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- ONE HEART AND ONE MIND
- ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU NEVER WRITE ME WHEN GREATLY PERTURBED BY SOME OPPOSITION OR OTHER DISTRESS
- IT IS NEVER MY INTENTION TO OFFEND, EVEN WHEN I MAY SPEAK A LITTLE HARSHLY
- YOU MUST PREACH BY YOUR EXAMPLE
- MAINTAIN FIRMLY THE UTMOST UNITY BETWEEN BROTHERS AND LET CHARITY REIGN ALWAYS AMONGST YOU
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- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate Associate on ONE HEART AND ONE MIND
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate Associate on ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU NEVER WRITE ME WHEN GREATLY PERTURBED BY SOME OPPOSITION OR OTHER DISTRESS
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate Associate on IT IS NEVER MY INTENTION TO OFFEND, EVEN WHEN I MAY SPEAK A LITTLE HARSHLY
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate Associate on YOU MUST PREACH BY YOUR EXAMPLE
- Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate Associate on MAINTAIN FIRMLY THE UTMOST UNITY BETWEEN BROTHERS AND LET CHARITY REIGN ALWAYS AMONGST YOU
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“A father’s communication with his many children… that is one of the most agreeable occupations of my life” 1857
An Oblate once told me when there is a small hole or loose thread in the tapestry of the community that if left untended the threads will loosen and break and it will eventually unravel leaving only a pile of loose threads. It matters not if the tear is at the bottom, the top, or even the centre: it eventually grows and widens due to the shift in weight for the rest of the tapestry.
It was/is the Holy Spirit who gave Eugene the Charism to share with his community, no matter where they were in the world. Eugene wanted that gift from God to be shared among all, leaving no one untouched. It was not a matter of growing a community of little mini-imitators, but rather of guiding them to love all others, especially those closest to themselves in the Oblate Congregation. “Charity, charity, charity” is what Eugene was saying as he was dying.
A few years before I retired I found myself having to go up against another because I had been appointed to be the interim manager of our unit. She felt she deserved it more than me for many reasons. It was not a happy time for either of us or for our colleagues and at the end of the 6-month term the position was given to another who was truly able to perform that job well. He got the position permanently and the tension in our combined units improved. The staff person with which I had struggled? We became good friends and we worked together until I retired.
It was love that Eugene wanted for his sons and daughters.