Missionnaires Oblats d'Aix

In November 2020, the General Committee of Oblate Brothers and two Oblate Brothers delegated by each region were to participate in the session organized at the Missionary Oblate Foundation house in Aix-en-Provence. This session was to allow the Committee to prepare a document on the identity and Mission of the Oblate Brother in the Congregation.
As a result of the pandemic, this session was cancelled and the General Committee had to hold its meeting virtually.

During this meeting the members of the Committee shared the reality of the Oblate Brothers in their region, while giving an echo of the consequences of the pandemic. The meeting ended by addressing the prospect of the 2022 Chapter, however the Committee will meet again in Rome from October 19 to 23, 2021 to prepare for the General Chapter.
Until then, everyone has committed to being the ambassador of the meditation for the anniversary of the first vows, November 1, 1818.

In this year, when we are commemorating the 150th anniversary of the death of Father Tempier, the meditation highlights some aspects of this beautiful Oblate figure.

Please refer to the attached documents for Meditations.

My dear children,

I, a man of the XIXth century, want, by this letter, to reach you in your times of the XXIth where, in this period of Lent 2020, you are going through a global health crisis. With my life experience, I would like to share this with you:

As a young priest in 1814 in Aix-en-Provence, my heart is bleeding today with you in front of so many anguished “poor people with many faces”, so many isolated or carefree young people, so many rebellious prisoners. On this subject, do not forget that I contracted typhus from Austrian prisoners of war and that, I owe healing thanks to the incessant prayer of young people in front of the Statue of our Lady of Grace.

As Superior General of a missionary Congregation, my heart is bleeding today with you before this pandemic which affects all continents: after Asia, now Europe, and already Latin America and Africa. To date, I see that more than a third of humanity is confined because of this virus.

As Bishop, my heart is bleeding today with you in front of the disarray of the People of God who cannot come together and celebrate. However, in 1848 – in quite a different circumstance certainly – remember that I had exempted the Christians of Marseilles from Easter Mass to allow them to go to vote! You? You are lucky to have the Internet! So, including praying and celebrating, I repeat: “for new needs, Charity invents new means”!

Like a Pastor too, I had to face the cholera epidemic of 1837 which ravaged our dear city of Marseilles. Being in the countryside at the time of the arrival of the plague, I immediately returned to the diocese to live these dark hours with the people of Marseilles, Les Marseillais. I remember a newspaper headline saying, “The future is in our hands.” Certainly, this is true. For you today, it is in the hands of experienced health professionals, researchers, cashiers, police, authorities … But the future is primarily in the hands of God. So, my turn to tell you, “don’t be afraid”; and with another message dear to my Oblate sons: “But pray my dear children, God will hear you in no time”; our Lord Jesus Christ, full of tenderness and mercy, lets himself be touched. He will not abandon you.

I share with you the grief and mourning of all those who have already lost a loved one, victim of this scourge. Myself, I was very hard hit by the death of my most faithful servant at the bishop’s house during the cholera. Again, this loss made my heart bleed. At the end of the epidemic, I celebrated a solemn service at the cathedral for all the victims.

One more piece of advice: invent the means to take care, to show interest and to have concern for the families hit by this terrible epidemic, for families and isolated people, confined on their own. It is important that no one is forgotten.

Finally, remember that at the beginning of the epidemic of 1837, my first gesture was to go up to Our Lady at Notre Dame de la Garde, to celebrate Holy Mass there and to ask Our Good Mother to intercede for us with her divine Son. So, my dear children, today also turn to her, with the same confidence.

Charles Joseph Eugène +

Wednesday, March 25, 2020, on the feast of the Annunciation.

Bernard Dullier, omi

On 18 February 1826, Eugene wrote a letter to Fr. Tempier sharing with him the good news, “My dear brothers, on February 17, 1826, yesterday evening, the Sovereign Pontiff Leo XII confirmed the decision of the congregation of Cardinals and specifically approved the Institute, the Rules and Constitutions of the Missionary Oblates of the Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin Mary…”

On Monday, February 17, 2020, 194 years later, the Suzanne Room at 56 Cours Mirabeau was almost too small to accommodate the faithful of the Mission Church, members of the Mazenodian Family and friends of the Oblate Missionaries. All had come to celebrate with the Community the 194th anniversary of the Pope’s approbation of the Congregation and its Constitutions and Rules.
A brief historical reminder, the reading of an excerpt from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, a time of silence, a prayer to meditate with Saint Eugene, some songs and the reading of excerpts from the letter of Fr. Louis Lougen, Superior General, allowed to share an intense moment of prayer in communion with Oblate Missionaries from around the world.
“The missionary project of Eugene and companions is written in our hearts…. we see its prophetic relevance for today… The Church in our own times, in various ways and in diverse places around the world, has been devastated.. This reality cries out with urgency to us and touches our hearts as it did Eugene’s.” Letter from Fr. Louis Lougen, Superior General, 17 February 2020.

