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Perpetual Oblation of Brother James Chambers, OMI
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On Saturday, November 19, a large group of Oblates, relatives and friends gathered in the Church of Our Lady of the Snows, Belleville, IL, to witness the final profession of vows by Scholastic Brother James Chambers as a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate. His Perpetual Oblation was received by the Provincial, Fr. Louis Lougen, OMI. Bro. Jim received the Oblate Cross worn in the Arctic missions for more than 35 years by the late Fr. Charles Gilles, OMI.
Assisting in the ceremony were some recent and some present Novices who are eager for their own similar day. The day was highlighted by the presence of many Oblates and members of the Chambers family. Also present were Fr. Gary Gummersheimer, the Pastor of Bro. Jim’s home parish, St. Andrew’s, in Murphysboro, IL, as well as numerous parishioners.
To recall his pastoral internship in Zambia, Bro. Jim wore a white cassock.
The son of the late Eugene and Anna (Di Paolo) Chambers, he holds a B. S. in accounting and finance from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Not long after graduating, he began a seventeen-year career in city politics (city treasurer and then city clerk) in his hometown of about 10,000 people.
His Oblate formation has taken him to St. Louis, MO, and Buffalo, NY (prenovitiate), Godfrey, IL (novitiate), Chicago (scholasticate), and Zambia (pastoral internship). He hopes to complete his Master of Divinity degree at Catholic Theological Union in the spring of 2006.
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Article and pictures courtesy of Fr. Terry Donovan, OMI |
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