Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

Fr Etienne Semeria was a successful mission preacher in Corsica, (see: https://www.eugenedemazenod.net/?p=4685) and Eugene intended to recall him to Marseilles to look after the large number of Italian dockworkers in the city. “Shortly after his arrival in Marseilles as vicar general of the diocese in 1823, Father de Mazenod noticed that many Italian immigrants were deprived of spiritual help because of a lack of priests to minister to them in their own language. He resolved to take this matter in hand and gathered them in the church at Le Calvaire which, shortly before, had been entrusted to the Missionaries of Provence. He then put in charge of this work the Oblates of Italian origin.”(https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/marseilles-ministry-italians/)

Providence is opening up a new field for your zeal. I hope that the mission at Marseilles to your countrymen will make up for what you have not been able to do elsewhere.

… Nothing is more moving than your mission at Guagno. That will be an edifying page for our successors in the history of our missions. Your mission of Suarella, like all the others, has been blessed by the Lord, thanks be to Him.

Letter to Fr. Etienne Semeria, 25 October 1844, EO X n 860

It was because of his successes in parish missions on the island that the local Bishop fought against Fr. Semeria’s move, and thus he never returned to Marseilles for the Italian ministry. God had other plans for him in Asia.

Father Honorat had not had an easy time as the founder and superior of the first Oblates in Canada. Despite this, Eugene acknowledged the admiration he had for this dedicated Oblate

…I perceive quite well in you the religious man imbued with the spirit of his calling who only wills and seeks the glory of God, the greater good of souls, the honour and prosperity of our dear Congregation. For the rest, my dear Father Honorat, you can be sure that I expected nothing less of you, so it is not surprise which prompts my satisfaction and my joy. On the contrary, I am confirmed in my foresight which was founded on the knowledge I had of your principles and your sentiments.

The time had come for Fr Honorat to establish a new Oblate community and mission in Saguenay among the migrant woodcutters and then to the First Nations People.

So we now see you, dear Father Honorat, in charge of the new establishment which divine Providence has obtained for us. I applauded the choice that Father Visitor made of you for this delicate mission. God in his goodness for the like of you who devote themselves in His service will bless your task. All that I recommend is that you settle down there on good foundations. The Rule! Keep strictly to the Rule, without excepting anyone under any pretext whatever.

Letter for Fr. Jean Baptiste Honorat, 20 October 1844, EO I n 49

In the nine years in which he stayed there, Fr Honorat became a champion of social justice issues in defense of the most abandoned – a dedication that did not endear him to the civil and business authorities.

(See: https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/saint-alexis-saguenay-1844-1853/ )

Young Father Bermond gave Eugene many headaches as a result of his critical attitude and spirit of independence. In 1844 he had just been given an obedience to move to a new community in another part of France and had refused to move because he did not like the climate. Eugene gently told him “to grow up!”

I pray the good Lord withdraw you from dreams of childhood and give you the heart of a man and especially of a religious man. You will be the happier for it and much more useful.

Letter to Father Francois-Xavier Bermond, 19 October 1844, EO X n 859

We will have the opportunity to encounter him again in future writings of the Founder. Despite his shortcomings, he was a capable missionary who served the poor faithfully for 55 years of Oblate life in France and in Canada “with the heart of a man.” (See: https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/bermond-francois-xavier/ )

From the beginning Eugene referred to the scholastics, preparing themselves for priesthood, as “the Oblates” – he recognized in them their desire to give all to God. They had studied in various places, but now Eugene brought them back to Marseilles to study at the Major Seminary

The twenty Oblates who are coming to study at the Major Seminary were presented to me today. It was wonderful to see. Ah! If they are such as they should be, what hope for the congregation! In addition to these twenty here present, we are still counting four of them in Lumières, two of them at l’Osier and two of them in Canada, a total of twenty-eight. It’s a small force which may be able, in its time, to serve the Church and the congregation well.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 17 October 1844, EO XXI

Today, Eugene’s appreciative words would continue to apply to the new members of the various branches of the Mazenodian Family: “What hope for the Church!”

As a Missionary Oblate, community life was an essential aspect of Bishop Eugene’s life. He understood the difficulty of living and working alone without fraternal encouragement. Without a link to a supportive community the priest could succumb to problems. His diary entry shows that this had happened to one of the priests in his diocese.

Is it a warning, is it a reproach that the Lord is giving me today? I have just learned that a priest of my diocese is behaving badly, from which I conclude that I must, more than ever, insist that the priests live in community. This one arrived at this excess only gradually.

Eugene’s solution was to insist that all the diocesan priests serving in the same parish would live together. His appeal led to major opposition among the clergy.

Do I not have to blame myself for having stopped myself in front of almost insurmountable obstacles, I must admit that from every corner there is opposition to the resolution that I had taken to oblige my priests to live in community? This example will provide me a further argument, when finally I shall smash all the obstacles which each has not ceased to place before the execution of a plan which was conceived only in a supernatural perspective for the honor of the Church and the preservation of the clergy.

He had been so discouraged by their reaction and had not pushed strongly enough.

If I had been helped a little, I would have obtained more results than those which I have been able to obtain. Has it not been said that I was the only one to insist on this measure, and that I would be obliged to give it up.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 3 October 1844, EO XXI

Eugene insisted on this until the day of his death, but it was a losing battle that dissolved on the day after his death.

