POST-CAPITULAR GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
A reminder: the consultation continues…

The Post-Capitular Government Committee asks all Oblates to respond to the questionnaire sent to them through their Unit offices in early November and which can also be found on the Congregation’s website (at www.omiworld.org, click on the General Chapter link on the left side of the main page of our site or click on the links at the bottom of this article). The deadline for responses is February 1, 2009. Please do not wait until the last minute!

The committee was encouraged to receive the following remarks from an 82 year-old Oblate in Canada:

To the members of the Government Committee!

I was happy to receive the fruit of your very serious work on the development which our congregation needs to experience. Thanks to all of you!

As for me, because of my advanced age, I do not feel capable of responding to your very serious questions!

I will be more active in my prayer life, begging that the Holy Spirit will fill the void which my current inability causes. Your work is for all of us a sign of His Presence in the great Hope He shares with us.

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Latin America

PARAGUAY
Meeting of LAOMI, MAMI, and employees

The members of MAMI have, for many years, been active in our province. For more than 10 years, we also have Lay Associates (LAOMI).

On the other hand, many employees of our different houses have been working with us for 5, 10, 15, and 30 years; that means that they are part of our family! They know us, they respect us, and they consider themselves part of us.

That was the reason for inviting them to a joint meeting: MAMI, LAOMI and employees from our houses in Asunción (formation houses and central house). Almost all of them came, some 30 persons in all.

After praying together the prayer in preparation for the General Chapter, the Provincial, Fr. Miguel FRITZ, welcomed them and explained the reason for such a “strange gathering.” Afterwards, Ña Graciela, coordinator of the LAOMI, invited everyone to tell how many years they have known the Oblates.

Then the two associations told about themselves. It was made clear that no one should consider this invitation as a form of pressure (e.g., that one would be considered a “better employee” if a member of one of the associations). Therefore, there was an exchange of telephone numbers and addresses so that people could freely invite others to form groups in their neighborhoods around some of the other houses. Everyone agreed that this sort of meeting should happen again.

There was much sharing, not only spiritual but also in the foods brought by the participants. It concluded with a good Oblate prayer.

PERU
Coming: a meeting of Oblates working in parishes

The Mission Commission, in collaboration with the Justice and Peace Commission of the Interprovincial Conference of Latin America (CIAL), is planning a meeting of Oblate pastors. It will be held in Lima, Peru, on April 20-24, 2009.

Parish ministry has been a much-discussed theme for a long time. Some 80% of Oblates in the Latin American Region are working in parishes. Furthermore, the document which came from the meeting of Latin American bishops at Aparecida calls for a reflection on parish ministry.

Aparecida proposes structural changes and it challenges parishes to be missionary; to be more open to cultural values and social problems; to engage in the ministry of justice, peace and the integrity of creation.

There are three stages planned for this renewal of parish life among our Oblate Units:

1. A meeting in each Unit of parish priests, using the “see, judge and act” method.
2. The meeting next April of Oblates engaged in parish ministry.
3. A later meeting in each Unit to find ways of implementing the conclusions of the Peru meeting.

The main objective of the project is to propose a structural change in the concept and method of parish life, working toward the concept of the parish community as a “community of communities,” where the pastor is a servant, promoting the Kingdom of God (focusing essentially on justice and peace in the context of the vulnerability so common on the Latin American continent); and the urgent commitment to be apostles in today’s society in order respond to the new situations and needs of the modern world and of Christian life.

BAJA CALIFORNIA
Courage amidst the violence

Bro. Augustin Coté of the United States Province sends out a monthly e-mail which he calls “Gus News Notes.” In his newsletter, he publishes excerpts from letters of Oblates, especially those working in Haiti, but also in other parts of the Oblate world. In his December edition, he passes on this news about the Oblate U.S. province’s mission in Baja California, Mexico, from Fr. Pablo HUGHES.

(November 4) Greetings from Tijuana on this Election Day 2008! While the temperature is quickly cooling, the social atmosphere remains extremely hot. Today’s newspaper reports that last month, October, was the bloodiest in history, with one murder every 6 hours, some 124 homicides as a result of the drug war. On Mission Sunday, a letter denouncing the violence was read at all Masses and some 3050 faithful signed it, also giving many the opportunity to manifest their own anxieties and concerns. Schools had been closed and are now reluctantly opening again their doors to a meager few students.

Yet amid this background of violence, the people courageously carry on. A 46-day Marian tradition of saying the rosary house by house in preparation for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is giving many people the opportunity to reclaim the streets and neighborhood. With some 14 different sectors, the response has been a strong testimony that nothing will ‘kill’ their faith. Bro. Julio Cesar Navarez, who is doing his year’s internship (regency), has also organized a soccer tournament involving some 150 youth of the parish, helping them to break down gang rivalries and give them something more constructive to do. Even some 10 non-Catholics, including the son of a local protestant minister, are participating in the sport; attending a weekly talk on Christian values is the only requirement. These few flames of hope help us all carry on in this mission in Baja California.

BOLIVIA
Maurice Lefebvre: not forgotten

Pablo Ramos, Vice-President of the City Council of La Paz, has authorized the “Struggle against impunity” movement to put up a plaque in honor of the Oblate priest, Maurice LEFEBVRE, on Capitan Ravelo Street.

Councillor Ramos recalled that “born in Canada on August 6, 1922, Fr. Lefebvre arrived in Bolivia in 1953 and settled in the mining district of Llallagua where he quickly learned that to preach the Gospel, it was necessary to adapt to the life conditions of the miners and their families.”

Maurice Lefebvre asked himself, in 1967: “When will the Church and we, her priests, be ready to risk our life in order to be consistent with our commitment to charity, to poverty, to religious freedom and social justice?” His commitment to Bolivian society led him to the creation of the Sociology Faculty at the University of San Andrès of La Paz: he was its first dean.

