The Oblate presence in Marseille had begun with their acceptance of a chaplaincy to the Providence orphanage, which was immediately linked with the ministry to the Calvaire. [See the entries above from 17 to 26 September 2012]. We have seen how the zeal of the Missionaries led them to respond to many of the needs of the poor. Writing to the Director of the orphanage, Eugene reminded him that they were grateful to be providing religious services at the orphanage, but that the particular vocation of the Missionaries made them selective about their choices of ministry, and that the work of preaching missions took priority overy everything else.
You will not be at all surprised that I gladly support in every way the generous initiatives of the work of Providence, even if our own vocation did not oblige me to perform with alacrity every good work that we are asked to do, when we see that we can perform it properly.
The gratitude we owe to your work for having associated our Congregation to the concern for the poor children your work nourishes and wishes to form in virtue makes this a duty which it will always be a pleasure for us to fulfill.
However, Gentlemen, I would hold it against myself if I did not remind you of what I told M. Bonnefoux, namely, that previous engagements would probably oblige me to withdraw during the first two missions of this year from the plan that you had proposed and that I had gladly accepted with the proviso that a reasonable latitude of freedom be allowed to the one I assign to this service to be absent for a time and be replaced as is done in the case of priests who are in charge of the care of souls.
Letter to M. Fliranhois Roux, President of the Men’s Religious Association of Divine Providence, at Marseilles, EO XIII n. 43
“The little community stayed only one year at the Providence orphanage and its apostolic work in this house ceased with the arrival in 1823 of Bishop Fortuné de Mazenod in Marseilles. It had been an intense apostolate. The Oblates here heard the confessions of several hundred children and catechized them. The Fathers also attracted the young people from the neighbouring parishes and prepared them for first holy communion. They even founded a Youth Congregation similar to that of Aix.” Yvon Beaudoin, “Marseilles, Le Calvaire” in Oblate Historical Dictionary, Volume 1.
“To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.” Abdul Kalam
I did not initially want to deal with this today. In fact I walked away from it twice telling myself that something would “come to me later”. Who am I trying to kid? I look at the work being done by Eugene and the early congregation – and it doesn’t get any better than caring for abandoned children! Move it forward 200 years and imagine what the tv ads would look like with children with huge eyes staring into the camera? But it was not their primary purpose, which was the preaching of missions. That was their centre and anything else could not be allowed to pull them away from that. No distractions.
Well over 30 years ago I left home and family to follow a call from God. Risky for sure. And for most of those years I have been very involved in many ways with my parish, a community which I love dearly and to whom I have given much of myself. Not in itself a bad thing. However in the last 5 years there has been a big shift as I felt myself being called and drawn more and more towards walking with the Oblates as an Oblate Associate. I cannot remain 100% involved and busy with the parish and still move forward with how I am now drawn to walk with the Oblates. I cannot serve two masters at once and that first one – well its really quite comfortable and known, not a lot of risks and heh – people know and like me and I am reaffirmed as a good person.
The need to let go so that I can move forward. I did this to a certain degree in taking my last trip, I wasn’t exactly sure of why I was going, although I could give some pretty good answers when asked. It was not easy, there were risks, a whole lot of “what ifs”, and I found myself having to let go of a few things, specially “control of my life” (in the million and one ways I have found to be in control).
So my God, what do I need to look at handing over to you? Not quitting or abandoning my parish family, but living with less “doing” and once again following totally my heart that you have filled with desire. Don’t let go of me (as if you would). A little more light on the road would be good. Eugene, a few prayers would be great.