\u00a0The letter written to the Diocesan authorities on 25 January 1816 is a foundational document for us who live according to the spirit and charism of Saint Eugene. In the days that follow I will explore various aspects of this important text. It begins with an affirmation of the starting point of a missionary vocation:<\/p>\n
\u00a0The undersigned priests:<\/strong><\/p>\n
-deeply moved by the deplorable situation of the small towns and villages of Provence that have almost completely lost the faith;<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Request to the Capitular Vicars of Aix, 25 January 1816, O.W. XIII n.2<\/em><\/p>\n
The 25 year-old Eugene discovered his vocation when he was deeply moved<\/strong> by the state of the suffering of the Church (i.e. of its members) after the Revolution. He declared that he could not \u201csit back with arms folded, sighing softly to himself about all these evils, but not raising a finger to awaken even in the least degree men\u2019s hardened hearts.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Letter to his mother, 4 April 1809, O.W. XIV, n. 50<\/em>.)<\/p>\n
In his ministry as a young priest he was deeply moved<\/strong> by the irreligious situation of the poorer classes of Aix, the youth, the prisoners and the inhabitants of the small abandoned villages around Aix \u2013 and he responded generously.<\/p>\n
One of the principal formation ideals he had for his Youth Congregation was: \u201cThey will have a compassionate charity for the misery of the poor and they will count themselves happy to be able to relieve, in their needs, these suffering members of J.C.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Abridgement of the rule of life of the congregants of the Christian Youth Association, O.W. XV, n 135<\/em>)<\/em> \u201cCompassionate charity\u201d is a very weak translation of the original French: \u201cles entrailles de la mis\u00e9ricorde<\/em>\u201d \u2013 literally a \u201cgut-feeling\u201d of mercy for others \u2013 being deeply moved<\/strong> by the suffering of others.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Eugene\u2019s impressive ministry as Superior General of a Missionary Congregation sent out all over the world to seek out the abandoned and as Bishop of Marseille in his response to the suffering of the most abandoned in his diocese \u2013 all this has as its basis the fact that he \u201cwas deeply moved<\/strong>\u201d whenever he came across people who were in need.<\/p>\n
Throughout the history of the Missionary Oblates, this has remained the foundational principle of our vocation: as the opening paragraph of our Constitutions and Rules attests:<\/p>\n
The call of Jesus Christ, heard within the Church through people\u2019s need for salvation, draws us together as Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. (Constitution 1)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0It is the quality of being \u201cdeeply moved<\/strong>\u201d by the\u00a0call of the needs\u00a0of the poor that is at the foundation of everything for the members of the Mazenodian family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0The letter written to the Diocesan authorities on 25 January 1816 is a foundational document for us who live according to the spirit and charism of Saint Eugene. In the days that follow I will explore various aspects of this … Continue reading