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OMI Anniversary Letter of February 17, 2024: Pilgrims Radiating our Common Charism February 16th, 2024
MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE
The Superior General
MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE
The Superior General
Letter of February 17, 2024
Pilgrims radiating our common charism LJCetMI
Dear Oblates and members of our charismatic family:
In two years, God willing, we will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the pontifical approval of the Constitutions and Rules and the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, just after living the Jubilee of 2025. Both events will help us to continue our pilgrimage in communion as missionaries of hope. In my previous letters, listening to the appeals of the last General Chapter, I recalled our commitment to care for our common home: our Mother Earth and our charismatic family. Today I would like to renew our commitment to go on pilgrimage with the laity who share the charism to continue taking steps in the direction proposed by the Chapter and the Second Congress of Lay Oblate Associations.
“May we understand well what we are!” wrote St. Eugene de Mazenod to his companions from Rome, commenting on the pontifical approbation of the Congregation and its new name: Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. In these 200 years of history, every Oblate, every layman and laywoman, consecrated men and women of our family, has helped us to better understand the beauty of our charism. Each one of us who live it today brings a new ray of light that radiates in the world, a new face of this marvelous polyhedron that is this charism given by the Holy Spirit to the Church and to the world to announce the Gospel of Jesus and his Kingdom to the most abandoned.
Restoring the Forest and Ourselves June 9th, 2023
By Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director, La Vista Ecological Learning Center
RESTOR is a global restoration movement with an inspiring mission: “accelerating the conservation and restoration of nature for the benefit of people, biodiversity, and climate”. RESTOR does this by “connecting people and their projects to resources like scientific data, monitoring tools, funding, and each other to increase impact, scale, and sustainability of these efforts. We believe that anyone can be a restoration champion”.
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have been restoration champions since 1993 when they were the first landowners in the area to dedicate sixteen acres, the “Missionary Oblates Woods Nature Preserve”, as part of the Illinois Nature Preserve System. In 2001 they added one hundred forty-three acres in the Forest Legacy Program. With this history, OMI has become a member of the RESTOR movement; consequently, it is possible to explore specifics about biodiversity on their land using RESTOR data. On Oblate land in Godfrey, IL, diversity includes 1,409 plant species, 31 amphibian species, 46 mammal species, and 174 bird species. That’s a lot of biodiversity on a little over 250 acres!!!
Photo courtesy of K8, Unsplash
La Vista’s Monday study group just completed reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, and one of Kimmerer’s insights we loved is appropriate here. She comments that when we think of ecological restoration we think about what we are doing to and for land like invasive species and trash removal, controlled burns, and planting native species which we do at La Vista. However, Kimmerer expands this thinking when she explains that, in the indigenous tradition, when we do ecological restoration we are really restoring ourselves! This must explain why, when volunteers head back to their cars after restoration work, they comment about feeling happy, fulfilled, nourished. It is true. Why else would volunteers drive a distance to get dirty, work hard, and brave tick bites? The principle of reciprocity as at work here! Once again, native people help us with an alternative reality.
Kimmerer also phrases it this way, “Land loves us back”. In the case of preserves, it does this in part by providing a peaceful and healthy environment for those who visit; by increasing wildlife, thus reducing species loneliness and countering biodiversity collapse; by cleaning the watershed, contributing to a healthier Mississippi River for humans and other species.
Truly, ecological restoration is a two-way street, and Pope Francis agrees. In the encyclical Laudato Si’ he shows awareness of this deep connection: “God has joined us so closely to the world around us that we can feel the desertification of the soil almost as a physical ailment, and the extinction of a species as a painful disfigurement”. The opposite is also a reality – when we help heal damaged land, we are also healed. Healthy people and healthy planet go together.
Ready. Set. Go. 2020 OMI US Convocation March 5th, 2020
The U.S. Province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate plans a Convocation every three years. It is an opportunity to renew our energies as missionaries and strengthen the bonds which unite us as members of one province. From April 13-17, 2020 U.S. Oblates will gather around the following Convocation theme taken from the Preface of St. Eugene:
“They Must Constantly Renew Themselves in the Spirit of Their Vocation”
Convocation 2020 will include moments to relax, connect, pray, and be renewed as we strengthen our bonds as a province.
Visit the 2020 Convocation’s website: https://convocation.snows.org/
Rediscovering the Importance of Brotherhood through Jesus’ Life December 5th, 2017
“Brother” is the name traditionally given to the male lay religious in the Church since the beginning of consecrated life. The title does not belong to them exclusively, of course, but it represents a significant way of being in the ecclesial community in which he is the prophetic memory of Jesus-Brother, who told his followers: “And you are all brothers” (Mt23:8)
It is important to know that Jesus was a layman calling people to be brothers and sisters. He himself represents the big brother for all of us. His brotherhood is a gift from God to the world and to the church: “Jesus Christ first of all became brother, shared our flesh and blood and was in solidarity with the sufferings of his brothers and sisters,” “The word became flesh and abides among us”( Jn 1.)
The vocation of the brother has its origins in Jesus, fount of all vocations. This particular vocation comes from a man who never was engaged as a member of the priesthood of Israel. His ministry was a ministry developed in a secular way; his consecrated life comes through his faith in God.
Read the full article on OMI Lacombe Canada’s website.
2017 Novena of Prayer for Oblate Vocations May 17th, 2017
From May 21st to May 29th, Missionary Oblate communities and parishes around the world are encouraged to offer prayers and reflection for vocations to Oblate life and mission. May 21 is the Feast of St. Eugene and May 29 is the anniversary of Blessed Joseph Gerard, OMI, the Oblate Missionary who worked in Lesotho. These nine days bring oblates, associates, parishioners, mission partners and friends together in prayer and reflection on oblate life and mission.
The Oblate JPIC office would like to invite you to pray and take action for the poor and marginalized people in your local community and around the world.
We’ve prepared a two-page novena on justice and peace themes. Commit to one, some or all of the days of Novena for Oblate Vocations.
Please also share this resource with others and invite your community to use it to promote vocations to the Missionary Oblate family.
