“Vision for Oblate Mission with Youth” (2019) English French Spanish
“Vision for Oblate Mission with Youth” (2019)DOCUMENTS Media News CMY Resources
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St. Eugene de Mazenod and Youth
Eugene De Mazenod experienced the saving love of Jesus at the foot of the Cross and from this experience he was called to participate in Jesus’ Mission. His priorities in proclaiming the Good News to the poor were prisoners, peasants and young people. In fact most of his ministry time as a young priest and later as the Founder of the Missionaries of Provence was devoted to the young people associated with him in the Youth Congregation of Aix.
Oblates and Youth
Just as in our Founder’s times, Mission with Youth is a priority because the youth are the poorest among the poor. For us this is a real priority and we want to re-affirm it is authentic Oblate mission.
We believe that we are being called to a change of mind and heart to approach young people. As we speak of Mission WITH Youth as a new paradigm we want to point out that we need to reach out to young people wherever they are (MISSION) and not to be satisfied with business as usual. We are called to work WITH young and lay people and other vowed members of De Mazenod family in order to cooperate with Jesus’ Mission.
We Oblates want to be challenged by the youth. We want to grow in a common vision that Oblate ministry with youth is not just faced with the diversity of our contexts, but that we have one charism that unites us all. We want to listen to the young people and hear their needs so that by walking the journey of faith together we become Disciples of Christ with a common mission.
In this mission we return to the example of St. Eugene who calls us to help each other become first human, then Christians and lastly Saints, realizing that this is our common vision. Only this way will we be able to help our youth find their true vocation and the specific call that God has for each one of them.
Three Goals of Oblate Ministry with Young People
- In becoming Human, we endeavor to accompany young people towards their integral growth, to help them recognize their great dignity and that of others.
- In becoming Christians, we strive to lead young people to experience and share the love of God in Jesus Christ crucified; and to mature in faith. In order to actively participate, as a community, in the mission of the Church.
- In becoming Saints, we commit ourselves to journey with young people towards becoming fully human and fully alive; to help them live as missionary disciples of Jesus Christ through the Oblate charism; and to discover and respond to their vocation.
