Who are we?

Who are we?

We are missionaries. We began 188 years ago, on January 25, 1816, when Father Eugene de Mazenod and four companions came together to preach missions in Provencal, in the rural countryside of southern France. And currently, how many are we? Where are we? What do we do?

We are 3,800 Oblates in all - young men, old men, Oblates in formation, priests, Brothers! Of this total, 525 are in formation, having already made their first commitment. For the highest number in formation, the prize goes to Africa, with 222 young men in training. We are in the five continents. The branch planted in Aix-en-Provence thrived well: more than 830 in Africa, 980 in Europe, 770 in Asia, 450 in Latin America, 720 in Canada and the United States. (as of 20 January2015)

And all these people, what do they do? We do everything. We are not specialized, except in facing urgent needs.... It was enough for bishops to come to our Founder and say to him: "I do not have anybody..." for him to act, re-examine his manpower, cut personnel here and there, and release 2 or 3 men for these new needs. And that continues today still. You see, it is a question of passion, of missionary concern....

Recent foundations? The last one is Guinea Bissau: a station close to one of our missions in Senegal. But there are also the working districts of Marseilles, Strasbourg or Cadiz; there is also Cuba, Turkmenistan, Byelorussia and Ukraine.... And then, the Missions of other times have now grown up and in their turn are taking on responsibilities: Haiti went to found in Colombia, among the Afro-Amerindian; and Sri Lanka for many years expanded into India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

 


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36th General Chapter 2016
36th General Chapter 2016
Oblate Triennium
Oblate Triennium
OMI Vocations
OMI Vocations
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Oblatio
Oblatio
Links to Other Oblate Sites
Links to Other Oblate Sites
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