Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod

- was born on August 1 1782, at Aix-en-Provence

-founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
- died May 21st 1861

Siblings(di ko syur spelling kay wala galabas sa google shuta)

-oldest Charlotte Elizabeth, died at the age of five,
- Charlotte Eugenie Antoinette, born three years after Eugene.

Charles Antoine de Mazenod

-Father of St. Eugene; president of the Audit Office of Provence,

Rose Joannis
-mother

August 2 1782 - He received the sacrament of baptism in the Madeleine Church in the same
town.

Bourbon School of Aix - He began his studies from 1789 to 1791.

1788 - A king ruled France controlling all aspects of life, most citizens were mistreated and
lived in poverty

Age of 8 - Eugene and his family were immersed in the bloody events of the French
Revolution.

December 1790 - the revolutionaries threatened to hang charles-antoine in his own

courtyard because he had continued to defend his class privileges

December 14th - Tuesday, a lynch mob broke into the prison, dragged out two noblemen
and hung them from a lamppost outside the Demazenod home

Victor Amedeo III -St. Eugene was entrusted to the Barnabites

April 5, 1792 - received first communion

June 3, 1792 - confirmation from the hands of Cardinal Costa

May 2, 1794 - he left with his family for Venice, descending the river Po.

May 16 - November 11, 1797 - he stayed under the enlightened guidance of a holy priest,
Don Bartolo Zinelli

Venice - he heard the first call to the priesthood.

Adriatic to Manfredonia - sailed for 45 days

January 1 1798 - on the evening, he reached Naples and remained during the entire year

January 3, 1799 - he had to embark, together with his father and two uncles, in portuguese
boat for Palermo

January 6, 1799 - arrived at Palermo

Princess of Larderia - who acted as a second mother for him

October 11, 1802 - he embarked for France, where his mother was insisting that he return.

Paris in 1805 - trying to get back his father's possessions, he endeavoured to find some
position for them, in keeping with their rank, even thought of returning to Palermo and
making a career in Sicily.

1806 - he was appointed administrator of the prisons of the city

Two sorts of opinion according to St. Eugene: political and religious.

1806 or 1807 - during Good Friday, upon seeing the Cross, he shed bitter tears for his past
life.

October 12, 1808 - he was 26 yrs old, when he entered the Saint-Sulpice Seminary in Paris
in order to dedicate himself in a more special way to the service of God and to try to revive
the faith which is disappearing among the poor

December 21, 1811 - received the priestly ordination at Amiens from Bishop Demandoix
thus avoiding being ordained , by Cardinal Maury - the unapproved bishop of paris

March 7,1813 - began his priestly ministry among the poor and in Provençal in the
Madeleine Church, which today houses the font where he was baptised.

February 7, 1814 - he led an association of young men which he’s founded to acclaim Pius
VII, still a prisoner, on his way to Savona.

1814 - caught the typhus epidemic,he spent three months between life and death.

January 25,1816
- he established the Society of the Missionaries of Provence for the evangelisation of poor
people in the country and the preaching of popular missions.
-with a small group of priests from the diocese, among whom Father Templer vicar at Arles

Grans - where the Missionaries of Provence preached their first mission

1817 - During the summer of this year, St. Eugene went to Paris in order to obtain legal
protection for his Society, exposed to the opposition of Jansenists and Gallicans.
August 23 1817 - he learned that his uncle Canon Fortuné had been appointed Bishop of
Marseilles. This appointment also made it possible for his father to return to France.

He returned to Aix, continued his ministry and preaching of missions, among which we
should note the one given in Marseilles in 1820 in the company of the Missionaries of France
founded by M. Rauzan with Charles de Forbin Janson - closed friend of St. Eugene

This mission was the occasion for the opening of a house called Calvaire in Marseilles in
1821.

Notre Dame du Laus - first to be accepted outside of Provence in 1818, which was the
beginning of great changes in the Society.

During the month of September,St. Eugene retired to the family residence of Saint-Laurent-
de-Verdon and, and using St. Alphonsus Liguori as his inspiration, he finished writing the
Rules and Constitutions of the Missionaries of Provence in thirteen days.

November 1, 1818 - beginning with the youngest, the members who so wished made their
consecration to God by the vows of chastity, obedience and perseverance.

1821- vow of poverty was adopted

1825
- the expansion of the Society beyond the limits of Provence made it necessary, to change
the name Missionaries of Provence into that of Oblates of Saint Charles in honor of the
saintly archbishop of Milan
-the same year the founder decided to request for his Society the pontifical approbation.

Venerable Charles Dominique Albini

- entered the Congregation in 1824
- set out for Rome in November 1825

Leo XII - he approved the Congregation, under the new name of Missionary Oblates of Mary
Immaculate, on February 17, 1826, without having to pass through the traditional Decretum
laudis.

January 13, 1823 - the appointment of his uncle Fortuné to the see of Marseilles, was
confirmed by Paus VII

July 6, 1823 - St. Eugene became a Vicar General of Diocese

October 14, 1832 - the consecration took place, in Rome, in the church of St. Sylvester of
the Quirinal
(ITO KAY YUNG SHORT BIOGRAPHY AND PERSONALITY NYA, BASAHIN MO KUNG
MASIPAG KA AND UU MASIPAG AKO SMOL THINGZ)

Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod was born on 1st August 1782, at Aix-en-

Provence, of Charles Antoine de Mazenod, president of the Audit Office of Provence,
and of Rose Joannis. He received the sacrament of baptism the following day in. the
Madeleine Church in the same town. He began his studies at the Bourbon School of
Aix from 1789 to 1791.

Because his father, of a noble family and therefore exposed, after the outbreak of the French
Revolution, to the popular hatred of the Mirabeau Tribune had taken refuge in Nice, during
the last days of 1790, young Eugene joined him in this Italian town on 23rd April 1791. After
five months, he was sent to Turin to continue his studies at the Royal School of Nobles, then
entrusted to the Barnabites by Victor Amedeo III. He received first communion on 5th
April 1792 and confirmation on the following 3rd June. - from the hands of Cardinal
Costa,

In search of a more secure refuge against the advancing revolutionaries, he left with his
family for Venice on 2nd May 1794, descending the river Po.

