A Missionary Community is born
Eugene began his ministry by rejecting a
prestigious diocesan position to reach out to
the poor , the workers, the youth, the sick and
the imprisoned of Aix Overwhelmed by the demands
and possibilities of this ministry, he soon
realized that he needed to gather a group of
zealous priests to work with him. The goal: to
awaken "a faith that had all but died in the
hearts of so many".
In September 1815, he experienced another
"impulse from without" that set him firmly on
the path of apostolic action. He gave himself
body and soul to the realization of his plans to
establish a society of missionaries. On January
25, 1816, the society of the Missionaries of
Provence was born.
Father de Mazenod invited his companions "to
live together as brothers" and "to imitate the
virtues and examples of our Saviour Jesus
Christ, above all through the preaching of the
Word of God to the poor". He urged them to
commit themselves unreservedly to the work of
the missions, binding themselves by religious
vows. Because of their small number, they
initially limited their zeal to the neighboring
countryside. Their fondest wish, however, was
"to embrace the vast expanse of the whole
earth", as the founder had written in 1818.
Pope Leo XII on February 17, 1826 formally
approved the newly founded Congregation of the
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Its
motto: "He has sent me to evangelize the poor"
expressed both its charism and way of life.
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