Oblates of Mary Immaculate
August 21st, 2008 Posted in Missionary Oblates, ShrineThe Oblates are a worldwide missionary congregation of priests and brothers founded in France in 1816. We live together in community as brothers and bring the good news of the Gospel to all-but especially the poor. The dictionary defines Oblate as “a religious offering”. Oblates make an offering of their lives by taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
The founder of the Oblates was Father Eugene de Mazenod. As a young priest he ministered to the dock workers of Marseilles. Up to that time priests preached in classical French, oblivious that many of the working class spoke “Provençal,” a dialect of that region of France. Fr. de Mazenod soon realized that language was an obstacle to their spiritual growth. His decision to preach to the people in their own language, combined with his natural eloquence, opened the door to a very successful ministry.
In 1837 Fr. de Mazenod became bishop of Marseilles and governed the Oblates until his death on May 21, 1861. On December 3, 1995, Bishop de Mazenod was made a Saint of the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II.
In the sanctuary of the Shrine church is a life-size statue of the young Father de Mazenod, a work of internationally renowned sculptor Mico Kaufman.
