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<\/a>I did combine its coat of arms with that of my family, and you will notice the missionary cross shining brighter than my own coat of arms, and the motto so precious which is distinctive of this Society on the top of everything. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nYou will explain it to whomever wishes to listen, there is nothing to hide in this matter. This is a coat of arms that speaks<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Letter to Hippolyte Court\u00e8s, 7 January 1838, EO IX n 656<\/em><\/p>\n A coat of arms usually shows the pastoral program of the person or group who draws it up. For Eugene, as a Missionary Oblate, it was the Cross that stood out above all else in his spirituality, lifestyle and ministry to those who were the most far away from knowing the Savior\u2019s love.<\/p>\n His motto: \u201cThe poor are being evangelized\u201d<\/strong> is the second part of the Oblate motto.<\/p>\n It is taken from Luke 7:22, where John the Baptist sent messengers to ask Jesus whether he was really the Messiah. Jesus\u2019 reply:<\/p>\n \u201cGo and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n These were the credentials of the authenticity of Jesus\u2019 ministry, and similarly Eugene wanted them to be the credentials of the ministry of the Oblates, and of his own episcopal ministry. What are my credentials as a Christian?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Eugene de Mazenod was officially installed as Bishop of Marseilles in December 1837. As Chief Shepherd he \u00a0had to draw up an episcopal coat of arms with an espiscopal motto that would be the \u201clogo\u201d and ideal of his ministry. … Continue reading