Arriving ther on 16th May, he stayed until 11th November 1797. Under the enlightened
guidance of a holy priest, Don Bartolo Zinelli, he was initiated to the first formation properly
speaking. In fact it was in Venice that he heard the first call to the priesthood.

Blessed Eugene was later to write that it was to this sojourn in Venice that I owe all the good
I have been able to accomplish in my life... A decisive time for me when the foundations of
religion and piety on which God in his mercy was to build the edifice of my spiritual life, were
laid in my soul which was prepared by the skilful hands of one who was a man of God and
by the grace of the Holy Spirit... It was at this time that my vocation to the ecclesiastical state
began and perhaps also my vocation to a more perfect way of life... had we remained for
another year in Venice I would have followed my holy director and his brother into the
religious Con gregation which they had chosen...» (').

But as the Revolution continued to progress, the young de Mazenod had to leave Venice
toge ther with his father and his two uncles; in fact his mother and his young sister had
returned to France. On a manzera carrying Istrian and Dal matian oxen, he sailed for 45
days on the Adriatic down to Manfredonia; then, on the evening of January 1st, he reached
Naples. Here he remained during the entire year and on 3rd January 1799. in the Eourse of
a day's popular uprising against the French émigrés, who were considered spies of the
invaders, he had to embark, always together with his father and the two uncle, boat for
Palermo where he arrived on 6th January 1799.
In Palermo he become acquainted with all the European nobility that had taken refuge there
and made valuable contacts for the future; very close was his friendship with the
Cannizzaros and the princess of Larderia who acted as a second mother for him. But the
idle, pleasure-loving life of the aristocracy of Palermo, together with the lack of occupation of
the refugees of the French aristocracy were anything but a spiritual benefit to him. The
vocation to the priesthood was almost forgotten and he was seized by aristocratic tastes.
On 11th October 1802, as soon as Napoleon repealed the laws against the émigrés and the
freedom of the seas was restored thanks to the peace with England, he embarked for
France, where his mother was insisting that he return.

On returning to his birth-place, Aix, his first concern was to re-establish his family in France,
trying to get back his father's possessions, which had been confiscated. His father and his
uncles had remained in Palermo. Failing in his efforts, he endeavoured to find some position
for them, in keeping with their rank. As a last resort he even thought of returning to Palermo
and making a career in Sicily. For this purpose he made journey to Paris in 1805, but he was
unable obtain the necessary passport and went back to Aix. The following year he was
appointed adminis frator of the prisons of the city in which, so many material worries
notwithstanding, he had been deeply engaged a the exercise of the Liv

apostolate, Colfronted with the unhappy religious situa tion, he felt the call to the
ecclesiastical state. which he had heard in Veu wake in his

Although a hose revionaly b critical of the concordet between Napoleon and the Holy See,
we find him in August 1805 making every effort to convert to it his father and his uncles who
were then still resident in Palermo, He writes: There are two sorts of opinion: one is political
and the other is religious. Everyone is free to think as he will about the former... But for the
latter it is quite a different matter. By the very fact that a person is a Catholic he is not
permitted to choose or to follow his own whim. It is necessary to follow the decisions of him
who is established to teach, and if there is a division those who are not with Peter are in

error» (7). On Good Friday of the year 1806 or 1807, on seeing the Cross», he shed bitter
tears for his past life and nothing could stop them flowing(").

Once again God had laid hold of him and this time it was for good.

On 12th October 1808, in spite of his mother's resistance which was to last until his
ordination, he entered the Saint-Sulpice Seminary in Paris in order to dedicate himself in a
more special way to the service of God and to try to revive the faith which is disappearing
among the poor () He was 26 years old.

In the seminary of Saint-Sulpice he developed a great love for the Church and became the
confidant of M. Enery in his opposition to Na poleon, and secretely helped several black cur
dinals who remained gratoul to him and food of him. The persecutions faced by the Church
at that time didn't stop him; all these disasters will not make me change my plans, he wrote
to his mother ("). Indeed on 21st December 1811,received the priestly ordination at Amiens
from Bishop Demandoix thus avoiding being ordained by Cardinal Maurym the unapproved
bishop of paris

After a year spent as director at the Saint Sulpice Seminary, the young priest returned to Aix
and, on 7th March 1813, began his priestly ministry among the poor and in Provençal in the
Madeleine Church, which today houses the font where he was baptised.

The same year, he founded an association of young men, whom he led on 7th February
1814, to acclaim Pius VII, still a prisoner, on his way to Savona. As Napoleon's defeats had
made it necessary to transfer prisoners of war to the South, Aix was full of Austrians. Their
chaplain having died during the typhus epidemic, Father Eugene de Mazenod took his place.
But he caught the illness himself and in the spring of 1814 he spent three months between
life and death.

On 25th January 1816, after receiving the approbation of the vicars general of Aix and after
taking over a portion of the old convent of the carmelites, he established with a small group
of priests from the diocese, among whom Father Templer vicar at Arles, the Society of the
Alissio naries of Provence for the evangelisation of poor people in the country and the
preaching of popular missions.

These pour beginnings were perfectly in harmony with the desires of the missionaries: a
lamp placed on the threshold between the rooms pro vided light for the whole apartment, a
plank resting on two barrels was used as a table. After a ten-day retreat the Missionaries of
Provence preached their first mission in Grans. Many others were to follow. They were
directed personally by Father de Mazenod and were always preceded by a period of
preparation spent in prayer, penance and study. The church attached to the convent soon
became known among the people of Aix as the Church of the Mission.

During the summer of 1817 Father de Ma zenod went to Paris in order to obtain legal pro
tection for his Society, exposed to the opposition of Jansenists and Gallicans. He took
advantage of this journey to find a position for his father and his uncles, who were still in
Palermo. He did not obtain anything for his Society! But on 23rd August he learned that his
uncle Canon Fortuné had been appointed Bishop of Marseilles. This appointment also made
it possible for his father to return to France.

On his return to Aix he continued his ministry and his preaching of missions, among which
we should note the one given in Marseilles in 1320 in the company of the Missionaries of
France founded by M. Rauzan with Charles de Forbin

Janson, a close friend of Eugene de Mazenod This mission was the occasion for the
opening of a house called Calvaire in Marseilles in 1821.

