On Monday, September 11, OMIChat-Live had the great pleasure of hosting Fr. Chicho, who answered our questions without reservation. 

Gratitude for being able to say ‘YES’ to God

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of the Superior General? On Monday OMIChat-Live had the great pleasure of hosting Fr. Chicho, who answered our questions without reservation.  Fr. Chicho shared his feelings, thoughts, and hopes during his first year in office and for the next six years.  We relived with him the moment of his election and asked him what those images provoked in him.  Without hesitation, his feelings were of gratitude for being able to say ‘YES’ to God and the Congregation. 

Fr. Chicho, our Superior General

And what’s with the Superior General’s name? Is it Chicho or Luis Ignacio Alonso Rois?   Fr. Chicho was named after his paternal and maternal grandfathers, but from childhood, his mother called him Chicho, so the name stuck with him. And so he is known everywhere as Fr. Chicho, our Superior General.

My goal as an Oblate is to live the Gospel

When asked about his radically and profound approach to religious life, which has been known to cause a stir in some circles, Fr. Chicho, with a jovial smile, replied, “My goal as an Oblate is to live the Gospel…we have to live the Gospel.” Thus, he points out that one of the challenges for any Religious is to live an “Evangelical Life.” It is a call of the Holy Spirit, the Church, and the General Chapter to renew Community life and work for an Ecological Conversion, caring for our Common Home.  It is difficult, but he is filled with hope, after all, we are Pilgrims of Hope in Communion. 

Young People bring hope to the Oblates

Fr. Chicho is particularly impressed by the hope that Young People bring to the Oblates.  “I fully believe that the young people are giving us a lot of energy… I gave the young people a mission: to help us get enthusiastic in our missionary oblation and to help us renew the Congregation.  I fully believe that from the young people will come a new era for the Congregation.  They will help us live our Oblate Charism!”

Closeness to my brother Oblates

Fr. Chicho shared his decision to begin his mandate with a visit to the Oblates in Ukraine to show that “Father General” is close to his brother Oblates.  As Superior General, he consciously makes an effort to visit those Oblates who are in challenging and often forgotten missions.  When visiting the various Oblate communities, Fr. Chicho asks the local Superior to take him to the most remote areas to meet the people and the Oblates, “to those places where people may say, Father General is here, but he has no time to visit us here, I want to go there and visit them!” 

Is it good for the poor?  Is it good for our Mazenodian family?

In closing, Fr. Chicho left us with these words, “Our charism is taking care of the poor and the most abandoned, so please do it!  We have to try to learn from them how to live out the Gospel and how to be missionaries.  I think we are learning from the poor to be missionaries.  Whenever I consider anything, I ask: Is it good for the poor?  Is it good for our Mazenodian family?  If I can answer yes to both questions, it comes from the Holy Spirit!”

Let us keep praying for Fr. Chicho, our Superior General!

You can follow the conversation here, Facebook and YouTube