We give thanks to a priest who, who having come from afar, managed to become one of the greatest defenders of the rights of the Bolivian people. He was killed at La Paz, at the age of 49, the evening of August 21, 1971, while he was caring for a wounded person. It is on that spot that the commemorative plaque will be placed.

Mr. Ramos continues: “The history of our country is written in each of the events of the past. We Bolivians honor the memory of all those who, in risking their own skin, gave their life for the democracy which we know is imperfect, but which is aimed at the development of a more just society.”

The President of the Assembly for Human Rights in Bolivia added: “This commemoration is in line with the restoration of the historical memory of our people. Many persons like Maurice Lefebvre have fallen; this event should encourage us to deepen and renew our democracy in order to avoid that such criminal actions be repeated; much blood has been spilled in the name of democracy.” (Article from the newspaper, «El Diario», La Paz, 21 August 2008, translated into French by Victor Simard for Apostolat International, November-December 2008)

Africa-Madagascar

NIGERIA
Oblates unharmed in riot-torn Jos

Oblates from the Province of Cameroon have been working for over 15 years in the central part of Nigeria, in the Archdiocese of Jos. In the final days of November 2008, sectarian violence broke out in Jos. As many as 400 persons may have been killed in clashes between Muslims and Christians; the latest violence was triggered by a disputed local election.

Fr. Cornelius NGOKA, provincial of Cameroon and a native Nigerian, wrote on December 4 to Father General: Thanks for your concern over the situation in the middle belt of Nigeria. I have not been able to closely monitor the events because of my visit to Yokadouma. I have spoken with Fr Kevin Elendu who resides in Jos and he told me that everything erupted after the state’s council elections. Many people died and hundreds were injured. There is still curfew in the town. The area where the Oblates are working was not directly involved in the riots. The confreres are healthy although they cannot move around freely for now. I hope to be in Nigeria by the end of next week.

CONGO
When patience trumps impatience

In his “blog”, Fr. Jean-Bosco MUSUMBI, General Councillor, speaks of the situation in Kinshasa where he is patiently waiting for his new passport.

(26/11/2008) What can one say about life in Kinshasa where I arrived on November 11? First of all, there was a warm welcome by much rain that simply increases the suffering of the people of Kin (Kin is a nickname of Kinshasa), doing further damage to the streets, flooding many homes and causing worrisome erosion. Astonishingly enough, the men and women of Kin continue to smile in spite of the economic effects of the war that is raging in the eastern part of the country. The people are truly suffering (no steady salary, insufficient medical care, no positive response to the teachers on strike, sudden electrical blackouts, etc.).

This crisis is felt also in religious communities which usually are well organized. The lack of money: that’s the main cause of a certain unrest in several religious families located in Kinshasa. The immediate consequences: indifference, relativism, individualism, or “the tendency to favor the importance and the rights of the individual over the importance and the rights of social groups.”

One has to believe that only the courage to adopt new, more realistic strategies will spare the formation houses from the dangerous disorder that is stalking them. If that weren’t enough, one has to face the negative effects of the worldwide financial crisis that is victimizing so many.

As for me, “be patient” is the comment I hear the most often since my arrival in Kinshasa, every time I try to get information about the delivery of the semi-biometric passport they are talking about in RD Congo. I have been waiting for this famous document since February 2008. Even though the news is reassuring, the refrain is always the same: “The passports are there but there is only one machine to process the data, according to the order of receipt of the files; be patient.” A confrere reassured me that they are currently processing those who filed their applications in October-November 2007.

During this long delay, which reminds me of my impatience while waiting for the recent renewal of my residency permit in Italy, I am learning something. “You are a Christian; you have to be patient,” I was told by a clerk a few days ago after I had expressed my concerns. If he only knew how my work is suffering! Perhaps he wanted to invite me to be ever more conscious of the patience of God.

But divine patience is never a weakness: it is a call to conversion, for “God is tender and kind, slow to anger and rich in favor.” In fact, in order to live according to his call, the Christian must bear with others “with charity, in all humility, kindness and patience.” (Eph 4:2) In brief, patience is a fundamental virtue. “It assures our stability. It protects all the other virtues against the turmoil caused by impatience. Because it is rooted in persistence and personal effort, patience must be accompanied by kindness so as not to expose our heart to scorn,” states J.-Louis Brugues. (www.ayaas.net/news/mbote.htm)

CAMEROON
Death of a young scholastic

Fr. Krzysztof ZIELENDA, superior of the Yves Plumey Philosophy House in Yaoundé, Cameroon, wrote to Fr. General announcing the death of a Congolese scholastic, Joachim IKOLÉ. In the message, we hear of the difficulties that can be encountered in emergency situations in a poor country.

(December 5) The community of Yves Plumey House wishes to inform you of the unexpected death of Joachim Ikolé, a scholastic brother from Congo in his second year of philosophy studies. After 26 years of life, the Lord called him to Himself, on December 2, 2008, around 10:30 a.m.

On Monday, December 1, Joachim left for class at the Institute; there was nothing to hint that it would be for the last time. Toward the end of class, at around 11:45, he answered a question of the professor and a few moments later, he fell unconscious. Immediately the Oblate students brought him to the emergency room of the hospital closest to our house. At about 2:00 p.m., the doctors told us that his condition was serious and that he probably had had a cerebral hemorrhage. To verify this diagnosis, they asked to transfer him to a hospital equipped with a CAT scanner. We took him there. Unfortunately, the scanner in that hospital had been out of order for several days. They then directed us to the University Hospital. The scan confirmed the first diagnosis and gave further details. Joachim had suffered an acute meningeal hemorrhage. He was dying.

The doctors wanted him hospitalized in intensive care, but at the same time, they informed us that there were no available beds in that hospital. So, by ambulance we went to the other side of town, to the General Hospital: the fourth hospital in one day! It was already almost 6:00 p.m. That same day, at around 10:00 p.m., the doctor told me that it would be difficult to save the life of Joachim. He explained that the vascular incident was the result of a congenital problem that all of a sudden manifested itself. He concluded by telling me that there was no possibility of surgery because of the amount of blood involved in that part of the brain.