Previcarly, in 1818, the house of None Danie du Laus had been accepted. This
establishment, which was the best to be accepted outside of Provence, was the beginning of
great changes in the Society. Although Father de Mazenod was anxious to have some form
of vows, the Mis sionaries of Provence were not bound by any vow up to this time. The
expansion of the Society and the need for unity provided an excellent occasion for the
establishment of certain rules and regulations. During the month of Sep tember, therefore,
Father de Mazenod retired to the family residence of Saint-Laurent-de-Verdon and, using St
Alphonsus Liguori as his inspiration, he finished writing the Rules and Constitutions of the
Missionaries of Provence in thirteen days. On the 1st of November 1818, beginning with the
youngest, the members who so wished made their consecration to God by the vows of
chastity, obedience and perseverance. The vow of poverty was adopted in 1821.

Moreover the expansion of the Society beyond the limits of Provence made it necessary, in
1825, to change the name Missionaries of Provence into that of Oblates of Saint Charles in
honor of the saintly archbishop of Milan; the same year the founder decided to request for
his Society the pontifical approbation.

Encouraged above all by the Venerable Char les Dominique Albini, who entered the Congre
gation in 1824, he set out for Rome in November 1825. There he found some of the
Cardinals be had helped in Paris during their exile under Bonaparte. The Congregation,
under the new name of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, was approved by Leo XII,
on 17th February 1826, without having to pass through the traditional Decretum laudis.

Meanwhile the appointment of his uncle For tuné to the see of Marseilles, delayed by the
non ratification of the new Concordat with the Holy See, was confirmed by Paus VII on 13th

January 1823, and on 6th July of the same year. Eugene de Mazenod became vicar general
of the diocese.

 In his capacity as vicar general Blessed Eugene gave all possible assistance to the
Bishop of Marseilles in the reconstruction of the diocese, in the reform of the
institutions and in the re-esta blishment of the Roman liturgy. On 30th September,
1832, at the request of Msgr Fortuné, Gregory XVI raised him to the episcopal dignity
with the title of bishop in partibus of Icosia and of apostolic visitor of Tunisia and
Tripoli, while remaining vicar general of Marseilles. The con secration took place on
14th October 1832, in Rome, in the church of St. Sylvester of the Quirinal. This
nomination, made without obtain ing previously the permission of the King of France,
at once brought down the ire of the French government, which was then openly anti
religious, upon Bishop de Mazenod He was denounced as a political agitator. As the
Holy See continued to defend the nomination and the work of Blessed Eugene, the
French government took its revenge by depriving him of French nationality and
obliging him to retire from public life. In 1835, the situation in France changed. The
government, finding itself compelled to seek the benevolence of Catholics, adopted a
different policy towards the Church. So, and thanks above all to the intervention of
Father Hippolyte Guibert OMI, future Cardinal Archbishop of Paris, Blessed Eugene
was reestablished in his rights as bshop. On 9th April, 1837, unknown to him, he was
appointed the successor of Msgr Fortuné to the see of Marseilles and le governed
the diocese until 1861, accomplishing the work of fifteen centuries, according to
Timon David (efe. Doc. VII, 74)

During Pius IX's exile at Gacta, the bishop of Marseilles distinguished himself by his filial
attach ment to the Holy Father and on 1st April 1851 he received the sacred pallium. Ile was
nominated assistant to the pontifical throne on 29th November 1854 and that year he was
invited to go to Rome for the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception which he
defended against those who wished to delay its proclamation. Appointed senator of the
Empire, as doyen of the bishops of France, on 24th June 1856, he was officially proposed
for the cardinalship, on 26th August 1859, by Napoleon III. But he was not created cardinal
owing to the events of which the Church was the centre in the second half of the last
century.

Although bishop of a large diocese, he remained at the head of his Congregation. In his
capacity as Superior general he sent his missionaries to England and Canada in 1841, in
1847 to the United States and Ceylon, in 1850 to South Africa. In 1859 his missionaries were
announcing the Good News beyond the Polar Circle. He gave episcopal consecration to five
of his religious, including the future cardinal of Paris, Msgr Guibert, and the Venerable Vital
Grandin, first bishop of St. Albert (Edmonton) in Canada.

At the beginning of 1861 he fell seriously ill A tumor had formed near the heart On the 21st
of May of that same year, the Tuesday of Pen tecost week, he surrendered his soul to God
as the last words of the Salve Regina were bring recited at the conclusion of Complie in the
final moments of his life he made his last will and testament to his missionaries: Among
yourselves. practice charity. Elavity city and outside, zeal for the salvation of sun
A missionary, founder, bishop, senator, pre sented for the cardinalship, Charles Joseph
Eugene de Mazenod is certainly, by his works and the ecclesiastical and civil offices he
filled, an outstand ing personality in the ecclesiastical and civil history of France in the last
century.

He was one of the great restorers of religious and social life after the Revolution, a man with
a passionate love for the salvation of all souls, persevering defender of the unity of the
Church, the rights of the Holy See, Catholic doctrine in general and the dogmas of the
Immaculate Con ception and pontifical Infallibility in particular. He was moreover a precursor
of our times in many matters and marked the passing of the Church in France to a new
period; that is a period of distinct independence with regard to political regimes, judging from
a specifically religious stand point, with a view to more pastoral and cateche tical action. It is
not without reason that many French bishops have considered and still consider him as their
model.

This makes it possible to understand why Msgr de Mazenod was the object of the esteem.
the trust and the attention of four popes and why he enjoyed great veneration in France and
in the Catholic world, and was honoured by kings. presidents and emperors of his country
and of other nations, in spite of his opposition, always fairly expressed, to some of them

A perfect sense of the Clare, a beart over flowing with Cathodity, at ward of himself. and a
very high come the episcopacy allowed him to dedicate his oppletely to his missionary
activity and the same con, to his diocese and to the add the Christine world

He put at their service all the natural gifts with which God had certainly enriched him, as well
as the virtues that grace and his great desire for perfection continually developed in him:
zeal, piety, charity, mortification, supernatural spirit, uprightness, magnanimity, constancy,
humility and prudence. Gifts and virtues the development of which were fostered by
providential circumstances, such as exile and his formation in Italy, contacts with great
educators such as Fr. Leopold Scati in Turin, don Bartolo Zinelli in Venice, M. Emery and M.
Duclaux in Paris. His return to France just at the right time made it possible for him to
understand the rising generation.

