to live as and in charismatic families. We will explore the possibilities that open to all if we have the courage and fidelity to walk this road, enlarging the tent through embracing this unfolding reality. We will delve into the theology and ecclesiology underlying this movement in the Church and, using examples drawn from various charismatic families around the world, expand our awareness of the great potential of this movement for mission.

Presenter

Anne Walsh, D.Min and Redemptorist Lay Missionary. Dr. Walsh has presented workshops, courses, and retreats all over the world. She is the principal writer for “On Good Soil: Pastoral Planning for Evangelization and Catechesis with Adults”. Dr. Walsh is also known for her “Catholic Women in Leadership” series on Catholic television. She currently serves as the Coordinator of Partnership in Mission for the Redemptorist Family in North America, and as Chair of the Redemptorist General Commission for Partnership in Mission.

Registration

Individuals can register to participate online, via Zoom Webinar, or in person, on the OST campus/WTC 101.

To Participate Online: FREE     REGISTER HERE

This event will be recorded and will be available for viewing afterward on the Oblate School of Theology YouTube Channel. Online participants will receive an automated email 24 hours after the conclusion of the lecture with instructions on how to re-watch.

To Participate In-person: FREE (Please RSVP Below)

For information or to register by phone, contact Victoria Luna, Director of Continuing Education, at vluna@ost.edu or (210) 341-1366 EXT 325.

For further details on the Kusenberger Chair of Oblate Studies: CLICK HERE

Our Founder always considered himself the father of his religious family. In the closing words of the official missioning of the Oblates to Oregon, we see his fatherly concern:

Go forth, beloved sons, you and your companions chosen by us, to the task entrusted to you, so that in these distant regions of the earth which have been assigned to you, you may always work to promote the glory of God and the salvation of souls. May the Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin Mary, our most loving Mother, keep you constantly under her protection. May the angels of God assist you. On our part we will never cease to implore for you an abundant shower of graces.

Mandate of the Superior General sending the Oblates to the new mission of Oregon, 22 January 1847, EO I n 78

REFLECTION

“A mission statement is not something you write overnight… But fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values. It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life.”  (Stephen Covey)

Let us pray that we may be witnesses of Christ wherever we find ourselves. May the Spirit inspire each of us to offer the necessary word and action, at the right time and in the best possible way.

Father Ricard was chosen to be the leader of the first Oblate mission in the USA because he had all the necessary qualities and shared Eugene’s missionary vision and spirituality.

To found the mission of Oregon, a mission so remote and difficult, I needed an alter ego. He had to have virtue, good sense, love of regularity, real attachment to the Congregation and conformity of views and thoughts with the head of the family from whom he would be separated by 3000 leagues, a devout and experienced man full of the spirit of God, imbued with my spirit, who acts by himself as I myself would act. Only Father Ricard combined all these qualities.

He did suffer from poor health, however.

But although he would have asked for it in time, I had good reasons to fear that he would have repugnance in accepting this mission. Yet on receiving my letter he went down into the lower church of Notre Dame de Lumières and made the sacrifice of his life to God. After that he took leave of everyone and came to me quite disposed to fulfil his mission. The courage and joy of his companions strengthened still more his resolution.

Letter to Fr. Bruno Guigues, in Canada, 24 January 1847, EO I n 80

REFLECTION

In the final analysis, then, the true witness is the “martyr”, the one who gives his or her life for Christ, reciprocating the gift that he has made to us of himself. “The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him” (Pope Francis)

Today, may my focus be on the love of Jesus so as to allow my actions to speak louder than my words.

Father Ricard had suffered from poor health in France, and those who knew him were surprised at the choice of this man for a physically challenging mission. Eugene, however, could not think of a better person to send to found the USA mission. He reflected in his personal diary:

Letter from Fr. Chauvet. He gives me an account of the health of Fr. Ricard. The doctor assures me that that all we have to do is raise his spirits and that the trip will do him good. Here we have the reassurance about the health of this dear Father in the necessity in which I find myself of entrusting to him the great mission of Oregon.

At this tremendous distance, a man is necessary on whom I can count for regularity, the upholding of the rule and the good direction of subjects whom I am in the process of entrusting to him. Of this calibre I have only Fr. Ricard available. This will be my justification to those who might be surprised by my choice of him.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 13 January 1847, EO XXI

Pascal Ricard’s character and missionary zeal led him to overcome his poor health and to be a dedicated and courageous missionary.

REFLECTION

“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”  (Billy Graham)

Dear God, teach me to be able to focus on what is important and eternal in my life today.