Courageous youth

In August 1818, two years after St Eugene de Mazenod and his companions established the missionary community in Aix, they were asked to accept the shrine of Notre-Dame de Laus. Until that time they were like a family: they were a small community living in the same house. The community was made of 7 priests, 3 seminarians and 6 young candidates beginning their training. Accepting the shrine presented a new challenge: how could they remain united in the same spirit while living in two different places? After discernment they decided to accept the invitation to look after Notre-Dame de Laus. At the same time they entrusted Eugene with preparing a book of Rule of life that would help them to live according to the same spirit. In September Eugene and two young seminarians left Aix and made their way to a country house owned by Eugene’s family where the Founder wrote the Rule of life for his missionaries. Upon his return he and two other missionaries organized the documents needed to take possession of the Shrine. After that they went back to Aix. Out of 120 kilometers they walked 90. When they got home Eugene’s companions were exhausted but the Founder was in an excellent form. It was strange as a few months ago he was seriously ill. Something very exciting and energizing was happening in his soul. He was going to present to his missionaries what he had grown to understand and to accept himself. In Aix he gathered the priests who were full members of the community to discuss and to accept the Rule. As he was reading to them what he composed during the time away in the countryside they were approving it until he read that they were to take vows. 4 missionaries out of 7 said that they would not take religious vows, that they didn’t join a Religious Order but diocesan clergy. In favor of vows were Eugene, Fr Tempier and a young priest who was ordained a couple of weeks earlier. Interestingly most of the members of the Society who had been with Eugene since the very beginning, opposed the idea of taking vows and consequently becoming a religious Institute. It was in the morning of October 24. In the afternoon Eugene invited the three seminarians to join the meeting, once again he explained the vows and asked all to vote again. The seminarian voted in favor of the vows and in this way the final result was 6:4. The Holy Spirit worked very powerfully that day as after the votes were counted, even those who were against the vows accepted that they were going to become a religious congregation. In our Oblate Congregation we say that those young seminarians who supported vows gave courage to others because voting in favor of vows they expressed their eagerness to take those vows themselves. Once they finalized all other business the whole community began their annual spiritual retreat. Interestingly during that week two missionaries who originally opposed the vows changed their mind and said that they now support them. At the end of the retreat they took their vows. It was November 1, 1818. The spiritual energy that was evident in Eugene in the weeks leading to that famous meeting on 24th of October was to fill the others as they embraced the religious vows. I believe that the discovery Eugene made during his time alone in the countryside some months earlier, was that the best way to keep his missionaries united was to unite them very closely to Jesus Christ and the religious vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and perseverance were a perfect means to achieve that.

Eugene was right, today after 200 years we know that what keeps us, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, together is not a common hobby, but our life commitment to Jesus Christ. At this time when we remember the retreat the first oblates were attending before taking the first vows in our Congregation my thoughts go to those three young boys: Suzanne, Courtes and Dupuy who were so courageous and strong in their faith. They didn’t want to take an easy way for the future, they wanted to walk the narrow, challenging and difficult road Jesus spoke of in the Gospel. They were eager to take vows because they were eager t unite themselves with Jesus. May God give us more young people like them.

Oblate House in Aix where the meeting of October 24 took place. Holy Spirit was very busy here

Shrine of Our Lady of Laus, the first Oblate House outside Aix