His Congregation, the Oblates of Mary Imma culate, which had already spread all over the
world during the life-time of Blessed Eugene de Mazenod, venerated him and recognized
him as their father, teacher and leader until the last mo ments of his earthly existence. From
this Congre gation, already so meritorious in the field of Mis sions, there came a Saint:
Pierre Julien Eymard who became the founder of the Priests of the Blessed Sacrament,
three Venerables: Msgr Vital Grandin, Fr. Charles Dominique Albini and Fr. Joseph Gérard,
several Servants of God and nu merous pioneers of the apostolate.

The diocese of Marseilles which he created, it might be said, from nothing, had under his
episco pacy a flowering of works that placed it at the head of French dioceses. In imitation of
his Patron saints, Alphonse de Liguori and Charles Borromeo, Blessed Eugene reformed the
institutions, trained a numerous highly qualified clergy, opened the doors of the diocese to a
whole series of religious institutes, encouraged diocesan foundations, built or reconstructed
many churches - including the cathedral and the sanctuary of N.D. de la Garde -, instituted
common life for the clergy and provided for their needs. His pastoral action was
characterized, in addition to his per sonal example, by typically missionary methods, by
special attention to the less privileged classes who at that time formed the masses, by a real
opening to all forms of the apostolate and by an effort to unite all available resources and all
persons dedicated to the good of souls.

Blessed Eugene de Mazenod was acquainted with all the problems of the universal Church;
he bore his share and played his role with the con sciousness of his own responsibility and a
great sense of measure, always guided by the desire to discover good and the will of God in
events and in men. This does not mean that he accepted compromise and change easily. If
there are any in his life, it was always those of the Holy See itself by whose light he was
constantly guided. He was astonishingly stable in thought and in life. A deeply practical spirit,
he never felt any enthusiasm for novelty for its own sake; he was the first bishop of France to
re-establish the Roman liturgy but he did not approve of the impatience and exag geration of
the reformers of the time, nor did he engage in futile polemics. He always desired a common
action of the episcopacy when circum stances called for it, but he never encouraged
movements which might have caused the Church to lose its freedom and turn the faithful
away from what he thought was most important and necessary: a more commaal
sacramental Christian life.

In answer to the needs of the Churches everywhere his heart was always open and his
action prompt; whether it was the persecuted
Church in Spain, the Irish Church struck by the famine or the sorely tried Church of Bogotá.
His house became an international centre for hospi tality; his diocese was a refuge for exiles
and workers from many countries. In Marseilles there was a work of assistance for Germans,
for Italians, for Austrians. The life of Bishop de Mazenod was filled with genuine successes,
but he was also subjected to suffering from beginning to end: exile, calumny, ingratitude,
persecutions. Without any show of bravado he accepted his sufferings and continued with
faith and courage to accomplish the task entrusted to him by God.

Although his activity and his accomplishments are the most striking side of his life, Bishop de
Mazenod was truly a man of deeply interior life. The unity, coherence and coordination of his
whole existence sprang from his total giving of himself to God which resulted in his
ascetecism and his apostolate. For himself and for his missionaries he always wanted the
religious life, self-denial, a serious effort at self-reformation and at becoming saints before
working for the con version of others and answering the needs of the Church. His zeal was
contintrally nourished by prayer, devotion and austerity; his confidence in God was the
foundation of all his great enter prises for the Kingdom of God and for his people,
HYMN
St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned
You are sent to all the poor preaching the gospel evermore.
Teach us to love Christ crucified, with fervent hearts
For the church He saved. You see Christ persecuted
Among the poor neglected.

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor preaching the gospel evermore.

From being a sinner you became a missionary

Preaching in God’s name.
You served the poor dejected,
The poor so precious in God’s eyes.

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor preaching the gospel evermore.

Gather men who would be Oblates,

For God’s love to touch the desolate.
Guided by Mary Immaculate,
The world in God’s love illuminates.

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor
Preaching the gospel evermore

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor
Preaching the gospel evermore.

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor
Preaching the gospel evermore.
Preaching the gospel evermore.

HYMN
St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned
You are sent to all the poor preaching the gospel evermore.
Teach us to love Christ crucified, with fervent hearts
For the church He saved. You see Christ persecuted
Among the poor neglected.
St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned
You are sent to all the poor preaching the gospel evermore.

From being a sinner you became a missionary

Preaching in God’s name.
You served the poor dejected,
The poor so precious in God’s eyes.

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor preaching the gospel evermore.

Gather men who would be Oblates,

For God’s love to touch the desolate.
Guided by Mary Immaculate,
The world in God’s love illuminates.

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor
Preaching the gospel evermore

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor
Preaching the gospel evermore.

St. Eugene de Mazenod loving the most abandoned

You are sent to all the poor
Preaching the gospel evermore.
Preaching the gospel evermore.

(OTHER SIDE OF STUGGLES ITO YUNG 3 VIDEO, AND UU GIMANO MANO KO, AGAIN
MASIPAG AKO DI KO LANG ALAM BAKT BUBU AKO PAG EXAM TAENA)

