Still in the letter to Forbin Janson where the young Father de Mazenod describes his early ministry, he speaks of what happened on Sunday evenings after he had finished ministering to the prisoners:
From there I rush home, where is gathered together the cream of masculine piety in our poor town. After various prayer exercises, I again give a small instruction, quite simple, in conversational vein, which God in his goodness sees to seasoning, and there you have it all.
Letter to Forbin Janson, 9 April 1813, O.W. XV n. 116
Because Eugene had allowed God to do the “seasoning,” this seemingly-insignificant sentence hides the seeds of the beginning of a youth association that began with 7 boys, and grew into a well-organised and efficient group of nearly 300 by 1817.
The expression “cream of masculine piety” sounds strange today. It refers to his choice of young men who had the good qualities to be formed into a force that could change society. Youth ministry became Eugene’s major occupation until 1816. It flourished because he always allowed God to “add the flavour to his human efforts.”