Tag Archives: novitiate

DISCOVERING THE PERSON OF JESUS AND FEELING THE ATTRACTION OF HIS MESSAGE

While visiting the novices in Marseille, Eugene reported to Fr. Tempier that even though the number was small, the quality was good. … All is admirable here, save for the number; there is much to groan about considering how few … Continue reading

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A MATURITY OF LOVE THAT FLOWERS IN SELF-SACRIFICE

The Oblates at the time of Eugene (and still today) were missionaries who wanted to spend all their time and energy evangelizing. None of them wanted to be in administration or formators of novices or scholastics. Father Guibert was a … Continue reading

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MAKING SPACE FOR OUR GOD SHAPED VACUUM

Eugene placed high importance on the period of novitiate formation of the young Oblates –it was an opportunity to make space for God and to learn and imbibe the values of Oblate religious life. The spirit of a “novitiate” period … Continue reading

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FORMED TO RESPOND TO THE LORD’S CALL

When someone wanted to join the Oblates, the first step was a time of postulancy followed by a time of intense formation, called a novitiate. It was the crucial period of the formation process of the future Oblate. We have … Continue reading

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FREEDOM IN SIMPLICITY

Since 1821 the Oblates had been present in Marseille with such a flourishing ministry that they were in the process of enlarging their community premises. Eugene wanted the novitiate to be transferred to a part of this house. His plans … Continue reading

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NOVITIATE: THE LIGHTING OF A FIRE

Before the candidates to Oblate life made their commitment, they had to do an intense year of prayer and reflection, called the novitiate. The behavior of Nicolas Riccardi and some others had led Eugene to question how well the novitiate … Continue reading

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FORMATION: REALIZING THE DEMANDS OF OUR VOCATION

The time of novitiate was a privileged time of formation for the future Oblates, and so Eugene wanted that time set aside to do what it was intended to. For those of us who are not Oblate novices, perhaps the … Continue reading

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FORMATION: BE CLOSE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE

The Oblates who accompany the novices need to be fully available to them and not absent because of other preoccupations (no matter how worthy these could be). In our demanding mediatic world of today, this could also be seen as … Continue reading

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FORMATION: FASHION THE CANDIDATE WITH A MASTER’S HAND

At the time of Eugene, the novitiate was the first step in becoming an Oblate missionary. It was an intense year in which the candidate concentrated fully on allowing God to “fashion him with a master’s hand.” The guiding instrument … Continue reading

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FORMATION: YOUNG PEOPLE WHO COME TO THE NOVITIATE WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT

Henri Tempier’s letter not only referred to Vachon’s misbehavior, but also to the fact of 5 novices having left the novitiate without making the commitment of vows. This caused Eugene to make some serious reflections on the novitiate formation of … Continue reading

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