OMI USA

JANUARY -2019 -1

Newsletter of the U.S. Province of theMissionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

JANUARY 2020 Vol. 23, No. 1

OMI USA

Facilitator Michelle Miller, Oblate Frs. Fernando Velasquezand Ken Thorson prepare to address the group

Young Oblates Meeting25 Oblates (five each from the U.S.

and from the four provinces of Canada)gathered at Queen of Apostles RenewalCentre in Mississauga, Canada, the thirdweek of September 2019 to: 1) con-tinue to build and foster Oblate relation-ships among the younger members ofthe region and 2) to begin the discern-ment process to identify one or moreministries in the region which we couldstaff as a region. Leadership from eachprovince likewise attended.

While the goals of the meeting seemclear, the process was more compli-

cated. The facilitator, Michelle Miller, said that theprocess is as important as the product of the meeting.

The Canada-U.S. region has a rich historyof working together through CROCUS, the lead-ership team of Provincials and Vicar Provincialsof the four provinces. CROCUS leadership initi-

ated this dialog with younger Oblates to meet together tobecome better acquainted with each other and to discern aboutwe can minister more closely with one another.

With the numbers of Oblates in the region declining,the opportunity to more clearly identify which ministries take

Continued on page 2

U.S. Oblates visit fellowOblates in Turkmenistan

“Humble presence”. Thosewere the words Fr. Andrzej Madej,OMI, Superior of the Oblate missionin Turkmenistan, used to describe theOblates mission there. He has been min-istering in this former Soviet bloc coun-try since 1997.

Turkmenistan’s population islargely Muslim but a few Catholics liv-ing there in the early 1990s wrote toPope John Paul II, asking him about thepossibility of sending priests to minis-ter to them. They were aware that Catho-lic priests had come to some of the otherSoviet bloc countries.

by Fr. Lou Studer, OMI and Will Shaw

Continued on page 7L-r: Oblate Frs. Jerzy Kotowski, Rafal Chilimoniuk, James Chambers,Andrzej Madej, Pawel Zajac, Louis Studer, James Brobst.

JANUARY -2019 -1

Newsletter of the U.S. Province of theMissionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

JANUARY 2020 Vol. 23, No. 1

OMI USA

Facilitator Michelle Miller, Oblate Frs. Fernando Velasquezand Ken Thorson prepare to address the group

Young Oblates Meeting25 Oblates (five each from the U.S.

and from the four provinces of Canada)gathered at Queen of Apostles RenewalCentre in Mississauga, Canada, the thirdweek of September 2019 to: 1) con-tinue to build and foster Oblate relation-ships among the younger members ofthe region and 2) to begin the discern-ment process to identify one or moreministries in the region which we couldstaff as a region. Leadership from eachprovince likewise attended.

While the goals of the meeting seemclear, the process was more compli-

cated. The facilitator, Michelle Miller, said that theprocess is as important as the product of the meeting.

The Canada-U.S. region has a rich historyof working together through CROCUS, the lead-ership team of Provincials and Vicar Provincialsof the four provinces. CROCUS leadership initi-

ated this dialog with younger Oblates to meet together tobecome better acquainted with each other and to discern aboutwe can minister more closely with one another.

With the numbers of Oblates in the region declining,the opportunity to more clearly identify which ministries take

Continued on page 2

U.S. Oblates visit fellowOblates in Turkmenistan

“Humble presence”. Thosewere the words Fr. Andrzej Madej,OMI, Superior of the Oblate missionin Turkmenistan, used to describe theOblates mission there. He has been min-istering in this former Soviet bloc coun-try since 1997.

Turkmenistan’s population islargely Muslim but a few Catholics liv-ing there in the early 1990s wrote toPope John Paul II, asking him about thepossibility of sending priests to minis-ter to them. They were aware that Catho-lic priests had come to some of the otherSoviet bloc countries.

by Fr. Lou Studer, OMI and Will Shaw

Continued on page 7L-r: Oblate Frs. Jerzy Kotowski, Rafal Chilimoniuk, James Chambers,Andrzej Madej, Pawel Zajac, Louis Studer, James Brobst.

OMI-USA - 2

Continued on page 3

priority to bring the good news to thepoor and abandoned takes a sharperfocus. For this purpose, each of theprovinces identified three or fourministries it embraces and presentsas possibilities for a regional focus.

The U.S. Province listed four:the National Shrine of Our Lady ofthe Snows; the parish ministry in theWhite Earth Reservation; the minis-try of Justice, Peace and Integrity ofCreation; and Our Lady of Refugeparish in Eagle Pass, TX. While manyother ministries could be identifiedas regional commitments, these fourwere the initial ones suggested.

Each province, in identifyingits priority ministries, was asked toreview the six foci of the 2016 OblateGeneral Chapter as a basis for the min-istries for presentation at this meeting.

Of these six foci, threeseemed to stand out most clearly inidentifying the priority ministries:mission and new faces of the poor;mission with youth; and mission andinterculturality.

In his presentation, OblateDavid Muñoz posed the question,

“Where is the Oblate charism lead-ing us, compelling us, to minister inthe region?” Reflecting that Oblatesdo good work all over the world, wemust still ask ourselves if we are au-thentically living that charism in ourlives? “The focus must be primarilyon ‘the man-the missionary’ ratherthan on the mission.” We are conse-crated men with a passion for JesusChrist and that must come first, beforethe mission we undertake,” he said.

Addressing the topic ofinterculturality in mission, OblateFernando Velasquez spoke of theimportance of reflecting on our expe-

rience of mission in order to invigo-rate young Oblates to go to placesand missions outside of their homecountry. Reflection also helps en-sure a prioritizing and evaluating ofthe value of the ministry.

Adequate preparation for anOblate going to a foreign land tomission is of utmost importance.“Pope Francis often speaks about anencounter, a reciprocity, of cultureswhich changes both the missionaryand the people the missionarycomes to serve,” Fr. Fernando said.“Interculturality doesn’t mean themissionary becomes one with thenew culture where he serves butrather means that both the mission-ary and the people to whom he min-isters are changed, enriched, and re-newed by this exchange,” Mistakeshave been made in the past whenone culture was thought to dominateanother. The way Oblates missioncannot be like that in the future.

The Superior General hasmade it known that often times Ob-lates have not been adequately pre-pared to minister in a new cultureor have felt the new culture has notaccepted or embraced his culture.

From the ProvincialContinued from page 1

Left-r: Oblate Frs. Bogdan Osiecki, Daniel Janulewicz Paul Patrick

Left-r : Oblate Frs. Steven Montez, Gerard Tsatselam, AlfredRavelomampisandraibe, and Facilitator Michelle Miller

JANUARY -2019 -3

Continued from page 2From the Provincial

Office Managers Meet withOblate Leadership Team

The Oblate Leadership Teammet with the Provincial Administra-tive Assistant, Laura Glasgow, andthree Office Managers on October 23,at King’s House, Belleville, IL.

This annual meeting providesthe opportunity to speak about issuesof concern, share information, formu-late common policies among provinceleadership and the office managers,located in Lowell, MA, San Antonio,TX and Belleville, IL.

These Office Managers areresponsible for organizing and prepar-ing for all province meetings, Oblatepersonnel concerns of power of attor-ney, end of life issues, keeping files upto date, personnel booklet and ensur-ing that employee policies and proce-dures are uniform throughout the prov-ince.

