News Archives » Homepage News
Oblates Daily Prayer August 18th, 2026
Every day the Oblate Community and Family in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales publish a short reflective morning prayer video, created by members. Please join in daily from where you are.
Visit their Youtube channel for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOblates
Sacred Heart Remembers Hiroshima & Nagasaki and Says NO to Nuclear Weapons August 17th, 2026
(Contributed by Fr. Jack Lau, OMI)
From August 6th, (the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima), Sacred Heart began ten days of prayer for peace in solidarity with the Oblate community in Japan. The observance will continue through August 15, the Feast of the Assumption. This past Sunday at Sacred Heart we were joined by Pax Christi North California and had a grand Eucharistic Celebration (our choir even sang in Japanese) followed by the making of lanterns and the blessing in the Peace Garden.
The church was full and the tone for the gathering was set. In the congregation for the first time was the grandson of a survivor of the blast. His grandparents were farmers and lived outside the city proper. What spoke to him was the Camphor/Kusunoki tree in the center of our Peace Garden. The Camphor/Kusunoki tree is a sign of hope, for it was the first tree that put out new leaves after the blast and fire. The U.S. government said nothing would grow for 75 years!
To see this man connect with this tree from his family’s city was a mystical experience. After mass, many people also came for the crafts and the refreshments, which included miso soup with rice.
Later in the afternoon many of us gathered to attach our lanterns on the wire that was connected to the Peace Poles. (May Peace Dwell on the Earth). The pictures tell the story.
PRAYER CARDS: https://bit.ly/3TA6IBq
Oblate Lay Congress Celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the Approval of Oblate Constitutions & Rules August 10th, 2026
The gathering was held at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois
(Contributed by Br. Lester Antonio Zapata OMI)
After some months of planning, this past weekend (July 31 to August 2, 2026), a 3-day National Gathering of Oblate Laity took place at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL. The last meeting of Oblate Laity for the USA Province was held about 10 years ago. The event marked the 200th anniversary of the Oblate Constitutions and Rules, approved by Pope Leo XII in 1826.
About 40 lay Oblate associates came from California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, and New York. They had the opportunity to participate in the 83rd annual Novena to Our Lady of the Snows. Among the attendees was U.S. Provincial Fr. Raymond Cook, OMI, who inaugurated the Congress. Other Oblates who attended were Fr. David Uribe, OMI, Fr. Juan Gaspar OMI, Br. Lester Antonio Zapata and Br. Elisha Chisanga, OMI, also there was Honorary Oblate Mary O’Herron, former OMI JPIC staff.
During our time together, we embraced Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to pray for peace in our world. Each day, we joined our voices with his by praying the Prayer for Peace he led during the Vigil for Peace at Saint Peter’s Basilica on April 11, 2026. “Lord Jesus, you conquered death without weapons or violence: you shattered its power with the strength of peace. Grant us your peace …May the madness of war cease, and the Earth be cared for and cultivated by those who still know how to bring forth, protect and love life.”
Fr. Ray Cook, OMI, inaugurated the gathering and told attendees that each of them has an important call to live out our charisma. Some Oblate associates came from places where the Oblates are no longer staffing any parish or ministry, but they are the ones keeping the charism alive. He explained that the absence of an Oblate priest does not mean the absence of the Oblate charism. He also explained that charism was given by the Holy Spirit to the whole Church. It was never exclusively given to the ordained or vowed Oblate. We are also called to protect and share the charism left to us by St. Eugene de Mazenod.
Fr. Juan Gaspar spoke about the process of forming Oblates to embrace and live the Oblate way of life. Fr. David Uribe, OMI shared on Constitution 8: being close to the people, taking into account their values and aspirations, preaching the Word of God in a simple yet efficient way to reach their hearts, helping them realize their human dignity and daring them to live the gospel.
National Gathering of Oblate Associates in Belleville, IL August 10th, 2026
From July 31 to August 2, a 3-day National Gathering of Oblate Associates happened at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL.
The event was to mark the 200th anniversary of Oblate Constitutions and Rules. Among the attendees was. U.S. Provincial Fr. Raymond Cook, OMI, who inaugurated the Congress.
Oblate Lay Associates are men and women who recognize a Spirit-initiated call to live their baptism enriched by the charism of St. Eugene de Mazenod. They volunteer their time to support the mission of the Church through the Oblates.
Photo 1 – Oblates from Florida -The Oblates are no longer in Florida
Photo 2 – (L to R) Mary O’Herron, former OMI JPIC staff & Honorary Oblate of Mary Immaculate and Br. Lester Antonio Zapata, OMI
Photo 3 – Lay Associates attending the gathering
Join Us – “Ten Days of Prayer” for Peace – August 6–15 August 10th, 2026
(Contributed by Fr. Jack Lau, OMI)
This week, Sacred Heart Church, Oakland, CA will be remembering the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan and the over 103 countries involved in some way in a war on Earth.
We will stand with Pope Leo XIV’s conviction that “Peace is built through disarmament, not nuclear weapons.” We will join the people and Oblates in Japan and hold close these “Ten Days of Prayer,” which invites us to reflect on our own responsibility for peace and to take action for peace especially today as we live in a fragile world.
On August 9, Pax Christi North California will be joining us for liturgy at a “Mass of Memory and Mourning and a Call to Conscience.” We will gather for a video introduction and then make lanterns, which we will hang in our church’s Hiroshima Peace Garden.
“May God guide us on paths of non-violence. May believers and people of good will never stop working as builders of peace. May every person make peace on his or her life’s cause.” (Vatican, 2026, June 19)
NOVENA PRAYER CARD: https://bit.ly/3TA6IBq