The next day, we learned that Joachim was no longer with us.

Brother Ikolé will be buried here in Yaoundé. His body will arrive here in a few hours. Then we will take him into the chapel to surround him with our prayers in the intimacy of our community. A Mass will be celebrated for him at the Philosophy Institute on Saturday morning at 9:00. Father Prosper NDJOLI will preside. At the end of this Mass, we will bid our Brother Ikolé our last goodbye and will take leave of him

In the report written last June for his admission to renewal of vows, the formators said: “Joachim is a good member of the community: fraternal, generous and witty. He gets along with everyone. His spiritual life is regular and personal. He likes silence and finds recollection easy.” We have lost a fine young man. But have we really lost him?

Asia-Oceania

INDONESIA
Oblate protests capital punishment

On Sunday, November 9, three men from a militant Islamist group were executed by firing squad for the 2002 nightclub attacks in Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians. Fr. Charlie BURROWS works among the prisoners on death row; he wrote these comments.

(November 12) Cilacap has been on high alert for the past two weeks with the execution of the Bali Bombers early Sunday morning. There was a very heavy police presence guarding all government buildings and we had a 24 hour police presence at the Church.

The Muslim team of lawyers for the bombers was in town. I had met, shook hands and conversed with them at the Constitutional Court when I appeared us a factual witness for them that death by firing squad is torture. In June 2008, I had witnessed death of two Nigerians when it took them seven minutes to die. The outcome of the Constitutional Court’s decision was that “All types of execution cause pain,” but they did not declare this to be torture, so hence the executions went ahead.

However they had twelve shooters - six of whose guns were loaded with live ammunition -- for each victim -- hence six bullets entering each victim’s heart. For each Nigerian victim, there were seven shooters with three guns loaded with live ammunition and three bullets entering the victims’ hearts.

The head attorney announced that the three died immediately which is impossible, according to the expert witnesses I heard at the Constitutional Court, but with six bullets death would come sooner. So the result of our efforts, so far, is a quicker death.

Many Australian and Indonesian T.V. stations and newspapers interviewed me and I was waving around Bishop Desmond Tutu’s book Without Forgiveness there is no future. I also got some ideas from newspaper reports to help those we serve on death row -- there are now 47 on the island many of whom are Catholics and Protestants who also come to our Masses. I am now in contact with a Canadian/Indonesian lady who is also working to stop the death penalty.

It is said that, as the authorities preparing the site for the bombers’ execution, the ghosts of the Nigerians haunted the workers -- as the executions were in the same place. If the executions continue, there will be a lot more ghosts which will help the survival of panthers, leopards, deer, wild pigs, monkeys etc. that roam the island, as it is a game reserve.
 
On November 19, I will visit the prison and a very sensitive young man on death row. He comes from Brazil and has a deer he wants me to set loose in the jungle on my way home -- as some inmates want to eat it. Hence I may save a deer from “death row”.

CHINA
“Believe in Jesus, Play Football and Be Saved!”

Fr. Luc Young shares his experience of working in the St. Alfred Parish in Shatin, Hong Kong.

In Kowloon City, on the wall of the Baptist School, there is written in big Chinese characters the following message: “Believe in Jesus and Be Saved!” On the walls of our church in St. Alfred, there are no such characters and message written, but it seems that the St. Alfred parish football club has re-written that saying which could now read as follows: “Believe in Jesus, Play Football and Be Saved!”

St Alfred Parish Football Club is composed of 3 teams, The Children Team (7-12 years old), The Youth Team (13-35 years old) and the Veterans (36 to as old as 70 years old). Parishioners run the club with Fr. Luc Young as their chaplain. Fr. Luc is not only the chaplain; he is also part of the Veterans team and regularly trains with the children and youth teams.

The parishioners, who started the football club a few years ago, came up with their own rules and regulations about who can join the club and play football. Anyone is welcome to join the weekly training sessions, but not all can participate in the tournament that is organized annually by the Diocese of Hong Kong. To be able to do that, the rule is as follows: one has to be either baptized, a catechumen or a Sunday school student. As a result, many kids who did not like to attend Sunday school before, because they would like to play in the tournament, now go to Sunday school very regularly and even attend Sunday masses. It is important to note that these rules were not made by the priests but by the parishioners themselves.

In order to create more interaction among the young and not so young people of the different parishes, the Diocese has, for the past 5 years, organized a football tournament. The record of St. Alfred Parish Football Club has not been that bad at all. The Children’s team has won the tournament two years in a row, in 2006 and 2007. Before the final in 2007, the Children’s Team attended mass and received a special blessing from their Chaplain. One would wonder whether the special blessing had anything to do with the team’s winning! Let us all believe in Jesus, play football, go to Church and be saved! (www.oblateschina.com)

Canada-United States

OMI LACOMBE
Flicker of Light in a place of darkness…

(Fr. Dennis Alexander, prison chaplain, has shared with www.omilacombe.ca these thoughts on his ministry.)

I have been asked several times over to share my reflections on what prison ministry in a maximum security institution entails. This ministry has so many different aspects; it is hard to help someone, who is not behind bars, to understand what happens from day to day. We have a pencil-drawn picture in the chapel, of Jesus behind bars. This inspirational picture calls for a question to be answered. Is Jesus the inmate or is he the visitor? Which side of the bars is he on?

As I reflect on my work, I see …. so many challenges and experiences that it would require a book to be written for others to understand the prison culture, the adrenalin, the fears, the disappointments and dangers, or see the flicker of hope shining in the path of institutional behavior. Prison chaplains minister to the total institution, every area of a prison is accessible to them, and each person is our parishioner. At times it appears as if this is a dysfunctional family requiring the head of the family to comfort, challenge, repair, teach, and pray for each member. Emotions are triggered daily in both staff and inmates, labels are attached to people and they are no longer addressed as human. Hope diminishes as one is abandoned by family and friends, isolated to the point of despair. 