Their contribution to thesmooth running of the province is in-valuable. As we discovered at our re-cent meeting, it is often they who re-mind leadership about “next steps”needing to be done regarding an up-coming meeting or putting finaltouches on a plan to be implementedin the province.

Oblate Frs. Lucio Castillo and Humphrey Milimo

“Oblates must acknowledge theirprejudices and biases and be willingto move beyond those prejudices inorder to minister effectively in a newcultural context. This can be a verydifficult and challenging and long-lasting process,” Fr. Velasquez said.

On a more positive note,Fernando mentioned there are manyOblate intercultural success storiesand they need to be carefully studiedand applied, where possible, to fu-ture missionary endeavors.

On Wednesday, each of theministry priorities chosen by the fourprovinces was shared with the entire

group, explaining how that ministryfosters and speaks to the six foci ofthe General Chapter. From these min-istries, the group was tasked withchoosing the most desired ministriesto be considered for possible regionalcollaboration.

Thursday found the groupevaluating the meeting thus far. Therewas general consensus that being to-gether, getting to know each otherbetter, becoming better acquaintedwith each others’ ministries, back-grounds, way of living our Oblate life

in community pro-vided a good back-ground toward choos-ing a regional ministry.

The thoughtwas expressed thatsimply our planningtogether is also an im-portant way of beingregional. The planningitself necessarily in-volves choosing Ob-lates who are leaders,capable and excited towork with other Ob-lates and ready to leavenothing undared for the sake of themission.

Several possibilities for a re-gional ministry site weremore carefully consid-ered. Such criteria were:viable community life,ministry with the materi-ally poor, opportunitiesfor further outreach to thenew poor in the area, op-portunity for youth minis-try.

The dialog contin-ues. CROCUS willmake final decisionsabout future regionalministry possibilities.

The participants agreed that thismeeting helped in getting to knoweach other better and that formationfor ministry (one of the key foci ofthe General Chapter), was a key ele-ment of this meeting, as well asgreater knowledge about the topic ofintentional interculturality.

The young Oblates were verypositive about future collaborationand they felt they had taken some sig-nificant steps toward that collabora-tion.

Oblate Frs. Rusty Gardiner and Harley Mapes

OMI-USA - 4

sponsibilities of counseling, sacra-mental preparation, spiritual di-rection, hospital visits and anoint-ing of the sick.

Besides their regular parishministry, Oblates also spoke about

some of their other pastoral respon-sibilities. Fr. Luis Valbuena, OMI,e.g., has been engaged in televisionmedia for over 40 years.

New Oblates to the Confer-ence include Frs. RichardBeaudette, OMI, Vicar Provincial ofthe Canadian Lacombe Province andMarcin Serwin, OMI, ProvincialConsultor for the Canadian Assump-tion Province.

Fr. Jim Brobst, OMI,Vicar Provincial of Mission andMinistry, also attends these semi-annual meetings, representing theU.S. Province.

CROCUS members meet in San Fernando

The United States Provincehosted the CanadianProvincials and Vicar

Provincials at the Franciscan RetreatCenter in San Fernando, CA, just 10

minutes from the two Oblate parishesof Santa Rosa and St. Ferdinand’s.

New leadership was chosenat this meeting. Fr. Lou Studer waselected President of the Conferencewith Fr. Ken Thorson elected VicePresident. They will serve a term oftwo years.

The leadership of theCanada-US region spent the minis-

by Fr. Lou Studer, OMI

try day at the Oblate parishes whereOblate Frs. Juan Ayala, pastor ofSt. Ferdinand’s and Tom Rush, pas-tor of Santa Rosa, spoke about theirministry.

Five other Oblates are alsostationed there. These seven Ob-lates celebrate 17 Masses eachweekend and hear Confessions forfive hours. This ministry does notinclude the wedding and funeralMasses. Their busy schedule alsoincludes the regular ministerial re-

L-r: Oblate Tom Rush, Ms. Danielle Brisson, Oblates Luis Valbuena, Ken Thorson,Luc Tardif, Richard Beaudette, Louis Studer, Jim Brobst, Carlos Alarcon, MarcinSerwin, Raymond Carriere, Warren Brown, Alfred Grzempa, Juan Ayala.

Frs. Ken Thorson and Tom Rush

Frs. Lou Studer, Victor Patricio-Silva,Luc Tardif

Frs. Juan Ayala, Richard Beaudette

Fr. Luis Valbuena, OMI

JANUARY -2019 -5

Oblate parishes of St.Casimir’s and St. Patrick’sin St. Paul, MN, celebrated

two main occasions at each parish theweekend of Oct. 12-13, 2019.

Pastor Mike Powell, OMI,invited Auxiliary Bishop AndrewCozzens to preside and preach atSt. Patrick’s, honoring the 135th an-niversary of the founding of theparish. Several former parishionersreturned for the first time in severalyears for the celebration

Bishop Cozzens congratu-lated the parishioners for the livelyway they have kept the faith strong.He thanked the Oblates for the faith-ful service and the generosity theyshow to the people in their pastoraloutreach.

Polish Oblate Fr. CyprianCzop serves as Associate Pastor ofboth parishes. Fr. Cyprian arrived inthe U.S. only one month ago, havingserved in Ukraine for the past 16years. Before that, he missioned inThailand for four years. While inThailand, he ministered to theHmong peoples and now feels at

home at St. Patrick’s where manyHmong have settled. His missionarylife as an Oblate has taken him tomany parts of the world in his mis-sionary work.

Fr. Cyprian spent his junioryear of high school in the UnitedStates with a family, living in the stateof Georgia, through a student ex-change program between the U.S. andPoland. He is quite fluent in English.

This same weekend, St.Casimir’s parishioners celebrated theirannual Fall festival with a Polka Mass.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Oblates Cyprian Czop, Michael Powell, Louis Studer

Archbishop Bernard Hebda with Oblates Czop, Studer and Powell.

MN parishes hold celebrationsby Fr. Lou Studer, OMI

Oblates have served at St.Casimir’s for 103 years! Severalformer parishioners returned tothe parish for the festival.

Later in the afternoon, Frs.Powell, Fr. Czop and I paid a visit toArchbishop Bernard Hebda, Arch-bishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis. LikeBishop Cozzens, he thanked the Ob-lates for the ministry they provide inthe archdiocese. He specificallymentioned the hospital ministry ofFr. Ron Harrer, OMI, chaplain atRegents Hospital and thanked Ob-lates Jim Deegan, Dick Sudlik, LonKonold, Bob Morin, Dan Bozek,Ray Kirtz, Al Svobodny, for theirministry at Christ the King RetreatCenter in Buffalo.

The Archbishop remarkedthat he has often heard many posi-tive comments about the quality ofthe preaching and the compassion-ate pastoral ministry of the Oblatesstationed there.

“You are a much appreci-ated presence here,” he toldCyprian, Mike and me and askedus to convey that message fromhim to all the Oblates in the Arch-diocese. “The Oblates are a greatgift to the archdiocese,” he told us.

JANUARY -2019 -5

Oblate parishes of St.Casimir’s and St. Patrick’sin St. Paul, MN, celebrated

two main occasions at each parish theweekend of Oct. 12-13, 2019.

