St. Paul’s

Oblates > St. Paul’s

Our charism originates from a story; it is the story of a young man, Eugene de Mazenod. Throughout his life, he experienced in himself the merciful love of God, manifested in Jesus Christ, the Crucified Savior. We too, inspired by our Founder, recognize the power of CHRIST in us, and we want EVANGELIZE, that is to say, to make Him known and to show by our lives the joy of the Good News.

From Eugene’s meeting with Jesus on the cross, he felt moved by the deplorable situation of the CHURCH of his time, and called to rekindle the flame of faith that was dying in the hearts of so many of her children, especially the poor. Therefore, it is to the POOR above all that we take this message of liberating joy: to the most abandoned humans, those whose situation cries out for justice before God.

For that reason, we live in COMMUNITY, a human group where we strengthen each other in faith, in charity, enriching each other from our discovery of God and of Christ who lives and works in us and in the world.

We are MISSIONARIES. Once Pope Pius XI referred to us as “Specialists in the difficult missions of the Church”.  We want to dedicate our lives to all those who either do not know Jesus Christ or have forgotten Him in their lives, wherever they are in the world and therefore many Oblates serve in lands outside their own. In mission, we search for our way to holiness.

We are “OBLATES”. That means, missionaries totally given, unconditionally and without return, to the God to whom we already belong and to the brothers and sisters to whom we are sent. CONSECRATED LIFE is the “frame” within which we live our oblation. Oblation means that radical dedication, without reservation, to the work of Christ, the fulfillment of His mission. Together in community we dedicate our lives to build up the family of God’s children — and thus they help realize the prayer of Jesus: “That all may be one.”

We are Missionary Oblates of MARY IMMACULATE. She is our Model, our Patroness and our Mother. In her we see Christ, we see God. In her “fiat”, she shows us how to cooperate with the Will of God, and to live the death of Jesus, so that we share in His resurrection. We Oblates live our mission with her. As stated by Pope Leo XI, our mission as Oblates is to “bring to the womb of the Mother of Mercy those children whom Christ from the cross wanted to give her.” That is why when Eugene contemplates Mary, he calls her “Mother of the Mission”.