For those prisoners not in lockup, courses are taught and liturgies planned in the chapel. Multi-faith activities for Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans, Jews, and Christians are organized and planned each week. The institutional chaplain organizes activities for a visiting clerical leader who will come in and facilitate these happenings. Specially trained multi-faith volunteers assist chaplains with the many tasks of this ministry. These volunteers are able to assist in inmate outreach and bring a much needed human experience to the isolation felt within institutional walls.

Our chapel is of modest size and seems small when you are locked into it with fifteen to twenty maximum-security inmates (a time of study, prayer, or worship). Stress and danger are always lurking, as the events of the institution are burned into the emotions carried within the inmates. The chapel is a sanctuary of peace, prayer and discussion – an activity unsupervised by the presence of officers – so inmates and chaplains are locked into the space together. The movement of inmates to the chapel is through several gated barriers; then a physical pat down for weapons occurs, a process that becomes routine after awhile. Each chaplain has a PPA (Personal Protection Alarm) attached to his belt; once it is activated, a sea of officers run to the aid and assistance of the activator.

Change, motivation, healing, and forgiveness seem more real as spiritual interventions are sought out by some inmates. How do you counsel a man who has committed violent actions and feels no remorse? How do you deal with the guilt of murder and the taking of innocent life? How do you teach someone to celebrate life when they will never see the outside world again? What does restorative justice mean as one deals with hopelessness? Daily questions like these fan the need for divine assistance and intervention.

The heavy clouds of total frustration eventually make room for a blue sky, allowing hope to once again lurk somewhere so that love can penetrate sufficiently to restore peace and goodwill. The miracles of each day can be discovered, and a chaplain can assist in this discovery. 

A week is filled with moments of greetings, quick hellos and countless smiles. Meetings, institutional rounds, book delivery, one-to-one interviews, release planning, counseling, prayer and liturgy mark just a few of the daily activities. This truly is a ministry of presence. A week begins as it finishes with each day being new, spiritually and emotionally endless. Each day is a time of religious challenge with humbling admission that somehow God is here; he is doing time. 

On TV we often see the dramatic life of a prison, but we often do not see the endless emotions that occur on a day-to-day basis. Read the papers and one can easily see who will be the next member of our institutional parish. The events of institutional life within a prison do have an effect on staff and inmates, their families and the community. It is my hope that this sharing gives a small gaze or window into what happens in prisons all over our land. The task and challenge for chaplains is endless and we need you to partner with us in prayer.

For when an inmate changes, the community is served and becomes better protected. To ignore inmate change will lead us into a culture where darkness can be repeated. Today, I can say that I saw Jesus at work. Tomorrow, we persevere in our search for more of God, then we experienced today. Will He be found in the inmate or is He the visitor?

NOTRE-DAME-DU-CAP
160 years for the Oblate mission on Visitation Street!

On December 8, 1848, a chapel was opened for worship on Visitation Street in Montreal! Its 160^th anniversary was celebrated on Monday, December 8, 2008, at the 11:30 a.m. Mass.

Since the arrival of the Oblates, we have had here a truly gospel-motivated community. It is inspired by the gospel proclaimed Sunday after Sunday and day after day. It is challenged by the very attitudes of Jesus of Nazareth: compassion, unconditional welcome and charity, no matter what the human condition, the nationality, the religion, the sexual orientation, for we all have the same dignity as sons or daughters of God! Our ministry engages a whole community of persons in an inclusive embrace; thus it is prophetic as every Christian community should be.

The challenge of this parish is to form a “corps,” right in the middle of the city where individualism, anonymity and indifference are abounding. There are several opportunities for developing this community spirit: a family gathering after the Sunday Masses; on the first Sunday each month, a brunch for at least 175 persons; and many other programs that originate with the people who are more and more becoming involved in fund-raising; this helps develop a certain pride and sense of belonging among the members of the community.

The Eucharist is still the greatest force for creating and re-creating over and over this “corps.” We take much care in preparing for Sunday liturgies that are spiritually nourishing and challenging in order to help us better to build “community,” and at the same time, to respect the spiritual journey of each individual, some of whom drop by only on an occasional Sunday for a “shot in the arm.” We pay particular attention to Church dissidents so that they will have a place where they can be heard and express their critiques and their disappointments with the institution. Our hope is to favor a reasoned criticism that will leave the way open for future dialogue with the Church.

In communion with the Archbishop of Montreal, who recognizes the importance of this ministry in his diocese, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, with their pastoral team, carry on the mission of evangelization in an urban setting. Thus, faithful to its historical beginnings, the Christian community continues its evangelical task so that the dignity of those who are rejected, or outcasts, or unloved--the poor with their many faces-- might be respected. A broad service of welcoming and help continues to be offered by a team that is well trained to help these poor persons who have been injured so much by life. (Yoland Ouellet, Curé de Sainte-Brigide―Saint-Pierre Apôtre)

ASSUMPTION
Oblates protest dubious honor

On the website of the Governor General of Canada, the “Order of Canada” is called the “centrepiece of Canada’s honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.”

Last July, the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, announced that Henry Morgentaler would receive this prestigious award. After years of crusading in Canadian courts, Morgentaler’s “outstanding achievement” was his success in overturning Canada’s legal restrictions on abortion in a Supreme Court decision released in 1988. Since then, Canada has become one of the few countries in the world to have no legal restrictions on abortion.

This award to a man who led a major anti-life crusade has raised the consciousness of many throughout Canada who believe in the dignity of human life from conception until death. Several previous recipients of the order, including Montreal’s Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, returned their medals to the Governor General.