Pastor Mike Powell, OMI,invited Auxiliary Bishop AndrewCozzens to preside and preach atSt. Patrick’s, honoring the 135th an-niversary of the founding of theparish. Several former parishionersreturned for the first time in severalyears for the celebration

Bishop Cozzens congratu-lated the parishioners for the livelyway they have kept the faith strong.He thanked the Oblates for the faith-ful service and the generosity theyshow to the people in their pastoraloutreach.

Polish Oblate Fr. CyprianCzop serves as Associate Pastor ofboth parishes. Fr. Cyprian arrived inthe U.S. only one month ago, havingserved in Ukraine for the past 16years. Before that, he missioned inThailand for four years. While inThailand, he ministered to theHmong peoples and now feels at

home at St. Patrick’s where manyHmong have settled. His missionarylife as an Oblate has taken him tomany parts of the world in his mis-sionary work.

Fr. Cyprian spent his junioryear of high school in the UnitedStates with a family, living in the stateof Georgia, through a student ex-change program between the U.S. andPoland. He is quite fluent in English.

This same weekend, St.Casimir’s parishioners celebrated theirannual Fall festival with a Polka Mass.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Oblates Cyprian Czop, Michael Powell, Louis Studer

Archbishop Bernard Hebda with Oblates Czop, Studer and Powell.

MN parishes hold celebrationsby Fr. Lou Studer, OMI

Oblates have served at St.Casimir’s for 103 years! Severalformer parishioners returned tothe parish for the festival.

Later in the afternoon, Frs.Powell, Fr. Czop and I paid a visit toArchbishop Bernard Hebda, Arch-bishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis. LikeBishop Cozzens, he thanked the Ob-lates for the ministry they provide inthe archdiocese. He specificallymentioned the hospital ministry ofFr. Ron Harrer, OMI, chaplain atRegents Hospital and thanked Ob-lates Jim Deegan, Dick Sudlik, LonKonold, Bob Morin, Dan Bozek,Ray Kirtz, Al Svobodny, for theirministry at Christ the King RetreatCenter in Buffalo.

The Archbishop remarkedthat he has often heard many posi-tive comments about the quality ofthe preaching and the compassion-ate pastoral ministry of the Oblatesstationed there.

“You are a much appreci-ated presence here,” he toldCyprian, Mike and me and askedus to convey that message fromhim to all the Oblates in the Arch-diocese. “The Oblates are a greatgift to the archdiocese,” he told us.

OMI-USA - 6

Please remember in prayerour recently departed

Theresa B. Pelletier, 86, sister of the late Donat Daigle,OMI, died on Feb. 13, 2019 in Merrimack, NH.Archbishop Harry Flynn, HOMI, died in St. Paul,MN on Sept. 22, 2019.Bishop Thomas Flanagan, HOMI, died in SanAntonio, TX on Oct. 9, 2019.Fr. Hubert Lagacé, OMI, 87, died on Oct. 10, 2019,in Richelieu, Que.Elizabeth A. Ruhmann, 80, sister-in-law of Bro. TomRuhmann, OMI, died in Livingston, IL on Oct. 20, 2019.Rick Ramirez, 65, brother-in-law of Fr. Ramiro Cortez,OMI, died on October 21, 2019 in Dallas, TX.Richard Inman, 84, brother-in-law of Fr. David Kalert,OMI, died on Nov. 18, 2019.Joseph Dummer, 80, brother of Fr. Leo Dummer, OMI,died on Nov. 19, 2019, in Madelia, MN.Fr. Raymond Steen, OMI, 87, died suddenly on Dec.4, 2019 in Abington, MA.Fr. Aloysus Svobodny, OMI, 96, died on Dec. 4, 2019in Buffalo, MN.Eugene Wilhelm, brother of Fr. Paul Wilhelm, OMI,died on Dec. 5, 2019Fr. John St. Cyr, OMI, 84, died on Dec. 7, 2019 inTewksbury, MA.Fr. Eugene Prendiville, OMI, 87, died on Dec. 8, 2019in Belleville, IL.

Fancie Lor, Cha Lor, Fr. Lou, Joua Ly, Fr. Mike Powell,OMI, Kou Ly, and Kua Vang.

These days I find myself sit-ting on a Southwest Airlines jet quiteoften. I usually use the time in theair to catch up on emails or perusemy calendar to see what’s coming up.

On my way to St. Louis one time,I took a gander at the Southwestmagazine, and was struck by the mes-

sage of one of its articles entitled “Finding Joy.” Writtenby the chief operating officer of Southwest Airlines, thearticle pointed out quite nicely the many ways he findsjoy in his life. There was nothing complicated abouthis methodology – my takeaway is that it is a choicewe make.

Confronted with the many challenges we face; Irealize that choosing to find joy can be difficult. Havingjust finished our five Area Meetings, the whole idea ofjoy can be a rather distant concept, or even senseless, inthe midst of hearing news of our relinquishing of minis-tries or the continuing and ever-growing threats that law-suits pose to our financial sustainability. We can chooseto dwell on outcomes of which we are unaware, or not.

As the dust continues to settle from the mergerof provinces from over twenty years ago, there are somethings I see which do give me joy. We are continually engaged in conversations onhow best to live in community. While they may seemexhausting or repetitive, their absence in our mindsetwould point to something rather grim. Ministry choices, and the healthy dialogs needed,are strived for. The charism of our Founder is ever more the fo-cus of our many of deliberations, whether within an AreaMeeting or a Council Meeting. We have four formation programs with men inthem! Our Mazenodian Family is vibrant and alive!

As we become the province we need to become, asdifficult as that may be, I’m convinced we are becoming aprovince that will continue to be relevant far into the future.

At the beginning of this new year, as we celebratethe founding, and enduring existence of Eugene’scharism, I am very hopeful, and very grateful.

-Fr. Art Flores, OMI

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares theLord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,plans to give you hope and a future.-Jer. 29:11

BLESSED NEW YEAR!While visiting the Oblate parishes in St Paul, MN,

Fr. Studer met with members of the Hmongcommunity at St. Patrick’s on Oct. 13, who

presented him with a beautiful tapestry. >See story, p. 5.

JANUARY -2019 -7

Turkmenistan visit

The Pope responded bysending an ambassador from theVatican to determine the need. Fol-lowing up on the Holy Father’s re-sponse, the ambassador asked 38 re-ligious communities in Rome if theymight be able to send a couple prieststo Turkmenistan. Everyone said “no”.

The ambassador also con-tacted then Superior General ofthe Missionary Oblates, Fr.Marcello Zago, who said “yes.”Aware that Oblates who spokeRussian would be key to help thismission get started, he asked Fr.Madej, a Polish Oblate working inUkraine, to visit Turkmenistan.

Fr. Madej, upon arriving, dis-covered that the Catholics who hadoriginally written to the Pope, nolonger lived in Turkmenistan. So,thumbing through the telephone di-rectory for Polish names of peoplethat might help him begin the mis-sion, he discovered there was a sig-nificant number of Catholics whowanted to receive the Sacramentsand the ministry of the Church. Fr.

Madej decided there still was a needfor Catholic priests in Turkmenistan.

