In 1854, a fourteen-page publication appeared in Marseilles; its object was to make known the spirit and the works of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. It was published anonymously, but it would be difficult for us to conceive that the Founder, Eugene de Mazenod, did not at least review it.

When the text endeavors to describe "the spirit of the Congregation", it reads as follows: "The spirit which most especially characterizes the rules of the Oblates is that of a great loyalty to the authority of the Holy See and the episcopacy. They must consider themselves as being in a special way the men of the Pope and the bishops, that is, of the Church of Jesus Christ. They should make this spirit prevail to the extent their influence allows [...]" [1]

If, according to Eugene de Mazenod, the Oblates are first and foremost men of Jesus Christ, their love of Christ cannot be dissociated from the love of the Church. They are also led to carry out their ministry in strict union with the Pope and the bishops and in constant cooperation with those others who labor for the Gospel. Article 6 of the 1982 Constitutions accurately and effectively communicating the thinking of the Founder stresses the communion of the Oblates with the leading pastors of God's people, loyalty towards them, along with the spirit of cooperation and dialogue.

[1]p. 8.