“You can be sure of this. I know in my heart that I am destined to do some good.”
St. Eugene de Mazenod, Other Side of Struggle (The Early Years, Part 1):
Ever wonder what people gathered at your funeral will remember about you, what goodness
are you destined to accomplish with your life? This is the tomb of St. Eugene de Mazenod,
founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who died May 21st 1861. He
came from a troubled family. lived in a violent and unjust society and suffered through
stressful personal situations. Each experience shaped him into a man people remembered
as inspiring dignity, building community, and aging lives by responding to the needs of those
most abandoned. Eugene's family was not perfect. His father Charles Antoine was
president of the court of accounts, a highly educated and high-ranking official who lived
wildly beyond his means. The Demazenods have always had financial problems and
borrowed heavily to pay their debts as a way out. charles-antoine did what most men did in
that situation, married a wealthy woman putting money first and love if it came at all second.
a marriage was arranged between 33 year-old Charles Antoine and a wealthy but
middle class 18 year old named Marie Rose Jonas. Her family probably knew the
Demazenods needed money but they wanted their daughter to marry into high society. The
families drew up a contract on February 2nd 1778 and the couple married the next day.
They had three children, the oldest Charlotte Elizabeth died at the age of five, Charles
Joseph Eugene the only boy was next followed, by Charlotte Eugenie Antoinette born
three years after Eugene. The family townhouse with its courtyard and garden was on the
most elegant street in Ex France surrounded by a dozen servants; their family of four lived a
happy and privileged life. Already by the age of five Eugene showed his headstrong and
impulsive personality with its explosive temper and upper-class prejudices. Eugene's
father had a difficult personality and it bothered him to see he had passed it on to his son but
Eugene also had compassion and sensitivity. one day saying a little charcoal gatherer
dressed in tattered rags, he traded his own clothes jacket, britches, and shoes with the boy
returning home his embarrassed nanny and horrified mother scolded this son of a president
of Parliament “should not a president son dress differently from a charcoal gatherers son”
Eugene replied simply “very well I will be president of the charcoal haulers”. A king ruled
France in 1788 controlling all aspects of life. most citizens were mistreated and lived in
poverty while the king's family and those in high positions lived in obscene luxury. For
example when Queen Marie Antoinette's first daughter was born, she limited the number of
servants attending the baby to only 80. At the age of 8 Eugene and his family were
immersed in the bloody events of the French Revolution. Years of economic crisis and
several bad harvests left taxpayers' panellists hungry and rioting in the cities. the king
needing money to support his expensive lifestyle decided to tax the nobility, this had never
been done and charles-antoine, part of this privileged class, refused. the King resented the
Pope's Authority and sought to control the church by demanding that priests be answerable
only to the government. Pope Eius VI objected and the king responded violently beheading
those who disagreed; of the 42 thousand killed most were peasants and workers. In
December 1790, the revolutionaries threatened to hang charles-antoine in his own
courtyard because he had continued to defend his class privileges despite the
hardships it caused the poor. he escaped to Italy, disguised as a huntsman the threat was
real. on Tuesday December 14th a lynch mob broke into the prison, dragged out two
noblemen and hung them from a lamppost outside the Demazenod home from his
window Eugene could see the two dangling corpses, a reminder that his father could be one
of them. charles-antoine safe in italy feared his son would be murdered in this violence and
sent Eugene's uncle for the child. After many arguments his mother and her family finally
agreed to Eugene's departure, fearing the Revolutionists he would leave in secret. the boy
begged to visit a family he was very close to feeling the tears about to flow he hugged them
and quickly left with a simple goodbye recalling Eugene's sensitivity they admired his
extraordinary courage, it would be 12 years before he would return to X. Within a short time
his mother joined them. charles-antoine was disappointed to learn that she would come only
if she brought her mother, great aunt, and cousins with her. staying longer than expected in
Italy, Eugene was enrolled in a school run by a religious group of priests. the superior
father Leopold scottie was a man of common sense and excellent human qualities
who balanced discipline and caring. there was another reason his parents chose the
city of Turin, they wanted the King's personal surgeon to remove a growth near
Eugene's left eye that was disfiguring his face. one thing to spare his parents worry
Eugen begged father Scotty to change the time of the operation, father Scotty did so but
Eugene frightened by all the surgical instruments called off the operation, returning to his
dormitory Eugene felt overwhelmed and defeated kneeling down he prayed for help now
believing in God's strength his fear vanished. he ran to father Scottie asking that the
surgeon be called back since anaesthesia was not used at that time Eugene underwent
the ten-minute operation fully conscious seeing and hearing everything. His parents
arrived to find him already healing. In April of 1794 the demazenod’s pooled their money