Three Oblates are currentlyserving there Fr. Madej, Fr. RafalChilimoniuk and Fr. JerzyKotowski. Officially Vatican diplo-mats living at the Vatican Nunciature,they minister to a group of faithfulCatholics who come to the small par-ish connected to the Nunciature. Thegovernment does not allow them todo public outreach to Catholics, al-though officially the political systemis democratic and religion can bepracticed freely, at least in theory butoften not so much in fact.

The Oblates are aware theyare watched and cannot publiclyinvite people to come to the Sacra-ments. Those who do come, how-ever, often let others know and thegovernment doesn’t interfere, solong as they attend on their own.

The group has begun aweekly Bible study and they do visitpeople in their homes, when invited.Many other requests are made for as-sistance as well, such as transporta-tion, food, and counseling. Thepeople know very little about theirCatholic faith, so the Oblates havetruly been a blessing in their 23 yearsof ministry in Turkmenistan. Therehave been some conversions fromIslam to Catholicism but such amove usually means their familywill have nothing to with them,even refusing to attend the funeralof a family member who convertedto Catholicism.

“The Muslim faith has manybeautiful rituals but it typically doesnot deal with the existential ques-tions of the meaning of life: such asdeath, evil, sin, eternal life, for whichpeople are looking for answers,” Fr.Andrzej said.

Continued from page 1

At the U.S.Embassy, L-R: Fr. Zajac; Lisa Scaglione; Paul Thacker (Oblatesupporters); Fr. Studer; Deputy Chief of Mission, Andrea Brouillette-Rodriguez; Frs. Chambers, Madej, Brobst

The Oblates celebrated Mass on top of an ancient Church, Haraba Koshkwhere, Fr. Andrzej said, “No Mass had been celebrated for 1,500 years.”

Continued on page 8

OMI-USA - 8

On the final night of the visit, all the Oblates celebrated Masswith a crowd of locals whose children performed a “PiccoloConcerto” (little concert) in honor of the visitors.

Continued from page 7Turkmenistan visit

Searching for such answers sometimes be-comes the catalyst for which a conversion happens.

The Oblates now celebrate Mass in threelanguages on Sundays to accommodate the peoplewho have spread word of their presence around thecapital city of Ashgabat.

While the words “humble presence” mightadequately describe the Oblate mission, the devo-tion, appreciation and vibrant faith of the peoplewho worship at the Nunciature is strong testimonyto the success and importance of these Oblatesministering in Turkmenistan.

The United States Province supports thismission financially and the Polish Province ensuresthere are at least three available to minister inTurkmenistan.

Oblate Frs. Jim Brobst, Jim Chambersand I came to Turkmenistan to evaluate the suc-cess of the mission, along with Fr. Pawel Zajac,Provincial of Poland. Our meetings resulted in posi-tively affirming the continuance of the good workbegun here 23 years ago.

Pope Francis continues to ask missionaries to go tothe peripheries. Turkmenistan is truly one such country.

“Jesus is at work in Turkmenistan,” Fr. Madej assuredus. That was confirmed again and again as the people told ushow appreciative and thankful they are for the Oblates minis-tering in Turkmenistan and for the opportunity for them topractice their faith and receive the Sacraments.

The Oblates are ready and willing to continue theirpresence in Turkmenistan for many years to come.

Although written in October 2019,the Haiti situation has not changedsubstantially as we go to press.

Huge manifestations continuein Port au Prince andthroughout the country of

Haiti. There are road blockseverywhere, making it difficult to getto a hospital for an X-ray for the lunginfection that has been plaguing mefor three weeks now.

There is no more electricityfrom the national grid. The Sisters(Missionaries of Charity) put on theirgenerator from 7:30 until 9:30 in theevening but they are starting to runshort of fuel. The Sisters tried to goget some supplies a couple of weeksago. The hood of their car wassmashed, 3 windows broken and itis only because one person yelled for

them to duck down that none of themwere injured

No one and nothing is sacredor spared. You can’t get to the storesto buy anything and the shelves areempty. We have enough food in thehouse to get by. Everyday there areviolent demonstrations, looting, roadblocks, burning tires, rock and bottlethrowing. Cars are set afire along withbusinesses, and in some instances thepolice run out of tear gas so they startusing live ammunition.

I’ve seen many. many demon-strations to overturn Haitian regimesin my past 55 years but NOTHINGon this scale. Unless PresidentJovenel Moise looses the support ofthe police, we are at an impasse. Thepresident refuses to leave, and theopposition says he has to go as there

is no dialogue or compromise pos-sible It is already a humanitarian cri-sis. I don’t know how much furtherthis can go before there is some kindof foreign intervention.

Please keep us and the Hai-tian people in you prayers. Love andGod bless you all!

Fr. John (Henault) O.M.I.

Fr. Henault writes from Haiti

Sr. M. Anthony, MC, Fr. Henault andBro. Richard

JANUARY -2019 -9

Fr. Jim Allen, OMI, led theVictorious Missionaries (VM)in their annual retreat Oct.18-

20, 2019 at the National Shrine ofOur Lady of the Snows, Belleville, IL.

“I was touched by the strongfaith of the VM’s who came to theretreat,” Fr. Allen said. “I rememberwhen it was a fledgling organization

Standing, l-r: Jeff Payne, Fr. Jim Allen, OMI, Kathy Catchings, Sr. LindaHylla, Melvin Fleischmann, Alicia Kirkland, LPN, Bette Meyer, VM MinistryAssistant, Amy Bird, Danielle Ray, CNA, Mike Wojtowicz, Bro. Tom Ruhmann,OMI, VM National Director. Seated, l-r: Sue Collins, Bessie Gietl, LindaPoynter, Diana Braun, Debbie Thomas, Kevin Leuchtefeld

Victorious Missionaries meet in Belleville, IL

back in the sixties. The faith of theVM’s founding members is still aliveand well in today’s members.”

According to the VMs cur-rent director, Bro. Tom Ruhmann,OMI, they’ve held a retreat everyyear since the group was founded:

“The retreats are an opportu-nity for the members and non-mem-

bers to come to the Shrine, enjoy fel-lowship and have a day of reflection. Though most of the attendees were local, some came from other states including Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia,” he said.

The VM’s, dedicated to pro-viding spiritual support for all those with disabilities or who are chroni-cally ill and those who wish to jour-ney with them is the first movement that was formed and run by persons with disabilities. Today, the VM’s have six chapters throughout the United States.

The next major event for the VM’s will be the Annual Conference at the Shrine May 1-3, 2020, when the chapters come together for a na-tional business meeting, and Fr. David Muñoz, OMI will lead a day of recollection. At that time, the Fr. John Maronic Achievement Award will be presented during Mass at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows.

-by Will Shaw on website: https://www.omiusa.org/index.php/2019/10/page/4/

On Oct. 17, 2019, Bro.Joey Methé, OMI renewedhis second vows in the pres-

ence of U.S Oblates at “391” and hisProvincial, Fr. Luc Tardif, OMI, ofNotre-Dame-du-Cap Province inQuebec, Canada, during a prayer ser-vice presided over by Fr. TomCoughlin, OMI.

Bro. Methé, was the 2019summer intern at the JPIC USA of-fice and has now become a part ofthe office staff. As an Oblate brotherin formation, he hopes to learn fromthe expertise of the JPIC staff, con-tinue his work studying and analyz-ing the mining/extractives industry,

and offer his creative media produc-tion skills to the Oblate Justice, Peaceand Integrity of Creation min-istry. He was elected Presi-dent of l’Association desétudiantes et étudiantsfrancophones (AEF) atLaurentian University inSudbury (Canada), went onto work for the Student Fed-eration of the University ofOttawa for over 9 years asthe Communications Direc-tor.

