Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
Sent to the Margins.
Learn about the Charism of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and how we live our mission every day.
Our Charism
Our charism is simple and demanding: to bring the Gospel to those who need it most—especially the poor, the abandoned, and those who have not yet heard it.
Our charism starts with our Founder, Saint Eugene De Mazenod.
Saint Eugene was born into an aristocratic French family in 1782. The French Revolution forced his family into exile. At age 20 Eugene was able to return to Aix where he gave himself over to the pleasures of this world. But in 1807, he had a profound religious experience, and he committed himself to Christ and the Church.
As a young priest Eugene was appalled by the condition of the Church in southern France. The poor were being neglected. In response, Eugene gathered around him a small group of priests and began to preach directly to the poor.
Saint Eugene and his group began to preach missions and to organize a youth association to “…lead people to act like human beings first of all and then like Christians and finally…saints.”
The task was so vast that he soon gathered other priests to join him and in 1816 started the “Missionaries of Provence.”
Within 10 years, this group developed into what is now the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Saint Eugene’s mission today has extended from France to nearly seventy countries around the globe. Over 4,000 Oblates carry forward the missionary vision of St. Eugene.
Chastity
Chastity, which “frees us for a love that reaches out to everyone” (C15), becomes visible when you sit with someone who feels forgotten or alone
Poverty
Poverty, by which “we follow a Master who became poor for our sake” (C19), shines when you share from the little you have with those who have less
Obedience
Obedience, through which “we become servants of all” (C25), is active and alive whenever you discern together what Christ asks of your community
Perseverance
Perseverance, rooted in Christ who “loved those who were his own… to the very end” (C29), is revealed in the Oblate who keeps loving, keeps serving, and keeps praying even when struggles are present