with other refugees to charter a boat for a 12 day voyage to Venice, Italy. Venice, once
of first-class maritime and commercial power, had become a city of promiscuous pleasure
seekers. Despite the carnival atmosphere, Eugene's family anxiously worried about their
limited finances and unknown future, leaving the twelve-year-old bored and depressed.
realizing that Demazenods could not afford to pay for Eugene's education, their pastor
asked a good young priest, Father Barlow Zanelli to tutor him. Each day for 3 years,
Eugene crossed the street to study at this ,an alley home. After lunch, he and father Bartolo
went for a walk, always stopping to pray at one of the churches. in the evening they prayed
evening prayers and the Rosary. Bishop demands in odd wrote that his vocation to the
priesthood dated back to that time. the experience provided the stable and nurturing
atmosphere missing from his family. his parents relationship was falling apart. there was
the 15-year age gap between them, differences in their education, and opposite ideas
about saving and spending money. a more serious problem was the constant
interference of Marie rose's mother, unable to endure the stress his mother took
Eugene's sister Nanette and returned to France in 1795 by divorcing her husband
Marie Rose recovered the family's property and money, gave up her title of nobility
and became part of the middle class, their divorce split the family. Eugene, his father,
and uncle travelled from Venice to Naples to stay ahead of the French armies and bad
business deals. As refugees his father described their situation, misery, and destitution as
our only outlook. On the evening of January 6th 1799, they arrived in another Italian city
- Palermo, immediately on his arrival he stepped into a life of luxury. Eugene felt as if
divine providence led him to the friendship of the Duke and Duchess of Kanazawa. he
was treated as one of the family like a brother to their sons. The rooms were luxurious,
the meals magnificence and servants plentiful. There was always a place set for him at their
table and he went along to their summer home . the Duchess provided his life with more
than material goods in entertainment. She encouraged him in reading and public speaking
skills and other areas where his education was lacking, besides correcting his egotistical
behaviour this saintly woman taught him the spiritual dimension of justice. most of her
income went to the poor and she chose Eugene to distribute this money, was it then
that he began to realize what real poverty could be. In May 1802 Eugene mourned the
death of the Duchess, his second mother; her generosity toward those in need had been
an inspiring example. Eugene's grief was intensified by his mother's demand that he
returned to France alone, amid tears and hugs Eugene left his father and uncles behind in
Italy and arrived in France with no one to greet him. His parents loved him but placed him
into the middle of an emotional tug of war. Now 20 he had to begin his life again,
impressed by the example of fathers in Ellie's life he considered becoming a priest .
Now however he seriously considered getting married only for business reasons of course.
Marie Rose sought out possible marriage partners from a wealthy family he described the
first young woman as having a lovely face and a fine figure, before the details were settled
she died of tuberculosis he told his father the plan fell through let's drop the subject. The
second prospect had a dowry of 40,000 francs at marriage and another 20,000 at the death
of her parents. Eugene complained that he wanted a wife with a hundred fifty thousand
francs and better than middle-class, except for the time in Naples Eugene lived very little
with his father. through letters the cultured charles-antoine tried to correct Eugene's flaws,
he wrote “I recommend that you try to be more genteel and amiable, you were correct but
being correct is not all that matters, you were also expected to observe certain amenities
speaking very brusque Lee and peevishly slapping your gloves on the table that was not the
way to act my boy. I have an obligation to see that you learn how to conduct yourself in
polite society.'' Amidst all this shallowness stirring within Eugene was an urge to live a
deeper Christian life. In December 1805, he was on the path leading to his conversion. his
sensitivity could not tolerate injustice even for those convicted of crimes. A week after joining
a church association at the service of prisoners, he was protesting against the Baker who
provided bad bread to the men behind bars. Eugene also organized numerous collections to
aid the poor. His father continued in exile practically penniless and was cared for by his
brother and Eugene. eventually charles-antoine returned to France where he died at age
75 on October 20th 1820. His mother was a complex person; he experienced her pious
devotion to the Virgin Mary but also her mood swings in which she could be compassionate
but also coolly explosive self-sacrificing and self-centred, loving and spiteful. Although she
didn't always show it, she did love her son and Eugene genuinely loved his mother. Madame
Damascena died at X, in 1851 at the age of 91. Eugene the compassionate child that gave
the clothes off his back to a child in need. the haughty self-centred and shallow adolescent
who believed he knew everything. a man intolerant of injustice who says to us “we are put on
this earth to sanctify ourselves by helping one another by our example, our words, and our
prayers.” searching for meaning in the face of God, he found both in helping the abandoned
reach the other side of struggle.