After years of lead-ership in the student move-ment in Canada, he joined

the Oblates on August 1, 2018. Thiswas his way to answer Jesus’ call tobe in solidarity with those who areforgotten, abandoned and oppressed.

Bro. Methé renews vows as an Oblate Brother

JANUARY -2019 -9

Fr. Jim Allen, OMI, led theVictorious Missionaries (VM)in their annual retreat Oct.18-

20, 2019 at the National Shrine ofOur Lady of the Snows, Belleville, IL.

“I was touched by the strongfaith of the VM’s who came to theretreat,” Fr. Allen said. “I rememberwhen it was a fledgling organization

Standing, l-r: Jeff Payne, Fr. Jim Allen, OMI, Kathy Catchings, Sr. LindaHylla, Melvin Fleischmann, Alicia Kirkland, LPN, Bette Meyer, VM MinistryAssistant, Amy Bird, Danielle Ray, CNA, Mike Wojtowicz, Bro. Tom Ruhmann,OMI, VM National Director. Seated, l-r: Sue Collins, Bessie Gietl, LindaPoynter, Diana Braun, Debbie Thomas, Kevin Leuchtefeld

Victorious Missionaries meet in Belleville, IL

back in the sixties. The faith of theVM’s founding members is still aliveand well in today’s members.”

According to the VMs cur-rent director, Bro. Tom Ruhmann,OMI, they’ve held a retreat everyyear since the group was founded:

“The retreats are an opportu-nity for the members and non-mem-

bers to come to the Shrine, enjoy fel-lowship and have a day of reflection. Though most of the attendees were local, some came from other states including Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia,” he said.

The VM’s, dedicated to pro-viding spiritual support for all those with disabilities or who are chroni-cally ill and those who wish to jour-ney with them is the first movement that was formed and run by persons with disabilities. Today, the VM’s have six chapters throughout the United States.

The next major event for the VM’s will be the Annual Conference at the Shrine May 1-3, 2020, when the chapters come together for a na-tional business meeting, and Fr. David Muñoz, OMI will lead a day of recollection. At that time, the Fr. John Maronic Achievement Award will be presented during Mass at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows.

-by Will Shaw on website: https://www.omiusa.org/index.php/2019/10/page/4/

On Oct. 17, 2019, Bro.Joey Methé, OMI renewedhis second vows in the pres-

ence of U.S Oblates at “391” and hisProvincial, Fr. Luc Tardif, OMI, ofNotre-Dame-du-Cap Province inQuebec, Canada, during a prayer ser-vice presided over by Fr. TomCoughlin, OMI.

Bro. Methé, was the 2019summer intern at the JPIC USA of-fice and has now become a part ofthe office staff. As an Oblate brotherin formation, he hopes to learn fromthe expertise of the JPIC staff, con-tinue his work studying and analyz-ing the mining/extractives industry,

and offer his creative media produc-tion skills to the Oblate Justice, Peaceand Integrity of Creation min-istry. He was elected Presi-dent of l’Association desétudiantes et étudiantsfrancophones (AEF) atLaurentian University inSudbury (Canada), went onto work for the Student Fed-eration of the University ofOttawa for over 9 years asthe Communications Direc-tor.

After years of lead-ership in the student move-ment in Canada, he joined

the Oblates on August 1, 2018. Thiswas his way to answer Jesus’ call tobe in solidarity with those who areforgotten, abandoned and oppressed.

Bro. Methé renews vows as an Oblate Brother

OMI-USA - 10

‘Come and See’ Weekend held in Buffalo, NY

Young men from around theU S and Canada attended a“Come and See” weekend

experience at Bishop Fallon preno-vitiate community in Buffalo, NY.

Among the weekend’s activ-ities were: prayerful liturgies, a cardgame night with ice-cream social, aMission with Youth experience, andfaith sharing. Oblate Frs. Greg Gal-lagher and Paul Dass also accom-panied the group on a trip to Niaga-ra Falls

The weekend allowed theprenovices to convey their personalunderstanding of the goals of this

munity, prayer, the Cross, beingmissionary, religious life and mostimportantly, a personal relationshipwith Christ through their discern-ment process.

“We are seeking and discern-ing the presence of God at the Pren-ovitiate,” first year prenovice Mar-lowe Romero said.

Speaking of ministry withyouth, Fr. Jesse Esqueda, OMI,said, “Growth comes from being un-comfortable. Missionary efforts in-vite us to experience such opportu-nities.” Fr. Mark Blom, OMI, add-ed, “As missionaries, we carry thepresence of Christ to the world.”

-by Fr. Juan Gaspar, OMI

Fr. Bob Wright, OMI, who has taught at OblateSchool of Theology since 1984, has been chosenas the first holder of the Oblate School of

Theology’s newest endowed chair, the Elena S. KenedyChair in Missiology.

For about 30 years, Fr. Wright has taught an in-troductory course on missiology and about the interac-tion of faith and culture in the past and present. He hasalso taught the history of Hispanic Christianity, first inthe Southwest and more recently throughout the UnitedStates.

He hopes to publish a textbook on HispanicChristianity in the United States. He has written many

essays on the missionary work of the Oblates in Texasand New Mexico, and has been invited to speak in Romeand the Philippines about the Church’s mission today.

Fr. Wright has participated inmission gatherings in Guate-mala and Mexico.

He sees the new endowedchair as a welcome recogni-tion of OST’s preparation ofmany people for the Church’smission for more than a cen-tury and the work of manypast professors, such as Frs.Bernard Doyon, OMI, andRonald Young, OMI.

Fr. Wright named missiology chairholder

Frs. Greg Gallagher and Paul Dass, (front), with group at Niagara Falls

Frs. Jesse Esqueda (front, l) and Juan Gaspar (front, r) with group.

stage of formation and transmit im-portant Oblate values such as com-

JANUARY -2019 -11

On Nov. 12, 2019, OblateFrs. Bevil Bramwell, RayLeBrun and Charles

Hurkes joined Catholic Universitystudents and others to a screening ofa new documentary on the life andwitness of the late Card. FrancisGeorge, OMI, “Glorious Lives –Cardinal Francis George,” producedby Shalom World with Mike Stark.

The documentary wasfollowed by a panel discussionmoderated by Prof. Chad Pecknold,PhD, of CUA’s School of Theologyand Religious Studies. It included: Bishop Thomas Paprocki ofSpringfield, IL, who served asAuxiliary under the cardinal; Robert Royal, president ofthe Faith & Reason Institute andeditor-in-chief of The Catholic Thingwebsite; Michael Heinlein, presentlyresearching and writing a life of thecardinal; Mary Hallan FioRito, firstfemale vice-chancellor and a great

friend of thecardinal,

In a columnpublished in TheCatholic Heraldthe following day,Dr. Pecknoldemphasized apoint BishopPaprocki hadmade, that, “At theheart of CardinalGeorge’s faith asan Oblate wasoblation.”

He also wrote:“Watching thei n s p i r i n gdocumentary of

his life, I saw something new in theman I once met, and admired from afar.I saw more clearly the secret of his life.

