Missions
Pope Pius XI (1857-1939) was so impressed by the courage of the Oblates that he referred to them as “Specialists in the most difficult missions of the Church” Indeed, regarding their ministry the Oblates declare:
”We fulfill our task in healing the world by understanding its evolutionary character, by critically engaging its contemporary spirit, and by meeting its new needs in new ways. We seek out and immerse ourselves in the lives of the most abandoned in their many faces and voices, and struggle with those most affected by conflicts. With Gospel values we dialogue with peoples of different cultures, faiths, and religions, in the search for an integral transformation of society; we work with others to safeguard human dignity, nurture family, foster harmony, promote a culture of peace, and respond to the calls of justice and integrity of creation”
This means that the Oblates seek to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ wherever they are needed: parishes, retreat centres, issues of justice and peace, indigenous peoples, Catholic schools, celebrating the Sacraments through which people experience God’s love in a special way. It is this love which underlies Oblate service to the People of God and is a core Oblate belief that:
our mission asks us to be men who have experienced in our own lives the loving kindness of God. To be men who are driven on by this love to risk our lives for the sake of his Gospel.
Read more about this topic: Missionary Oblates Of Mary Immaculate
Famous quotes containing the word missions:
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.... Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.”
—Joseph Heller (b. 1923)