The latest to return these medals are the Oblates of Assumption Province in Toronto. The provincial, Fr. Janusz BLAZEJAK, wrote this to the Governor General:

“We write to you today, December 8th , the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Principal Patroness of our Congregation, on account of the recent decision by your office and the committee responsible for nominations to provide an Order of Canada to Henry Morgentaler, the noted Toronto abortionist.
 
“We hope that this gesture is understood as a sign of our astonishment and outrage at the exploitation of the Order of Canada in the interests of an ideology of death, division and indignity which has resulted in the clinical murder of over 110,000 Canadians every year who never had the chance to deserve a better country.”
 
Two Oblates, now deceased, have received this award: Fr. Anthony Sylla and Fr. Michael Smith. The letter explains that “the former spent his life encouraging and supporting immigrants in the Canadian prairie in the early part of the 20th century and the latter is known for his achievements in the area of support for the dignity of our senior citizens, married couples and families as well as for spearheading the creation of the largest parish based Credit Union in North America.”
 
“Both of these priests were outspoken in their commitment to the inviolable dignity of the human person from the time of conception to natural death. They would have been the first to acknowledge that their commitment to their fellow man outweighed the need for membership in an Order that did not hold to the ideals to which they committed their lives.
 
“Whatever one’s views on the status of the unborn, the fact that the Order of Canada was given to someone whose ‘unique’ contribution to the Canadian body politic consists of the procurement of tens of thousands of abortions does poor service in view of the many people who have given of their lives dedicated to making Canada a better nation.”

NOTRE-DAME-DU-CAP
The streets of Quebec recall the Oblates

The first French colony was established permanently at Quebec in 1608. This location was the pivotal point of all the lands of North America, from the peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the delta of the great Mississippi River.

During 2008, the people of Quebec celebrated the 400 years of this city which is so important in the history of the Missionary Oblates in Canada. At least 84 Oblates, living and deceased, were born in the city of Quebec.

The Oblates arrived in Quebec in 1853. They had already been in Saguenay for a few years. The Founder, St. Eugene de Mazenod, especially wanted the members of his community to establish themselves in Quebec. At that time, Quebec was really the center of the Canadian Church.

The streets of big cities are named after persons both known and hardly known. Some streets of Quebec bear the name of known and hardly known Oblates. They are in the St-Sauveur neighborhood as well as the Vanier and Limoilou neighborhoods. These missionaries of Quebec are an important part of the history of Canada, but also of the city of Quebec. Here are some of them:

The Avenue des Oblats which runs beside the rectory and the Oblate church (St-Sauveur) was given that name in 1926, on the occasion of the centennial of the approbation of the Oblates by Pope Leo XII.

Père-Grenier Street is in honor the second pastor (1876-1879 and 1885-1891). Born in France, he spent more than 40 years at St-Sauveur. He is the one who decorated the interior of the church. He died in Quebec on March 27, 1903. The street was named in his honor in 1937.

Père-Lacombe Street is in honor of the famous missionary of the Canadian West, Fr. Albert Lacombe. The street was named in his honor in 1917.

On the right-side corner of Avenue des Oblats, there is DE MAZENOD Street, so named in 1926.

Cardinal-VILLENEUVE Boulevard is in honor of Cardinal Villeneuve, o.m.i., Archbishop of Quebec from 1931 until 1947. It was given that name in 1933.

Père-Lelièvre Boulevard is in honor of Fr. Victor Lelièvre. The house for spiritual renewal founded by him is found on this boulevard. It was given his name in 1964, seven years after his death.

Durocher Street commemorates the first pastor of St-Sauveur parish, Fr. Flavien Durocher. He was pastor from 1853 until 1876. He died in Quebec on December 6, 1876. A monument, a park and a recreation center also bear his name.

In the Saules neighborhood, two streets call to mind two Oblates who were assistants at St-Sauveur Parish, at the same time taking care of a family vacation camp. They were the promoters a family center on this site. That is why we now honor them with Clément-Rousseau Street (1915-2000) et Jacques Crépeau Street (1913-1993).

Père-Arnaud Street honors Fr. Charles Arnaud who served as a missionary among the Indians of the North Coast. He would spend time at the rectory of St-Sauveur. The street was named for him in 1917, three years after his death.

Monseigneur-Grandin Avenue is in honor of Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin (1829-1902), Bishop of St. Albert in Alberta. The place is now known as Mérici Plaza. (Apostolat International, July-August 2008)

OMI LACOMBE
The Mighty Quinn

After his fifteen years of faithful, devoted service to Good Shepherd Ministries in Toronto, we gathered in the dining room of our shelter to send Vaughan Quinn on his way to Peru. During the despedida [farewell] celebration, it was clear that Fr. Quinn had made a deep and lasting impression on our staff, clients, volunteers and all those who come here for any service at all. He is appreciated for his generous spirit, his spontaneous reactions, his willingness to connect and the audacity of his nature. He can start a riot any day by wearing his beloved Montreal Canadian hockey team gear in this Maple Leaf city of Toronto. His passion for sport is equally coupled with his love for his Oblate Community, his vocation to priesthood, his love of his sisters Martha and Jackie, his insatiable thirst for new fields of exploration, his commitment to AA and to those who struggle to become and to stay sober. He truly is a connector and perhaps that is why his last project was to set up a blog before he hit the road. We always knew when he was in the building and we will miss his presence with us.

His despedida consisted of a simple assembly at which Sister Joan welcomed the gathered community; offered a few words; invited the community to offer a few words; welcomed Brother Justin, the General Superior of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, to say a few words; and then invited Fr. Quinn to say what he pleased, because we knew he would anyway!!!

During the gathering, Sister Joan recalled driving home from the Shelter with Vaughan on Christmas Day; it went something like this: he would tear up to a traffic light and when it turned red, abandon his car with Joan still in it and head off to some sidewalk grate or doorway to locate his friends so as to wish them a Merry Christmas and make sure everyone was warm enough. It was a long and eventful trip home and the lesson for Joan was that Vaughan had lots of friends all across the city.