Card. George documentary shown at CUA

Fr. Bevil Bramwell chats with Robert Royal

I saw the secret of his joyfulperseverance. Facing suffering inhimself with realism, intelligenceand joy was possible because thiswas his oblation. His offering toGod through Jesus Christ, meant asuffering life could be transfiguredinto something holy that heals andelevates a person. ...CardinalGeorge, pray for us.”

Among those in attendancewere Fr. Dan Flens, CardinalGeorge’s secretary over the years,Joan Lewis, EWTN’s Romebureau chief and Mike Stark,Executive producer and host of thedocumentary.Documentary available at $19.95 from:https://saintjoe.com/products/glorious-livesThe Catholic Herald column is found at:https://catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2019/11/12/the-cardinal-who-shows-the-church-how-to-face-suffering-with-divine-charity/

In honor of Cardinal Francis George’s chancellorship ofMundelein Seminary from 1997-2014, more than 500 peoplejoined Chicago’s Cardinal Blaise Cupich and rector Rev. John

Kartje in blessing the Francis Cardinal George, OMI MemorialGarden at the seminary on Oct. 27, 2019. Cardinal George, theeighth archbishop of Chicago, died in 2015.

During Mass, Cupich said aboutGeorge, “He was an individual who wasvery much in touch with his humanity.”

According to an article by KarieAngell Luc in the Lake County News-Sun,the keystone piece is a pillar with a largeplaque and full color portrait of George(pictured at right) located at an entrancealong a path leading to a recentlyrefurbished grotto.

“This monument is a way of honoring not only CardinalGeorge himself, but also the dozens of men he ordained to thepriesthood and diaconate,” Fr. Kartje said. https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/ct-lns-cardinal-dedicates-garden-st-1028-20191027-7hqpno26wfhdxgwh5uaa5ajpti-story.html

JANUARY -2019 -11

On Nov. 12, 2019, OblateFrs. Bevil Bramwell, RayLeBrun and Charles

Hurkes joined Catholic Universitystudents and others to a screening ofa new documentary on the life andwitness of the late Card. FrancisGeorge, OMI, “Glorious Lives –Cardinal Francis George,” producedby Shalom World with Mike Stark.

The documentary wasfollowed by a panel discussionmoderated by Prof. Chad Pecknold,PhD, of CUA’s School of Theologyand Religious Studies. It included: Bishop Thomas Paprocki ofSpringfield, IL, who served asAuxiliary under the cardinal; Robert Royal, president ofthe Faith & Reason Institute andeditor-in-chief of The Catholic Thingwebsite; Michael Heinlein, presentlyresearching and writing a life of thecardinal; Mary Hallan FioRito, firstfemale vice-chancellor and a great

friend of thecardinal,

In a columnpublished in TheCatholic Heraldthe following day,Dr. Pecknoldemphasized apoint BishopPaprocki hadmade, that, “At theheart of CardinalGeorge’s faith asan Oblate wasoblation.”

He also wrote:“Watching thei n s p i r i n gdocumentary of

his life, I saw something new in theman I once met, and admired from afar.I saw more clearly the secret of his life.

Card. George documentary shown at CUA

Fr. Bevil Bramwell chats with Robert Royal

I saw the secret of his joyfulperseverance. Facing suffering inhimself with realism, intelligenceand joy was possible because thiswas his oblation. His offering toGod through Jesus Christ, meant asuffering life could be transfiguredinto something holy that heals andelevates a person. ...CardinalGeorge, pray for us.”

Among those in attendancewere Fr. Dan Flens, CardinalGeorge’s secretary over the years,Joan Lewis, EWTN’s Romebureau chief and Mike Stark,Executive producer and host of thedocumentary.Documentary available at $19.95 from:https://saintjoe.com/products/glorious-livesThe Catholic Herald column is found at:https://catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2019/11/12/the-cardinal-who-shows-the-church-how-to-face-suffering-with-divine-charity/

In honor of Cardinal Francis George’s chancellorship ofMundelein Seminary from 1997-2014, more than 500 peoplejoined Chicago’s Cardinal Blaise Cupich and rector Rev. John

Kartje in blessing the Francis Cardinal George, OMI MemorialGarden at the seminary on Oct. 27, 2019. Cardinal George, theeighth archbishop of Chicago, died in 2015.

During Mass, Cupich said aboutGeorge, “He was an individual who wasvery much in touch with his humanity.”

According to an article by KarieAngell Luc in the Lake County News-Sun,the keystone piece is a pillar with a largeplaque and full color portrait of George(pictured at right) located at an entrancealong a path leading to a recentlyrefurbished grotto.

“This monument is a way of honoring not only CardinalGeorge himself, but also the dozens of men he ordained to thepriesthood and diaconate,” Fr. Kartje said. https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/ct-lns-cardinal-dedicates-garden-st-1028-20191027-7hqpno26wfhdxgwh5uaa5ajpti-story.html

OMI-USA - 12

.

Superiors and Directors metfrom Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2019 atKing’s House, Belleville, IL,

to receive updates on happenings inthe province from the ProvincialLeadership Team and to participatein a two-day workshop that helpedidentify talents and skills for leader-ship for each participant. The Lead-

ership Team of Canada’sLacombe, Province joinedthe 21 participants.

Oblate Fr. JohnMalazdrewich and col-league Bruce Swan led thegroup in the leadership pro-cess. This “Coach Approachto Leadership” helped eachparticipant identify key

strengths and talentsfor leadership and alsothe change in such giftsthat takes place in moments ofstress and anxiety which lead-ers often face.

Various scenarioswere presented to the Oblatesto help us understand how,through role playing, we re-spond to situations we willlikely come across in our min-istry as Superiors and Direc-tors. We were helped to recog-nize how stressful, anxiety-rid-

Superiors/Directors meet den situations can change our ap-proach and response.

Participants found the pro-cess informative and personally in-sightful as they willingly shared theproblems and successes in their min-istry.

Oblate Fr. Greg Cholewaexplained to the Superiors that theU.S. Province has engaged the ser-vices of the National Religious Re-tirement Organization (NRRO) toguide the province in identifyingwhat services/facilities will beneeded for our retired Oblates intothe future. NRRO will hopefully as-sist us as well in seeing where thereis unnecessary duplication and howwe can offer a healthier, more cre-ative way of life for our Oblates inretirement.

Oblate Fr. Frank Santucciupdated us about the upcoming Con-vocation 2020. The theme is “TheyWill Constantly Renew ThemselvesIn The Spirit Of Their Vocation.”

At the 2020 Convocation,members of the Mazenodian Familywill be joining us for part of our timetogether. This quote of St. Eugenefrom the Introduction to the Consti-tutions and Rules applies to all mem-

21 Superiors attended the four-day meeting. front: Oblates Richard Halland Lawrence Mariasoosai; back, l-r: Oblates Jim Allen, Juan Ayala,Emmanuel Mulenga, Frank Santucci, Lon Konold, John Hanley.

L-R: Mark Dean, Jim Chambers and Paco Gomez

Frs Tom Coughln, Ray Cook Continued on page 13

JANUARY -2019 -13

Colebrook Associates assume new ministry

With the closing of theformer Our Lady of GraceShrine Gift Shop and

Good Shepherd Parish Gift Shop inBerlin, NH, Catholics of the Northcountry have no where to go to pur-chase religious goods.

