Having seen that in 1818 many requests for missions had to be refused, the positive response to the invitation to Barjols stands out for the reason given that \u201cour duty is to rush where the need is most urgent\u201d<\/p>\n
\nMore than fifty pastors are asking insistently for a mission. To be somewhat fair in choosing, I think it necessary to consider the date of the request. However, I am inclined to give you preference. It seems to me that our duty is to rush to where the need is the most urgent.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
They asked for us at Marseilles; we could expect consolation there, whereas at Barjols we must await only contradictions and difficulty;<\/strong><\/h5>\n
but we will at least have the happiness of coming to help a good pastor\u2019s solicitude for his lost sheep. If we were to gain from our mission nothing else than having struggled against hell with and under the direction of such a capable veteran as you, we would still have to congratulate ourselves on having done so.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to the Pastor of Barjols, 20 August 1818, O.W. XIII, n.14<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00a0Our Oblate Rule of Life ensures that this spirit continues today:<\/p>\n
Wherever we work, our mission is especially to those people whose condition cries out for salvation and for the hope which only Jesus Christ can fully bring. These are the poor with their many faces; we give them our preference<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Constitution 5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Having seen that in 1818 many requests for missions had to be refused, the positive response to the invitation to Barjols stands out for the reason given that \u201cour duty is to rush where the need is most urgent\u201d More … Continue reading