Very often we have refugees who show up at our doors – usually on a Friday evening when every place except Good Shepherd Shelter is shut down. On a frosty November day last year a family arrived from the airport…two parents, a two-year old, a ten-year old and two teenagers, with one small backpack, no English, and all of them very frightened. We tried to comfort and welcome them, while our housing team tried desperately to find them a safe place for the weekend. When none could be found, Fr. Quinn offered to take them to his home. In his generous offer he had no idea what it would be like to have a two-year old running his house and run she did. This is a typical example of how Vaughan approached those in need.

Brother Justin used the occasion to welcome Fr. Quinn as an honorary member of the Community of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd. The citation welcomed Vaughan to all the honors and privileges that membership in the community affords. Justin presented a statue of the Good Shepherd, a framed copy of the citation of membership and a cross with special significance. As he was vested with the cross, Fr. Quinn quipped that he really did look like a Bishop. That comment drew loud laughter from the crowd.

In accepting the gifts, Vaughan commended Good Shepherd Ministries for its daily practice of unlimited charity. No one is ever refused service here and the centre is open day and night, 365 days a year.

We concluded our farewell by offering Fr. Quinn a scarf, which came from the Ursuline Sisters in Chiclayo, Peru. We then cut the cake which read: “Thanks a lot Fr. Quinn.” Brother Matthias Barrett, the founder of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, was known to always say: “Thanks a lot”

So we at Good Shepherd Ministries in Toronto thank the Oblate Community for sharing the Mighty Quinn with us. We have been blessed by his presence and have been a blessing to him too. (Submitted by Sr. Joan Stafford osu for www.omilacombe.ca)

Europe

ITALY
A new mission with youth

With a colorful poster displayed in every parish, Archbishop Salvatore Nunnari of Cosenza-Bisignano announced to the faithful of that local Church the September 21^st arrival of a team of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. At the invitation of the Archbishop, three Oblates are now living in the rectory of the 500 year-old church of St. Dominic in Cosenza, formerly a Dominican friary. The church is not a parish but a center from which the missionaries will be especially involved in youth ministry for the diocese. There are many, however, who come to the church for the celebration of Eucharist and Reconciliation.

The community members, Frs. Roberto BASSU, Giovanni FUSTAINO, and Carmine MARRONE, have decided to build their community life by doing their own household chores: cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.

The University of Calabria at Cosenza has about 40,000 students. At the university, there is already a group of the Oblate-founded MGC (Movimento Giovanile “Costruire” – Youth Movement “To build”). The Oblates hope that their house and the church will become a reference point for the youth of the city. The missionaries have also begun to meet and collaborate with other youth workers in the diocese, as well as laity interested in the Oblate charism. From their new center, they will also preach youth-oriented missions.

On October 28-30, they held a Missionary Exhibit at the university, the fifth such exhibit. They set up a small missionary gazebo at a central point where the majority of students had to pass in going to their classes. The goal was to meet the youth on their own turf, to create rapport, and to broaden their view of the world by selling them objects from various mission countries.

Each evening, there was a gathering with the theme: “Beyond diversity.” On the first evening, Fr. Roberto told of his year spent in Cameroun and about the “obvious diversity” he met there. On the second evening, Fr. Paolo MORLANDO, who spent 16 years in Uruguay, spoke of the less obvious diversities. On the final evening, Sister Dalia, OP, told of the diversity she encountered when she left her native Italy to work in Ecuador.

POLAND
Poland loses its first centenarian

Brother Stanislaus PIEN was the only Polish Oblate to have lived 100 years. However, he lived for barely a month after celebrating his centenary. Brother Pien was born on October 15, 1908 in Kaliszkowie, and died on November 21, 2008, in Katowice.

He grew up when Poland was still divided, and as a young boy, endured the hardships of World War I. At the age of 17, he went to Germany to look for work, but returned three years later to live with his brother in Silesia. For several years, he worked in a steel mill, before deciding in 1934 to follow a family friend to become an Oblate Brother. After his novitiate in Markowice, he was sent to the Oblate scholasticate in Obra, where he worked as a cook. While still in yearly vows, World War II broke out, and he was forced to flee for his life, to hide back in his home town. Only after the war did he return to Obra where he made his perpetual vows in 1946. Most of his Oblate life and work was in Katowice, some 45 years, though he did spend some years at Obra, Markowice, Pruszkow, and Warsaw.

It was in Katowice that his Jubilee Mass was celebrated on October 19, 2008. Bishop Gerard Bernacki, the main celebrant, said in his homily: “Brother Stanislaus is a walking Constitutions and Rules of the Missionary Oblates”. The Provincial, Fr. Teodor Jochem, thanked him for his many years of faithful ministry as an Oblate Brother. There were many Oblates present for the occasion, along with some family members, and representatives of the local government of Katowice.

Bishop Bernacki presided again, but this time at the funeral Mass on November 24, and Fr. Joseph Nieslony, Vicar Provincial, had the prayers at the cemetery. At celebrations, Polish people sing “Sto lat” [May you live 100 years]. Brother Stanislaus lived his “Sto lat”. May he now enjoy his well-deserved reward with the Lord in heaven. [Taken mainly from “Misyjne Drogi” , Nov. – Dec., 2008].

