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Anniversary of OMI Congregation’s Founding – January 25, 2018 January 24th, 2018
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 Photo courtesy: Oblate Communications |
“…Conversion, community, poverty, and such themes remind us of Father de Mazenod’s zeal to preach God’s Word to the poor, and are appropriate subjects for community prayer on this day.” (Oblate Prayer, p. 72)
On January 25, 1816, Saint Eugene de Mazenod brought together in community the first Missionaries of Provence to preach the Word of God to the poor. At the heart of this new beginning was the quest for holiness. If there were men, filled with apostolic virtue and zeal, the work of preaching the Gospel to the poor would bear much fruit in a short time. A life of regular prayer was essential to this new missionary life. St. Eugene borrowed from his Sulpician training and freely included inspiration from other schools of spirituality. A tradition of prayer and religious exercises began in our Congregation.
(Oblate Prayer Opening Statement, Fr. Louis Lougen, O.M.I. Superior General)
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING FOR OUR OBLATE VOCATION
O God, we are filled with gratitude for your call to be Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. This vocation, first inspired in Saint Eugene de Mazenod, is a gift for the life of the Church. By this charism we have a special relationship with Jesus the Saviour, whose Cross reveals your unconditional love for all humanity, especially for the poor and most abandoned. Through the Oblate charism we also are brought into close communion with the poor, and we discover that we are evangelized by those to whom we have been sent. We thank you for the grace of our vocation, praying that we live it in faithfulness and joy through the intercession of Mary Immaculate and in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Letter of the Superior General for the Closing of the Oblate Triennium January 25th, 2017
Dear Brother Oblates,
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Mazenodian Family,
Greetings of peace in this New Year of Our Lord, 2017!
With praise and thanksgiving to God for grace upon grace we have received in celebrating our 200th anniversary as a missionary society founded on January 25, 1816, I officially declare the closing of our Oblate Triennium on January 25, 2017. These three years have been an intense pilgrimage of grace in response to the 2010 General Chapter call to a profound personal and community conversion to Jesus Christ. In the years to come we will continue to reap the fruits of this communal journey of conversion. I am grateful to all the Units that made this a special event through so many meaningful initiatives. Many thanks go also to the whole Mazenodian Family and Oblate Youth for your involvement, spirit of celebration and prayer throughout the Oblate Triennium!
Read the full letter here…
Letter of the Superior General for the Closing of the Oblate Triennium January 19th, 2017
Dear Brother Oblates,
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Mazenodian Family,
Greetings of peace in this New Year of Our Lord, 2017!
With praise and thanksgiving to God for grace upon grace we have received in celebrating our 200th anniversary as a missionary society founded on January 25, 1816, I officially declare the closing of our Oblate Triennium on January 25, 2017. These three years have been an intense pilgrimage of grace in response to the 2010 General Chapter call to a profound personal and community conversion to Jesus Christ. In the years to come we will continue to reap the fruits of this communal journey of conversion. I am grateful to all the Units that made this a special event through so many meaningful initiatives. Many thanks go also to the whole Mazenodian Family and Oblate Youth for your involvement, spirit of celebration and prayer throughout the Oblate Triennium! Read the full letter.