Each one must know by heart the prayers in use in the Congregation. Begin at once to require it of scholastics and have them recited as soon as they are known.

Letter to Father Charles Bellon, 30 August 1844, EO X n 853

“Recited prayer is a vital way of connecting to God through the community of believers-by saying prayers that have been prayed for generations, you are participating in a worldwide, centuries-long relationship between God and his people. Of course, it’s important that these recited prayers do not substitute for an authentic, spontaneous relationship with God. Like saying “how are you?” to friends, these prayers need to be deliberate and intended. It’s not necessarily about the words-people often use the rosary to meditate, not to think about the content of the “Hail Mary,”-but it is about your intention. These prayers shouldn’t be a duty or a magical way to get God to do what you want. They’re a way to grow closer through reciting what has already been said-like saying “good night” before you go to bed. “(https://bustedhalo.com/googling-god/how-to-pray/recited-prayers )

St. Paul of the Cross writes: “When you are dry as dust in prayer, don’t quit, but keep going. Use little short prayers.”

Some religious congregations, during the time of Eugene, stressed religious commitment as “dying to oneself” by dramatically having a funeral pall for the candidates to lie on when they professed their vows. Eugene did not tolerate this spectacle, but referred to the necessity of its spirit.

Teach them well that by the religious profession one dies to the world. There is no need for us to lie under the funeral pall, as is done at Visitation and other places, to know and to practice that; we just have to remind those who may forget it.

I have not yet come to a definite solution regarding Brother N. I would have wished that this young religious show more detachment and had overcome nature. One is not good for very much when one cannot imitate the detachment recommended by Jesus Christ and practised by the saints. Oh! How lax we are! We arrive only by much reasoning, when we should fly as though by supernatural instinct!

Letter to Father Charles Bellon, 30 August 1844, EO X n 853

All discipleship means dying to ourselves so as to achieve the ideal preached by John the Baptist: “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30)

Helping people to become “Human, Christian, Saints” was the Oblate ideal. Eugene thus stressed the human foundations necessary to achieve this.

But I see that in everything we have to start again from the beginning with the very first principles of spiritual life. I implore you to demand also that they be polite, honest and kind. Do not permit any rudeness. Let them get used to bearing up with one another. Deal severely with any kind of murmur, and let charity reign among us to such an extent that it isn’t even possible for anyone to fail in it in the slightest manner.

Applying this to the scholastics in training to be missionaries:

In a word, let our training be manly, serious and totally saintly. It is a question of forming persons who are to be imbued with the spirit of Jesus Christ capable of fighting the enormous power of the devil, of destroying his reign among people, of building up the world so as to bring it to the truth and of serving the Church in the most lofty and difficult apostolate.

Is it possible to achieve these results with those who are not generous, who have no courage, are lacking in love and have fallen into a rut? When does a person entertain such sentiments if he does not have them during the period of fervour?

Letter to Father Charles Bellon, 30 August 1844, EO X n 853

An invitation to all of us to renew our efforts to be imbued with the Spirit of Jesus in our daily lives and activities.

One of Eugene’s guiding principles when he founded the Missionaries was to bring the most abandoned to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. In order to achieve this goal it was necessary that the minsiters of the Gsopel be holy persons who knew and loved the Savior. For this reason, he insisted that those in the formation process be aware of their call to being as perfect as possible in their discipleship.

Keep telling them in my name that they are neither students nor ordinary Christians, nor even seminarians, but religious who, in conscience, are bound to walk in the way of perfection; and your duty is to be firm in requiring that they fulfil their obligations.

You may read my letter to them. I will be glad if they know what I think and how dissatisfied I am with the little progress they have made in their spiritual life and with their many imperfections in which they stagnate.

I was going to ask you to instil into them self-denial, renouncement to their own will, obedience as it is understood by our Rules and observed in all good Congregations and Orders, zeal for their own perfection so as to deserve to work for the sanctification of others.

Letter to Father Charles Bellon, 30 August 1844, EO X n 853

Unless each member of the Mazenodian Family constantly works to come to a deeper relationship with Jesus as Savior, what do we have to offer to those around us?

We do not know the background to this admonition regarding the scholastics in Marseilles, but Eugene writes to one of the formators, Father Bellon, that the situation must be remedied because future Oblate priests are primarily religious and need to be models of piety as they live the vows they make as Oblates.

I admit that this picture did not reassure me; I must even tell you that I was not able to contain my indignation at the sight of such obstinacy in a state of voluntary imperfection so contradictory to their duties. This must absolutely be remedied. If kindness does not suffice, you must use strictness.

I cannot tolerate this habit of imperfection in young religious who should be models of piety.

Notify them in my name that I will not admit to Holy Orders those who do not give me the guarantee of solid piety and regularity above every test.

I do not understand that people can bargain with the good Lord. I will not go into detail, but I remind you, who are their director, that it is not a question of being satisfied with anything you can achieve, but that they are to put themselves heart and soul into acquiring the virtues that are proper to the state of perfection they have vowed.

Letter to Father Charles Bellon, 30 August 1844, EO X n 853

Eugene is referring specifically to scholastics but his admonition applies to every member of the Mazenodian Family who follows the spirit of Eugene’s charism in her or his discipleship. He warns us: “I do not understand that people can bargain with the good Lord.”