Our Oblate Elders

Name	Omi Unit	Birth	Priesthood	Profession	Age
Fr. Kayser Alexandre	France	27/02/1904	07/07/1929	15/08/1923	104
Fr. Gilbert Jacques	N.D.-du-Cap	10/12/1907	21/05/1933	02/08/1928	101
Fr. Nottebaert André	Belg/Neth	07/02/1909	15/07/1934	08/09/1929	99
Fr. Denner Otto	France	06/03/1909	08/07/1934	08/12/1931	99
Fr. Parent Louis-Marie	N.D.-du-Cap	12/07/1910	23/05/1937	21/07/1932	98
Fr. Quéffélec Jean-Marie	France	18/11/1910	05/07/1936	15/08/1930	98
Fr. Conti Guglia Carmelo	Italy	02/12/1910	23/12/1933	15/08/1927	98
Fr. Rozynek Alfred	Poland	10/12/1910	21/06/1936	15/08/1931	98
Fr. Morissette Nazaire	N.D.-du-Cap	14/12/1910	11/06/1938	21/07/1932	98
Msgr. Sanschagrin Albert	N.D.-du-Cap	05/08/1911	24/05/1936	02/08/1931	97
Fr. Robert Victor	France	17/02/1912	09/07/1939	15/08/1933	96
Fr. McMahon Patrick	Natal	23/04/1912	29/06/1944	15/09/1939	96
Fr. Lazarsky John	United States	07/07/1912	25/05/1940	02/07/1934	96
Fr. Hammond Alphonse	N.D.-du-Cap	02/08/1912	11/06/1938	15/08/1934	96
Fr. Bazinet Paul	N.D.-du-Cap	19/05/1913	11/06/1938	21/07/1933	95
Fr. Tremblay Eugene A.	United States	26/07/1913	11/06/1938	15/08/1933	95
Fr. Niepieklo Mieczyslaw	Poland	06/08/1913	20/12/1941	08/09/1935	95
Fr. Engel Leopold	Lacombe	05/09/1913	12/06/1938	15/08/1933	95
Fr. McCartin Francis	United States	15/09/1913	07/06/1938	08/09/1932	95
Fr. Haramburu Robert	France	03/10/1913	04/03/1939	13/12/1936	95
Fr. Machinia Engelbert	Central European	21/10/1913	18/06/1939	15/08/1934	95
Fr. Caby Arsène	France	07/12/1913	06/07/1941	29/09/1934	95
Bro. Beaudoin Ernest	N.D.-du-Cap	20/12/1913		08/12/1936	95
Fr. Post Piet	Belg/Neth	22/12/1913	25/07/1945	25/10/1940	95
Fr. Bolduc Marcel	United States	31/12/1913	24/06/1939	28/08/1934	95
Fr. Salerno Raffaele	Italy	26/01/1914	25/06/1939	15/08/1933	94
Fr. Pigeon Léo-Paul	N.D.-du-Cap	07/03/1914	15/06/1941	02/08/1935	94
Fr. Verspeek Kees	N.D.-du-Cap	29/04/1914	02/07/1939	08/09/1934	94
Fr. Fix Valentine	Lacombe	18/05/1914	10/06/1938	15/08/1933	94
Fr. Rzezniczek Alfons	France-Benelux	20/05/1914	31/05/1942	08/09/1935	94
Fr. Wittenbrink Boniface	United States	30/06/1914	20/09/1941	15/08/1936	94
Fr. Gervais Jacques	N.D.-du-Cap	04/07/1914	09/07/1939	02/08/1933	94
Fr. Col Jean	France	25/08/1914	01/07/1951	15/09/1947	94
Fr. Arel Jean-Louis	N.D.-du-Cap	05/09/1914	17/06/1945	15/08/1939	94
Fr. Schneider Albert	France	21/12/1914	06/07/1941	15/08/1933	94
Fr. Guilbaud Joseph	Lacombe	13/03/1915	06/07/1947	29/09/1934	93
Fr. Piuze Guy	N.D.-du-Cap	06/05/1915	15/06/1941	21/07/1937	93
Fr. Deery Lawrence	United States	29/05/1915	09/06/1941	08/09/1935	93
Fr. Payant Roma	N.D.-du-Cap	30/06/1915	15/06/1941	21/07/1937	93
Bro. Rioux Louis	N.D.-du-Cap	09/08/1915		08/09/1937	93
Bro. Turcotte Mathias	N.D.-du-Cap	18/08/1915		19/03/1934	93
Fr. Riffel Timothy	Lacombe	06/10/1915	13/06/1941	15/08/1935	93
Fr. Marien Louis	Belg/Neth	04/11/1915	09/07/1939	08/09/1934	93
Fr. Ayrinhac Marcel	France	15/11/1915	06/07/1947	26/07/1935	93
Fr. Szymurski Kazimierz	France-Benelux	20/11/1915	11/06/1941	08/09/1935	93
Fr. Mróz Marian	France-Benelux	23/11/1915	21/02/1941	08/09/1935	93
Fr. Coughlan Noel	Natal	15/12/1915	23/06/1940	18/09/1935	93
Bro. Sampson Alexander	Lacombe	09/01/1916		07/06/1936	92
Fr. Henry Louis	France	13/01/1916	04/07/1948	08/09/1935	92
Fr. Lichtenauer Aloïse	France	15/01/1916	23/05/1943	15/08/1936	92
Fr. Lachance Louis-Paul	Lacombe	06/02/1916	15/06/1941	21/07/1936	92
Fr. Sgambati Antonio	Italy	11/02/1916	28/05/1942	15/08/1936	92
Fr. Marsan Jean	Lacombe	11/03/1916	23/06/1940	21/07/1934	92
Fr. Lavoie Alfred	United States	15/03/1916	15/06/1940	21/07/1935	92
Fr. Laperrière Jean	N.D.-du-Cap	04/06/1916	15/06/1941	21/07/1935	92
Fr. Estève Fernand	France	25/06/1916	27/02/1944	26/07/1935	92
Fr. Pélicier Henri	France	14/08/1916	23/05/1943	01/11/1935	92
Fr. Louis John	United States	15/08/1916	05/06/1943	15/08/1938	92
Fr. Mulligan John	Lacombe	06/10/1916	09/06/1956	08/09/1951	92
Fr. Fanning William	Anglo-Irish	10/10/1916	29/06/1942	15/09/1937	92
Fr. Ryan Joseph	United States	15/11/1916	28/05/1942	08/09/1936	92
Fr. Blouin Joseph	N.D.-du-Cap	08/12/1916	15/06/1958	15/08/1953	92
Fr. Borgers Charles	United States	11/12/1916	07/06/1941	15/08/1936	92
Fr. Delisle Hervé	Lacombe	01/03/1917	17/06/1945	15/08/1940	91
Fr. Mouchet Jean-Marie	Lacombe	01/05/1917	18/02/1945	17/02/1942	91
Fr. Anthonypillai Louis	Jaffna	10/07/1917	09/08/1944	15/08/1939	91
Fr. Montgrain Philippe	N.D.-du-Cap	18/08/1917	18/06/1944	15/08/1939	91
Fr. Lajeunesse Lucien	N.D.-du-Cap	19/09/1917	07/06/1942	21/07/1937	91
Fr. Massé Joseph	N.D.-du-Cap	26/09/1917	19/06/1943	02/08/1938	91
Fr. Affinita Giuseppe	Italy	01/10/1917	28/05/1942	15/08/1936	91
Fr. Lübbering Hermann	Central European	02/10/1917	04/07/1948	25/03/1938	91
Fr. O’Donovan William	Anglo-Irish	13/11/1917	12/06/1941	08/09/1936	91
Fr. Morin Hermann	N.D.-du-Cap	24/11/1917	03/06/1944	02/08/1938	91
Fr. Protopapas George	United States	09/12/1917	03/06/1943	04/09/1937	91
Fr. ten Tusscher Arnold	Belg/Neth	14/12/1917	25/07/1945	11/10/1940	91
Fr. Ebner Francis	Lacombe	02/01/1918	15/09/1944	15/08/1941	90
Bro. Raymond Robert	N.D.-du-Cap	15/01/1918		11/05/1938	90
Bro. Morin Lucien	N.D.-du-Cap	18/02/1918		09/06/1941	90
Fr. Leibel Pius	Lacombe	26/04/1918	15/06/1943	15/08/1938	90
Bro. Lambert Anselme	N.D.-du-Cap	29/05/1918		29/09/1941	90
Fr. Prass Charles	United States	17/07/1918	02/06/1945	15/08/1940	90
Fr. Saint-Arnaud Yvon	N.D.-du-Cap	20/07/1918	15/06/1946	15/08/1941	90
Fr. White George	United States	25/07/1918	04/06/1945	08/09/1939	90
Fr. Smith William	United States	07/08/1918	04/06/1945	08/09/1939	90
Fr. Opiela Jan	Poland	29/08/1918	21/07/1946	17/02/1941	90
Fr. Gagnon Gérard	N.D.-du-Cap	04/11/1918	03/06/1944	21/07/1939	90
Fr. Croft George	United States	02/12/1918	05/06/1944	08/09/1938	90
Fr. Vivier Roger	Belg/Neth	23/12/1918	18/06/1944	08/09/1939	90