To help alleviate this prob-lem, the Colebrook NH Associates

Louise, Larry Dagesse, founding members of the group with Bro. Richard

By Bro. Richard Coté, OMIare undertaking a new outreachministry by selling Catholic books,statues, crucifix and rosaries pro-vided by the Rosary Makers ofMary Immaculate, Augusta ME,headed by Roger Jean, HOMI.

Their first outreach minis-try was at the St. Brendan’s ChurchChristmas Fair held on Nov. 2,

which proved very successful. Thegroup also set up a table of religiousarticles at St. Albert Church in WestStewartstown, NH at their ChristmasFair on December 7.

The Colebrook AssociateCommunity welcomed a new mem-ber on Nov. 16, 2019. Bro. Rich-ard Coté, OMI, accepted the initialcommitment of 56-year old Mr.Price Brandt, and presented himwith the Oblate Crucifix.

Fr. Michael Lauze, OMI,long-time acquaintance of Mr.Brandt, blessed the Crucifix and wit-nessed the ceremony.

Fr. Bill Antone, OMI, makes a point of clarification as Facilitator BruceSwan and Fr. Bill Mason, OMI, listen.

Continued from page 12bers of the Mazenodian Family in re-newing their chosen vocation, as theyshare in the Oblate charism.

Our time together ended witha renewed sense of our individualqualities and gifts as leaders in thevarious communities we representand lead. -by Fr. Lou Studer, OMI

Superiors/Directors meet

Back: Bro. Richard, Fr. Lauze; front: Mr.Price Brandt

Leave no stoneunturned in your quest

for God’s eternalkingdom.

St. Eugene de Mazenod

JANUARY -2019 -13

Colebrook Associates assume new ministry

With the closing of theformer Our Lady of GraceShrine Gift Shop and

Good Shepherd Parish Gift Shop inBerlin, NH, Catholics of the Northcountry have no where to go to pur-chase religious goods.

To help alleviate this prob-lem, the Colebrook NH Associates

Louise, Larry Dagesse, founding members of the group with Bro. Richard

By Bro. Richard Coté, OMIare undertaking a new outreachministry by selling Catholic books,statues, crucifix and rosaries pro-vided by the Rosary Makers ofMary Immaculate, Augusta ME,headed by Roger Jean, HOMI.

Their first outreach minis-try was at the St. Brendan’s ChurchChristmas Fair held on Nov. 2,

which proved very successful. Thegroup also set up a table of religiousarticles at St. Albert Church in WestStewartstown, NH at their ChristmasFair on December 7.

The Colebrook AssociateCommunity welcomed a new mem-ber on Nov. 16, 2019. Bro. Rich-ard Coté, OMI, accepted the initialcommitment of 56-year old Mr.Price Brandt, and presented himwith the Oblate Crucifix.

Fr. Michael Lauze, OMI,long-time acquaintance of Mr.Brandt, blessed the Crucifix and wit-nessed the ceremony.

Fr. Bill Antone, OMI, makes a point of clarification as Facilitator BruceSwan and Fr. Bill Mason, OMI, listen.

Continued from page 12bers of the Mazenodian Family in re-newing their chosen vocation, as theyshare in the Oblate charism.

Our time together ended witha renewed sense of our individualqualities and gifts as leaders in thevarious communities we representand lead. -by Fr. Lou Studer, OMI

Superiors/Directors meet

Back: Bro. Richard, Fr. Lauze; front: Mr.Price Brandt

Leave no stoneunturned in your quest

for God’s eternalkingdom.

St. Eugene de Mazenod

OMI-USA - 14

The Oblate Associates fromChula Vista (CA) Most Precious Blood parish gathered

for an early Thanksgiving celebra-tion. The Chula Vista Oblate Asso-ciates are a very active group whichmeets every month and find manyways to reach out to the poor.

The group’s leader, HerminioAlignay, who works closely with hiswife, Marina, summed up their activi-ties during 2019 thus: “In case youare not aware, in 2019 ... “we helped our Parish Feed-ing of the Homeless by providingsoup spoons throughout the year. Weachieved it all without doingFundraising; “we continue to make a dif-ference in the life of the Filipino in-

Bro. Peter Vasquez, (2nd from left) and Fr. Bill Antone (back, middle)

CA. Oblate Associatescelebrate Thanksgiving

digenous students of the Notre Dameof Kulaman school; and contributedin the repair of the Cathedral of Jolothat was bombed last January 27, 2019. “we provided food, clothing,socks and shoes for the poor andhomeless in Tijuana. “

More recently, the group hassponsored a dinner for the home-less in Chula Vista. They havemoreover been very supportive ofthe care of elder Oblates in the Phil-ippines. -by Fr. Bill Antone, OMI

Hello from the Youth Minis-try, formerly in the Parishof San Eugenio, and now at

the site of the new parish, MaríaInmaculada (located at the YouthCenter).

Fr. Jesse has asked that theYouth Social Ministry begin sendingupdates on our efforts to care forfamilies, with a focus on the medi-cally indigent, and other needs in ourparish. Fr. Jesse provided us with alist of names of people he thoughtmight appreciate these reports.

When we visit these people,we provide food, household items,and medical supplies. Sometimeswe clean their house, change diapers,give a bath, offer to pray with them,or whatever else might help.

We also spend considerabletime just visiting and listening totheir concerns. In some cases, wefeel this is a much more appreci-ated service than thematerial things webring. We are car-ing for stroke andcancer victims, aboy in need of a kid-ney transplant, awoman with severearthritis, a familywith an adult whohas cerebral palsy,and many othersuch cases. We also

Tijuana youth engage in active ministryOblate Frs. Jesse Esqueda, Lucio

Castillo, Webert Merilan, Marek Strobaand Eleaazr Manuel-Lopez are presentlyin the Baja mission ministry in Tijuana,BC, Mexico. Their active youth groupputs out an interesting account of theirown ministry in the parish area, to whichyou are invited to subscribe. Followingis an article edited by David Rizo andRich Reader.

have two orphanages that we help.Occasionally we host groups

from the US that come to help, spon-sor health related fairs, work with USdonors that provide scholarships, helpkids with school packages andclasses, and build roofs.

If you wish receive theseemails at some future time, pleaselet the editors know at the follow-ing email address:rich.reader.ranch@gmail.com

Dwellings at the outskirts of the new parishJANUARY -2019 -15

As reported in the November 2019 issue, theFall area meetings included an evaluationof the province ministries, the presence and

ministry of the leadership team to province Oblates,and the challenges the province must face in the nextthree to five years as the province membership be-gins the process of choosing leadership to serve thenext three years (2020-2023) in the U.S. Province.Fr. Studer took photos of those in San Antonio (Oct. 7-9)and the Pacific (Oct. 21-23) areas.

Final Fall area meetings held

Oblates John Collet, Eleazar Manuel-Lopez,Porfirio Garcia

Oblates Marek Stroba, Luis Valbuena

Oblates Lucio Castillo, Webert Merilan

Oblates Tom Ovalle,Raul Salas

Oblates Jerry Orsino and Lawrence Mariasoosai

Oblates Democracy Mudenda, Dwight Hoeberechts, Andy Sensenig

OblatesPablo Hughes,Jim Fee

OMI-USA - 14

The Oblate Associates fromChula Vista (CA) Most Precious Blood parish gathered

for an early Thanksgiving celebra-tion. The Chula Vista Oblate Asso-ciates are a very active group whichmeets every month and find manyways to reach out to the poor.

