The mission in the village of Ventabren gives us an indication of how Eugene guided the young Oblates in the ways of doing an Oblate mission. It was preached by Fathers Jean Baptiste Honorat (aged 24 and a priest for two years) and Jacques Marcou (aged 24 and just ordained a priest), and the seminarian Marius Bernard (aged 22). Father Marius Suzanne (aged 24 and a priest for two years) joined them later.<\/p>\n
Eugene had heard reports about Honorat\u2019s style of preaching and set about to assist him to do so more effectively:<\/p>\n
\nThe man who brought me your letter says that when you are in the pulpit, you put yourself in a mood of despair, that\u2019s the word for it; but why utter such cries? If it is a natural failing which makes you shout all the time…. I have nothing to say except to deplore it but if you can do otherwise and yet shout, thinking you obtain better results thereby, you are greatly in error and quite at fault, for you are missing your aim and rendering yourself useless; in that case, it is a disorder. Get it firmly into your head that they lose half of what you say when you shout in that manner, and this is very annoying when it is an instruction that everybody should grasp. That is not the way to act, on the contrary, one should indulge somewhat rarely in outcries. That is the way to give them some effect.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Eugene was also alarmed at a report on the health of this Missionary.<\/p>\n
\nThe man added that you have spit blood; I did not believe it because you have said nothing to me about this, nor have our two other brothers, but if so, I order you to cease immediately to preach and very expressly to let me know so that I may leave everything here and go to finish the instructions that remain to be made.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Adieu, I embrace you all with all my heart.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Jean Baptiste Honorat, 24 January 1824, EO VI n. 126<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 Plato<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The mission in the village of Ventabren gives us an indication of how Eugene guided the young Oblates in the ways of doing an Oblate mission. It was preached by Fathers Jean Baptiste Honorat (aged 24 and a priest for … Continue reading