Anniversaries – January 2009

1949.01.30

07722

Fr. Joseph Pirson

Notre-Dame-du-Cap

50 Years of Priesthood

1959.01.13

09415

Fr. Johannes Matooane

Lesotho

25 Years of Religious Life

1984.01.06	12919	Fr. Lawrence Tieho Matsora	Lesotho
1984.01.06	12920	Fr. Emmanuel Motheho Morallana	Lesotho
1984.01.06	12929	Fr. Abel Tlali Phohlo	Lesotho
1984.01.06	12924	Fr. Jacob Ramosa Salooe	Lesotho
1984.01.06	12923	Fr. Joseph Mopeli Sephamola	Lesotho
1984.01.17	12792	Fr. Omar Friedrich	Argentina-Chile
1984.01.19	12755	Fr. José Antonio P. de Almeida	Brazil
1984.01.19	12756	Fr. José Milton dos Reis	Brazil
1984.01.19	12775	Fr. Armando Gomes	Anglo-Irish

25 Years of Priesthood

1984.01.28

09406

Fr. Wim van Kempen

Belgium/Netherlands

Suffrages for our Deceased

Name	Prov./Del.	Born	Died at	Date
Fr. Roger Lievens	Belgium/Netherlands	01/01/1926	Gijzegem	13/11/2008
Bro. Stanislaw Pien	Poland	10/10/1908	Katowice	21/11/2008
Fr. Amado Aubin	Bolivia	05/11/1923	Cochabamba	24/11/2008
Fr. Joseph Ricaille	Belgium/Netherlands	24/10/1907	Barvaux sur Ourthe	29/11/2008
Fr. Jacques Gagné	Notre-Dame-du-Cap	23/07/1930	Ottawa	30/11/2008
Sch. Joachim Ikolé	Congo	06/09/1982	Yaoundé	02/12/2008
Fr. Heinrich Stracke	Central European	18/06/1916	Essen	10/12/2008
Fr. Jabulani Mtolo	Natal	28/02/1954	Montebello	15/12/2008
Fr. Anatole Baillargeon	United States	20/09/1914	Tewksbury	18/12/2008

“They are before God, bearing the sign, the kind of character proper to our Institute, the vows common to all its members, the firm habit of the same virtues. We are linked to them by the bonds of a special charity. They are still our brothers and we are theirs. They now live in our mother-house, our main residence. The prayers and the love they retain for us will one day draw us to them and we shall live in our place of rest together with them.”
(Letter of Founder to Fr. Courtès, 22 July 1828)


OMI INFORMATION is an unofficial publication
of the General Administration of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
C.P. 9061, 00100 ROMA-AURELIO, Italy
Fax: (39) 06 39 37 53 22E-mail: information@omigen.org
http://www.omiworld.org

Editing Team: James Allen (director), Raúl Castro, Antonino Bucca
Printing: Rajapakse Francis Rabindra
Circulation: Théophile Le Page