Who Are We?
We are missionaries. We began 200 years ago on January 25, 1816, when Father Eugene de Mazenod and four companions came together to preach mission in Provençal, in the rural countryside of southern France.
Currently, How Many Are We?
We are 3,800 Oblates around the world. Of this total, 525 are in formation, having already made their first commitment.
Where Are We?
The community started in Aix-en-Provence has thrived. We are in all five continents, with more than 830 in Africa, 980 in Europe, 770 in Asia, 450 in Latin America, 720 in Canada and the United States.
What Do We Do?
We do everything, with a focus on helping the poor and abandoned. We are not specialized, except in facing urgent needs.
- We live in communities which respect the dignity of individuals and employ co-responsible ways of decision-making.
- Our communities are flexible, providing for individual needs and particular situations.
- Our communities further autonomy, accountability and subsidiarity.
- Our communities are prophetic, above all proclaiming a Church as the People of God, and always at the service of justice, peace and the integrity of creation within the Church and in the world.
- Our communities are places of welcome: hospitality is at the very heart of the mission of evangelization.
- We foster and celebrate a diversity of cultures and languages among our members.
- Our leadership at all levels is primarily at the service of animation of the community and of the mission; leadership is shared with the other members of the community.
- We actively promote the participation of women and men who share the charism and mission of St. Eugene de Mazenod.
- Simply put, we are sent where we are needed.
Who Are Oblate Associates?
Oblate Associates are lay men and women who are witnesses to God’s love in their daily lives. Like the Oblates themselves, Associates feel called to minister directly to the poor.
The Oblate Associates have technical, professional or pastoral vocations and reach out to the poor. They may have only a few hours a week to volunteer in a shelter or a soup kitchen. Oblate Associates infuse their mission with the special calling, or charism, of St. Eugene de Mazenod. They work not only to improve the condition of the poor, but also to bring awareness of the Good News that they, too, are children of God.
For more information on the Oblates, click here for the OMI Lacombe Canada website.