“I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans for peace, not harm, to give you a
future and a hope. When you call to me and come and pray to me, I shall listen to you if you
seek me with all your heart, I shall let you find me.”
St. Eugene de Mazenod, Other Side of Struggle (Trusting the Mystery, Part 2):
St. Eugene de Mazenod dared to invite the most abandoned into God's blessing,helping
them see their dignity as God's chosen. A saint is not a perfect person in the Greek sense of
having no flaws, perfection in the biblical sense is one who is faithful in their relationship with
God. often our brokenness leaves us feeling overwhelmed. brokenness in the form of anger,
fear, illness, addictions, and broken relationships disrupt our lives. for Saint Eugene the
working of Providence was a great mystery that needed to be accepted even when
difficult and painful by taking up our cross of brokenness and putting it under the blessing of
God we begin to discover that somewhere deep within that brokenness lies our real and
beautiful self. Eugene de Mazenod looked for happiness but found feelings of emptiness,
failure in uniting his divorcing parents, and indecision in what to do with his life. at a Good
Friday service the meaning of Jesus' death profoundly affected him. love had freed Jesus to
willingly give his life. Eugene feeling so deeply loved by God, could not control his tears
searching for a meaningful life but without a set plan he sought the advice of father declo
well known for his spiritual wisdom then despite his parents doubts, 26 year old Eugene
entered the seminary of San so peace in Paris. As a seminarian Eugene gave religious
instruction to the poorest children of the parish, apologizing, the superior promised that in
time he would have a better choice but Eugene preferred the poor. Seminary life was a joy to
him in,its friendly and trustful atmosphere his narrow beliefs broadened and he learned to
appreciate other viewpoints. by confessing his ignorance of many things he began to rid
himself of his conceited self-willed attitude, however his flaws and shortcomings would be a
lifelong struggle.ordained a priest by Bishop demi dholtze on December 21st 1811 father de
mazenods returned to X accompanied by brother Mar, a Trappist monk he met in the
seminary. The two lived with Eugene's grandmother and mother; later this experience would
motivate him to give oblate brothers responsibilities in their own right and not simply be
priests' helpers. Their strictly scheduled life and intense prayer prepared Father Demazenod
to envision his future as continuing the mission of Jesus. Jesus, empowered by the Spirit
through his baptism began his mission to preach, teach, and heal, fulfilling the call of the
prophet Isaiah. “the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; to
bring good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted.” these words inspired st.
Eugene de mazenod to respond to the needs of the poor, refusing all administrative jobs he
asked to be free to help those abandoned by the church such as youth, prisoners, those
considered insignificant. Even when prisoners were guilty Father Demazenod responded
with love rather than judgment. he gave communion to the condemned man or woman and
celebrated Mass in their prison cell then he accompanied the prisoner to the scaffold staying
through the final moments. Under Napoleon, French youth were forbidden to receive
religious instruction in state-run schools . although against the law, father Eugene
organized a Christian Youth Association. aware that the future depended on training young
people in positive values. for poor workers employed in insignificant jobs, he scheduled
mass at a time that was convenient for them, six
o'clock in the morning and spoke in their dialect - provençale. the first Sunday of Lent 1813
father Eugene asked the overflowing crowd why they willingly accepted their hopeless
misery, didn't they realize who they were in the eyes of God? “ you are the children of God,
the cherished, let your eyes look inward and see through the rags you wear. There within
you a soul created in the image of God more precious before God than all the riches of the
world. recognize your dignity.” the words had power because his actions proved he believed
in their dignity. Napoleon's Wars brought two thousand Austrian prisoners of war through
ex, a typhus epidemic ran through the overcrowded camp and the chaplain died. Father
Demazenod took his place and also contracted the disease. as he hovered near death the
youth group prayed before a statue of Mary, when his health was restored he and the youth
celebrated a mass of Thanksgiving in the same church, exhausted father de mazenods
realized that he could not do the work without the support of a community of companions. he
urgently invited father Henry thompiyey a humble country priest in his mid-twenties. “you are
necessary for the work which the Lord inspires us to undertake… dear friend vicars can
easily be found to replace you, but it would not be as easy to come across dedicated men
who wish to devote themselves to the glory of God and the salvation of souls.” the
impassioned writer forgot to sign his name, pleading father thompiyey to think it was a joke.
discovering its author and the need, father thompiyey replied “I share your views completely
you can therefore count entirely on me.'' In a friendship spanning 45 years father thompiyey
shared in father Eugene's decisions, curbed his temper and faithfully served the
congregation United by their common love of Christ, their opposite personalities work
together. to house the small community father de mazenods bought a
section of an old Carmelite convent not far from his family home. There were two small
upper rooms with a narrow stairway that led out to the street. The tiny community met and
cooked its meals in the smoky fireplace using a plank over two barrels as a table. In their
fervour hardships were happily accepted, their Chapel was joined to a dilapidated public
church that Father Demazenod eventually purchased; although it rained as much inside the
building as it did outside, this church of the mission still exists today. On January 25th 1816,
the feast of st. Paul's conversion the five priests formally asked the archdiocese for
permission to form a community called the missionaries of Provence and dedicated to
preaching missions. These missions did not replace but supported the efforts of the parish
priests. as missionaries they went out to the people offering them several days devoted to
personal renewal and reflection on their relationship with God. The religion of that time was
severe, it emphasized the horrors of evil and fear of eternal damnation. However Oblates
were to involve the heart and follow the style of Jesus preaching easily understood, sensitive
to their daily struggles, and focused on God's unconditional love. each mission ended by
setting up a mission cross to remind the people of their commitment. when the community
accepted the invitation to establish another house in the high Alps they felt it necessary to
write a plan of how they would live together so that the unity of the group would be
preserved. in the peace and solitude of his family Chateau at Saint Laurent du vert dal,
Eugene spent 13 days writing this rule of life. he based it on the rule of Saint Alphonsus
Liguori. When Father Eugene presented the rule to his companions; some were unwilling to
accept the section requiring that they make vows of chastity, obedience and perseverance
unto death in the society. In the name of the church can unfortunate Demazenod received
the vows of father Eugene on November 1st 1818. During the mass that followed the
founder accepted the vowels of four companion priests and three scholastic brothers. From
that time he referred to those who took vows as Oblates because their lives were totally
dedicated to God. only the Pope's formal approval would keep bishops from taking back the
priests they had lent to demazenod’s work. afraid of failing his small community of 25
members, Father demazenod hesitated to ask the Vatican. the shy and humble father
Charles Albini provided a providential sign at a community meeting. Father Albini stood up,
faced the founder and taking him firmly by the shoulders with both hands and begged “go to
Rome father, go”. Although he arrived in Rome on November 26 1825 it would be several
months before he met with the Pope. Impressed by stories of the missionaries' dedication to
the poor the Holy Father wanted to favour the congregation with formal approval, the
process began with three Cardinals evaluating the Oblate rule and recommending changes.
From Rome Father Demazenod wrote to Father Thompeyey that their goals to build up the
church, glorify God and sanctify souls could only succeed, “thanks to a very special
protection from God, to whom alone belongs the power to touch the hearts and guide the
Wills of men. On Saturday February 17th 1826 Pope Leo the 12th formally approved the
Institute, the rules, and constitutions of the missionary Oblates of the most holy and
Immaculate Virgin Mary. Eugene's uncle Canon Fortune Demazenod agreed to become
Bishop of Marseilles only if his nephew and father Thompeyey would serve as his vicars
general. They accepted, believing it would help the outlets. However, their absence left a
leadership vacuum at X, resulting in dissension in the congregation. From 1826 to 1831
there was a serious problem of perseverance during which 21 remained and 24 left. one of
the most difficult trials the founder endured began when Bishop fortune in his eighties
discovered the government's plan to discontinue his diocese when he died. he plotted to
have father Eugene Mae Bishop of cocea since that diocese was defunct Bishop
demazenod would remain in Marseilles thereby becoming its Bishop upon his uncle's death.
Pope Gregory xVI, without consulting the French authorities, quietly called Father
demazenod to Rome. Cardinal oldest Kalki ordained him bishop of echo sia in the church of
san Silvestro on october 14th 1832. The French government retaliated, bishop de mazenod
was stripped of his French citizenship and twice found himself in disfavour with the pope.
amid this controversy a severe outbreak of cholera hit Marseille many fled the highly
contagious and almost always fatal illness yet he remained working tirelessly to bring
comfort to the sick and died. when his housekeeper died of the disease he recorded his
thoughts. “ I cannot grasp how those who do not love human persons can love God, I see no
reason disown or even hide the feelings within me, I thank God for having given me a heart
that is better able to understand the heart of Jesus Christ,” Bishop demazenod came to be
known as having a heart as big as the world. The founder of the Oblates grew in his
dedication to the people and deep inner peace. inner peace came from his trusting
relationship with God, even during great periods of divine silence, he would never be
abandoned. God would lead him toward the other side of the struggle.