The group’s leader, HerminioAlignay, who works closely with hiswife, Marina, summed up their activi-ties during 2019 thus: “In case youare not aware, in 2019 ... “we helped our Parish Feed-ing of the Homeless by providingsoup spoons throughout the year. Weachieved it all without doingFundraising; “we continue to make a dif-ference in the life of the Filipino in-

Bro. Peter Vasquez, (2nd from left) and Fr. Bill Antone (back, middle)

CA. Oblate Associatescelebrate Thanksgiving

digenous students of the Notre Dameof Kulaman school; and contributedin the repair of the Cathedral of Jolothat was bombed last January 27, 2019. “we provided food, clothing,socks and shoes for the poor andhomeless in Tijuana. “

More recently, the group hassponsored a dinner for the home-less in Chula Vista. They havemoreover been very supportive ofthe care of elder Oblates in the Phil-ippines. -by Fr. Bill Antone, OMI

Hello from the Youth Minis-try, formerly in the Parishof San Eugenio, and now at

the site of the new parish, MaríaInmaculada (located at the YouthCenter).

Fr. Jesse has asked that theYouth Social Ministry begin sendingupdates on our efforts to care forfamilies, with a focus on the medi-cally indigent, and other needs in ourparish. Fr. Jesse provided us with alist of names of people he thoughtmight appreciate these reports.

When we visit these people,we provide food, household items,and medical supplies. Sometimeswe clean their house, change diapers,give a bath, offer to pray with them,or whatever else might help.

We also spend considerabletime just visiting and listening totheir concerns. In some cases, wefeel this is a much more appreci-ated service than thematerial things webring. We are car-ing for stroke andcancer victims, aboy in need of a kid-ney transplant, awoman with severearthritis, a familywith an adult whohas cerebral palsy,and many othersuch cases. We also

Tijuana youth engage in active ministryOblate Frs. Jesse Esqueda, Lucio

Castillo, Webert Merilan, Marek Strobaand Eleaazr Manuel-Lopez are presentlyin the Baja mission ministry in Tijuana,BC, Mexico. Their active youth groupputs out an interesting account of theirown ministry in the parish area, to whichyou are invited to subscribe. Followingis an article edited by David Rizo andRich Reader.

have two orphanages that we help.Occasionally we host groups

from the US that come to help, spon-sor health related fairs, work with USdonors that provide scholarships, helpkids with school packages andclasses, and build roofs.

If you wish receive theseemails at some future time, pleaselet the editors know at the follow-ing email address:rich.reader.ranch@gmail.com

Dwellings at the outskirts of the new parish

JANUARY -2019 -15

As reported in the November 2019 issue, theFall area meetings included an evaluationof the province ministries, the presence and

ministry of the leadership team to province Oblates,and the challenges the province must face in the nextthree to five years as the province membership be-gins the process of choosing leadership to serve thenext three years (2020-2023) in the U.S. Province.Fr. Studer took photos of those in San Antonio (Oct. 7-9)and the Pacific (Oct. 21-23) areas.

Final Fall area meetings held

Oblates John Collet, Eleazar Manuel-Lopez,Porfirio Garcia

Oblates Marek Stroba, Luis Valbuena

Oblates Lucio Castillo, Webert Merilan

Oblates Tom Ovalle,Raul Salas

Oblates Jerry Orsino and Lawrence Mariasoosai

Oblates Democracy Mudenda, Dwight Hoeberechts, Andy Sensenig

OblatesPablo Hughes,Jim Fee

OMI-USA - 16

End

Runs

Remember to check out the province’s website formore information and links to other Oblate news

items.: www.omiusa.org

OMI - USA

MOVING? WANT TO CONTINUE RE-CEIVING OMIUSA? PLEASE SEND USYOUR NEW ADDRESS! Or, if you do notwant to continue receiving it (whether youmove or not), please let us know so we arenot sending unwanted copies. Thank you.

Newsletter of the U.S. Province of theMissionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.-391 Michigan Ave., NE Washington, DC20017-1516President and Publisher: Very Rev. LouisStuder, OMIEditor: Fr. Charles Hurkes, OMIDirect all submissions, inquiries andcomments to Charles Hurkes, OMI at theabove address or Fax (202) 529-4572;Tel: (202) 529-4505 e-mail:chasomi@omiusa.orgPublished six times a year for Oblate person-nel and their friends and supporters; distrib-uted from the U.S. Provincial Offices in Wash-ington, DC.

On January 11, 2020, Eleazar Manuel-Lopez, OMI, wasordained to the priesthood by Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI, atOur Lady of San Juan de los Lagos Parish in San Antonio, TX. In a letter of condolence to Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St.Paul, on the occasion of the death of Archbishop Harry Flynn,HOMI, Fr. Lon Konold, OMI wrote, “It may be of interest toknow that Archbishop Flynn asked specifically for the Oblate Crossfrom the deceased Fr. Wilfrid (Will) Upson, OMI. The two ofthem worked closely together, serving the needs of the very poorin St. Paul. A deep friendship based on mutual love and brotherhoodduring those many years ministering together bound the two ofthem together. May they now enjoy eternal life together!”

The US Province Convocation will take place on April 14-17, 2020,at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL. The New Orleans Archdiocesan newpaper, Clarion Herald, carrieda front page story and photos by Peter Finney Jr. which featured Oblate Fr.Tony Rigoli. Many of the photos accompany a commentary by Mr. Finneyon the Clarion Herald’s website. https://clarionherald.org/2019/10/22/thanking-ignatius-for-nudging-us-toward-gratitude/ The Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, Belleville, IL, will host anOblate Youth Encounter, aimed at those 15-35 years of age from July 13-17,2020. The fee, covering all accomodations and meals is $410.US; $545Canadian. For more information: JUSTYNA:OBLATEYOUTHCANADA@GMAIL.COM. The 2020 Oblate Retreat schedule has been determined:San Antonio, TX: Monday, Jan. 20- Friday, Jan. 24; Oblate Renewal Cen-ter (Fr. Raymond Mwangala, OMI)Sarita, TX; Monday, March 16-Friday, March 20; Lebh Shomea House ofPrayer (Oblate Frs. Roger Bergkamp & Andrew Sensenig)Tewksbury, MA; Monday, Aug. 31–Friday, Sept. 4; Immaculate Heart ofMary Residence (Fr. Raymond Mwangala, OMI)Belleville, IL; Monday, Sept. 14–Friday, Sept. 18; King’s House (Fr. RonRolheiser, OMI) On Nov. 2, 2019, the Oblatecommunity at St. Henry’s Residencein Belleville, Il, gathered to celebratethe 99th birthday of Fr. ClarenceZachman, OMI. Age hasn’t slowedhim down. He still goes out and rakesleaves and trims trees.Right, l-r: Oblate Frs. Jim Allen, ClarenceZachman, Joe Ferraioli. -Photo by Fr. David Kalert, OMI.

“We think sometimes thatpoverty is only beinghungry, naked and

homeless. The poverty ofbeing unwanted, unloved

and uncared for is thegreatest poverty. We muststart in our own homes to

remedy this kind ofpoverty.”