Bro. Benoit, then briefly recalled, using photos, what were the main stages and the highlights of Eugene de Mazenod’s life. He highlighted the human side of the Founder, his passion for humanity and his passionate love for Jesus Christ.

“…Man is the creature of God and you are the children of God, the brothers of Jesus Christ. O Christians, recognize your dignity, you who have been made partakers of the divine nature…” Eugene de Mazenod. Sermon of the Madeleine. 1813.

Eugene de Mazenod manifested this passion for humanity and for God, throughout his life to the poorest, the abandoned of his time… It is this same passion that the Oblates express in their rule of life: ” Through the eyes of our crucified Saviour we see the world which he redeemed with his blood, desiring that those in whom he continues to suffer will know also the power of his resurrection”(CC4)

Building on this same idea Bro. Benoit shared some of the highlights of his recent visit in the Philippines and Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world where all religions rub shoulders.
Benoit was impressed by the presence of the laity who work effectively with the Oblates, by the vitality of the home based Christian communities, by the involvement of the Oblates in parishes, in schools, by the complicated life of the Oblate Brothers in the Philippines, by the participation of young people, by the joy shown by leaders of the Mazenodian Family during their meetings, by prayer, the missionary life that animates all communities.

A big thank you to Bro. Benoit for this testimony full of joy and hope. And it was in a mazendian fraternity that the participants shared the meal that closed this beautiful evening.

Chantal Bernard Bret (Member of the Mezonodien Family, Aix)

St. John Paul II declared, “I want to address you young people, you are the future of the world, the hope of the Church, you are my hope”. Moved by these words, we are twelve young people to have made the choice to join the Mazenodian Fraternity this academic year. More than just for accommodation, we all want to discover, learn from each other and live a meaningful year, both professionally and spiritually.

Consequently, on Saturday, September 7, we began the weekend of integration. A great moment of encounter! This weekend allowed us to be serene about the coming year. Brother Benoît and Father Bonga concocted a beautiful program that combined spirituality, discovery of the other / of oneself and time of conviviality. In this perspective, the morning was dedicated to a time of prayer, personal meditation, the Eucharist and then meals, successively.

Meals became a highlight of the gathering where we learnt the origins of each other, the program of studies undertaken, the aspirations of each one. In short, we exchanged information necessary for the discovery of the other. This knowledge, initially superficial, left room, at 15h, for a deep and sincere interaction. The workshop entitled, “Who am I? “, carried a profound meaning. Of course, it is easy to schematize “I am x, I am xx years old, I study law / literature / art… I am passionate about cinema; I prefer dogs to cats”. However, that is not what we truly are, at least it does not represent our depth. From this perspective, this workshop marked the beginning of something beautiful, great, which has surpassed us all and submerged to varying degrees. We had to bring an object that symbolizes us. In this way, each one revealed, discreetly and modestly, what made him, that is to say, a unique, complex being. Everyone’s sharing was received with respect and kindness.

Then, to better understand the history of the place that shelters us, Brother Benoit and Father Bonga lead us to discover the premises. Passing through different corridors, we became aware of the vast legacy of the Oblate congregation: we were treading on a history that was almost 203 years old. The visit ended where we had started, around the fountain in the cloister. Some pictures were taken occasionally by Brother Benoit to immortalize the weekend.

It was time for dinner. Around a good meal (hamburger-fries!), we got to know each other better. Community members of the Oblate congregation, from as diverse background as Spain or the United States, honoured us with their presence. In the kitchen, while cleaning, drying and storing utensils and cutlery, a jovial atmosphere sets in; in the simplicity and friendliness of the moment, I think we already shared a common feeling of gratitude for being there.

The day ended with a prayer time in the chapel. Everyone shared his experience of the day, an overall feeling emerges: confidence in the future, faith in this group; already united after passing merely a day together.

