Lake Erie, view from Buffalo, US, toward Canada On August 21, 1851, three Oblate priests arrived on the shore of the Erie Lake from Montreal in Canada in response to Bishop Timon's to work with him for the church and the people of Buffalo in US, a largely immigrant and minority Catholic population. In July of 1852, land was purchased for the future Holy Angeles Parish and a new church was blessed on May 10, 1859. This Oblate Mission was established under the leadership of St Eugene de Mazenod. He himself appointed the first group to Buffalo. There is correspondence between St Eugene and the Oblates who settled on the lakeshore of Erie. For me it is a powerful visit to the place which is another sign of the Founder’s vision and passion. Although he was old and ill, his mind was still sharp and his heart still responded to the needs of the poor. Doing my daily walks along the shore of the Lake Erie I couldn’t help comparing those humble beginnings of the Oblates in the area of the Great Lakes to the scene from the Gospel when the Lord Jesus was walking along the Lake Galilee calling his Apostles. Same happened here, Jesus called the Oblates through the needs of the early settlers who were taking advantage of the industrial development of the city that was to be known as the Queen of the Great Lakes. I was reflecting on those French Oblates from Provence working here. They came from the country they knew well to the country that was not only new to them but was also still building. How difficult it must have been to take the climate with extreme winters as they were used to the mild days of their old country. However they persevered because they loved Jesus Christ.
The area of the Holy Angels parish has been always poor, however the church built by the poor Oblates and poor parishioners could be a cathedral making many a bishop proud. The Church of the Holy Angels is indeed a magnificent testimony of how much faith those Oblates and Parishioners had.
Another apostolate which engaged the Oblates almost from the outset of their arrival in Buffalo was the preaching of Parish Missions. By the early 1900s a band of Oblate missionaries exclusively devoted to the preaching of parochial missions had been constituted and Buffalo became one of its hubs. Very quickly the Oblate Mission Band became renowned from coast to coast. Various and sundry chaplaincies- especially in health care - have been filled over the years by Oblates "in residence" in our Buffalo Oblate houses. After 150 years, the Oblates in Buffalo remain engaged in all of these apostolates. Holy Angels Church (the oldest parish continuously staffed by the Oblates in the United States) today continues its ministry on the West Side of Buffalo with outreach to the newest immigrant population in the area, this time, Hispanics.
The past 50 years have witnessed a downturn in Buffalo’s fortunes. Buffalo today is an economically depressed area with an unemployment rate higher than the national average. The Oblates continue to minister to the Catholic population here because the need continues to be great. Buffalo’s ethnic diversity remains augmented now by an influx of Hispanic and African residents. The Oblates have ministered in Buffalo during its good times and its less than good times.
Another apostolate which engaged the Oblates almost from the outset of their arrival in Buffalo was the preaching of Parish Missions. By the early 1900s a band of Oblate missionaries exclusively devoted to the preaching of parochial missions had been constituted and Buffalo became one of its hubs. Very quickly the Oblate Mission Band became renowned from coast to coast. Various and sundry chaplaincies- especially in health care - have been filled over the years by Oblates "in residence" in our Buffalo Oblate houses. After 150 years, the Oblates in Buffalo remain engaged in all of these apostolates. Holy Angels Church (the oldest parish continuously staffed by the Oblates in the United States) today continues its ministry on the West Side of Buffalo with outreach to the newest immigrant population in the area, this time, Hispanics.
The past 50 years have witnessed a downturn in Buffalo’s fortunes. Buffalo today is an economically depressed area with an unemployment rate higher than the national average. The Oblates continue to minister to the Catholic population here because the need continues to be great. Buffalo’s ethnic diversity remains augmented now by an influx of Hispanic and African residents. The Oblates have ministered in Buffalo during its good times and its less than good times.
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