After a good night’s sleep, we gathered in the morning for a time of prayer, prepared by the “elders”, that is to say those for whom this life experience was not something totally new, since it is their second year among the Oblates.

A personal time of reflection followed afterwards, where we were invited to write down our project for the year, what everyone, in the deepest of oneself, wants to make of this particular year. This is a personal and confidential letter; it will be opened and proposed for evaluation at the end of the year to help in making one’s personal assessment of the year, whether expectations and commitments were met. The 12 envelopes with our letters were entrusted to the Lord during the Sunday Eucharistic celebration.

The parishioners of the Church of the Mission were asked and encouraged to remember us in their prayers. At the end of the Eucharist we were given the book of Pope Francis “Christus Vivit” a powerful letter addressed to the young people and to all the people of God.

Fraternity is also conviviality and so we gathered together in the cloister for aperitif before enjoying the Sunday lunch, which was also an opportunity for some to practice their English and / or Spanish by talking with Oblates from around the world who are currently in Aix for their spiritual renewal session, indeed for them Aix is a place of healing and renewal and of being closer to their Founder.

The afternoon was dedicated to the practical organisation of the FRAT and to establish guidelines to allow us to live together in a healthy and a lifegiving manner. Task teams i.e. SPI, Meals, Laudato Si etc, were formed; upcoming important events were highlighted including a weekend with the Chavril community in Lyon; dates for important rendez-vous, like meals and prayers, were fixed.

This weekend ended with a barbecue, during which Father Asodo offered each one of us a Bartik shirt typical of his country, Indonesia, what a nice surprise! An additional element forging a little more our common life and identity!

Hence, the members of the Fraternity experienced this weekend as a moment of encounter and discovery, exchange and trust. Expressions such as: enriching, powerful, joyful, smiles, listening, sharing, lifegiving and trust sum up the entire experience!

Mathieu, Charlie, Clovis.

Summer 2019

The summer months, like every year, were quite busy, with the hosting of sessions, different groups and individual visitors and pilgrims. They were quite warm months too, but we were not the only ones in this heat wave!

The De Mazenod Experience in English animated by Bonga, Asodo and Angelo ended in June.

In May, we learned about the appointment of our new superior since Krzysztof Zielenda was finishing his 2nd term, Asodo replaced him. We took advantage of the presence of Fr. General, who came to meet the participants of the De Mazenod Experience, to install the new superior on June 20.

Krzysztof left us at the beginning of July to take a good rest in his native country before joining other skies.

For the moment, the community has only 5 members. But we hope to have some reinforcement in the months to come.

Scholastics Summer Session

July was taken by the summer session for scholastics and in early August, two groups of young people from Italy and Spain came to discover the birthplace of Eugene de Mazenod and the cradle of the congregation. They also organized a beautiful prayer vigil at the Church of the Mission.

During these three months, several groups or individuals stayed with us: a group of laity from Poland, families or friends of Oblates. Fortunately, we have a bursar who, as they say, “does not have both feet in the same clog!”

Many of us were also taken by outside activities: Bonga went to preach a retreat in Czech Republic, Jo in Strasbourg for the Oblates of France and in Switzerland for nuns.

Youth groups from Spain and Italy

When Mario arrived in Aix, he had some problems with his teeth. We encouraged him to seek treatment, and, with the help of our Polish brothers, he found in Poland a good (and much cheaper) dentist who is giving him another chance to “bite and chew.” Mario has already made several trips to Poland and we share in his hopes that he will soon be able to eat something other than yogurt, minced meat, soup etc.

Two of us have experienced more painful events: at the end of June, Jo lost his elder sister, following a long suffering with cancer, and, at the end of August, Benoît learned about the death of one of his uncles who lived very close to his family.

We must also highlight several repairs or maintenance that are inevitable in a centuries-old house: repairing a stained-glass window of the church that was falling apart, and some rooms needed some maintenance etc.

As every year, we welcome 12 university students, at the beginning of September, they had an integration weekend lead by Benoît and Bonga.

Last week we began another De Mazenod Experience, in Spanish this time, with 11 participants and 3 animators from South America: Peru, Guatemala, Venezuela, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The Experience will end on November 8th.

Team of co-operators

The community does not miss projects for this year and the years to come. Fortunately, we have a small team of about fifteen people that we call “co-operators” who participate, in different ways, in the activities of our community, and help us to imagine and implement our projects.
We wish you a good 4th quarter of this year 2019.

Jo Bois OMI