Never let yourself be beaten down by difficulties.”

St. Eugene de Mazenod, Other Side of Struggle (Legacy of Daring, Part 3):
Saint Eugene de Mazenod, founder of the missionary Oblates of Mary immaculate, made a
difference in countless lives of the poor. This legacy continues through the missionary
oblates and those who work and are associated with them. When the oblate rule of life was
presented to the vatican, the founders words ``We musts spare no effort” were translated
into the latin phrase “to leave nothing undared” in any language it is the challenge to go
beyond the ordinary. Rev. Ernest Ruch, OMI “For me it's particularly the fact that bishop has
not been very human. that he kept his character - a very hot character a character from the
south but he used this character not to destroy but he used it to build to, push others on. he
was a fiery preacher but he was also a good organizer. he had no time for wishy-washy
things or for wishy-washy people, he pushed them he pushed him to the
limit precisely because he had this character but it wouldn't have been enough to have this
character if he hadn't put it at the service of a mission inspired by the holy spirit.”
God is present in the world through charisms, a charism is a special gift given to an
individual by god's spirit for the good of the larger community. charisms are as diverse as the
needs they serve but always rooted in charity and collaboration just as god worked through
saint eugene, each of us is called to better the world through the unique circumstances of
our Lives. Rev. Alfred Hubenig, OMI “ A man who we see - who we can see in his life has
come from a dysfunctional family in dysfunctional times as a bishop he's had tough times
even with the vatican who abandoned him for a while and yet along comes this man today
and he says to us yes life is difficult yes life can deal you a dirty hand but if we realize that
we are chosen and we are blessed not chosen over others but chosen to be able to see the
chosenness of others.” Eugene's parents had an arranged marriage that combined his
mother's wealth and father's nobility. this compassionate child gave the clothes off his back
to a child in need as a haughty self-centered adolescent he believed he knew everything.
when he considered marriage it was only as a business transaction. despite the violence and
devastation of the french revolution and years exiled to another country, he developed
relationships that inspired and provided his life with a stability that his divorced family did not.
“I was only 12 years old when God planted in my heart the first real desires to devote my life
to the missions.” This desire came from listening to Father Zinelli read letters from
missionaries in foreign lands. The church in France was not meeting the needs of the poor
as a priest father demazenod responded to their needs with dignity, compassion, and a
christ-like love reshaping the spiritually damaged society. Rev. Alfred Hubenig, OMI “if you
look at him you can forgive a lot of the things that Demazenods did i mean sometimes he
was over enthusiastic but the man had fire, he faithfully followed the spirit and he could still
explode but the man was constantly working at right relationships. he had to apologize very
many times hey i can - i can identify with that.” To admit he had aired or overstepped himself
was extremely difficult. De mazenod - “just after ordination, i resolved to pronounce those
words that are so difficult for me to say. I'm wrong, I made a mistake.” saint eugene
struggled to come to terms with his emotions whether it was anger or affection such was the
case with father maria suzanne - a promising young oblate who attracted many through his
preaching enthusiasm and wisdom without any warning the founder publicly berated and
deposed him as superior this unexpected and ruthless condemnation deeply hurt father
suzanne who returned to mission preaching and literally worked himself to death.
After a painful illness he died at age 29, believing himself responsible, father De Mazenod
was devastated. since eugene's good friday conversion during his twenties, the crucified
christ symbolized an oblation - a total self-giving therefore he insisted that oblites always
wear the cross. he centred his life on the paschal mystery - the journey through suffering and
death that culminates in the transforming resurrection. Charity is essential to the Oblate
spirit. love each other as brothers and sisters. rejoice over the virtues and talents that others
possess as if we have them and bear with mildness the minor faults yet to be overcome. he
cautioned his men De mazenod - “ worry instead about virtue, regularity, good discipline,
and edification”. On Christmas eve 1837 he was named bishop of marseille contemplating
this work he prayed De mazenod - “for them i must be prepared to sacrifice comfort
inclinations rest even life Itself lord help me i want to be a good bishop.” his residence was
open daily from 10 a.m to 2 p.m whether wealthy or poor all were treated with the same
dignity and affection an occasional con artist out for some easy money rarely deceived the
bishop. his own life of strict poverty made him compassionate and sensitive. One day Bishop
De Mazenod dressed as a simple priest removed his shoes in the very middle of the street in
the dead of Winter after making a poor man put them on he went in his stocking feet to buy
another Pair. he encouraged people to know their Dignity. each morning at the docks the
wives of the fishermen would sell the night's Catch. Babeu considered queen of the fish
wives because of her imposing personality had been converted by a sermon on the prodigal
son, she then converted and married her common-law husband joseph, the coachman. in
1845 bishop De Mazenod encouraged babeu to form the sodality of saint anne among the
fish wives to continue their religious instruction. They also took the bishop to visit the poor
who were sick or dying. When France sought to expel the Jesuit fathers, no one dared to
carry out the order when the bishop had babeu and the fish wives stood guard around the
Jesuit residents. With the bishop's blessing, Babeu convinced her husband to form a
religious association of working men. each sunday the men gathered to pray and listen to
religious instructions, after just one year this conference of saint joseph had a thousand
members. for those from the upper class like bishop De Mazenod, giving money to charity
was a traditional obligation but he knew that wasn't enough. He worked to correct injustice
by promoting social services whereby the poor could attain a more decent life, others
followed his example. During the 1835 cholera epidemic in Ex, Oblate father Daniel Andre
coordinated the city's aid to victims using a local cafe as his centre. Bishop de Mazenod,
hearing of Ireland's famine and plague in the late 1840s, asked the people of his diocese to
help. De mazenod - “ let it not be said that they belong to one empire and we to another, as
long as men and women dwell on this Earth, we are all children of our father in Heaven and
neighbours to each other. Unknown - “and was very bad, all the immigrants from the famine
was There and he said something's got to be done for these people because eugene de
mazenod whatever the poor was he was there.” Saint Eugene insisted the missionaries be
ministers of mercy to the abandoned rather than seek flattery from the wealthy for eloquent
lectures. They spent their mornings in church available to anyone who wanted to discuss
problems or spiritual needs. brothers through their technical professional or pastoral service
exercised a fruitful ministry in situations not always open to the priest. after an exhausting
day the missionaries would sit down to a late simple meal after a few hours of sleep they
would rise at 3 30 a.m for prayer and the mission duties of the day. The founder prayed daily
before the blessed sacrament there he symbolically encountered his brother oblates
throughout the world and placed before God the joys and frustrations of the day. Prayer
renewed his energy and focused his mission. Bishop de Mazenod believed in people and
challenged them to go beyond just keeping the commandments. A good christian must also
help free the poor from their misery by working for Justice. When the right to vote was finally
given to the ordinary classes it meant that the majority of people had to walk a far distance to
the county seat to vote. Bishop de Mazenod allowed parish priests to dispense from the
obligation of Sunday mass, all persons for whom this would cause a hardship - a daring
decision since the French general elections of 1848 occurred on Easter sunday. De
mazenod - “ charity embraces everything and, whenever necessary for new needs it invents
new means; whether they be spiritual aids or temporal helps they are all given generously in
the name of Jesus christ.” With only 25 members bishop de Mazenod was convinced that
Oblates were destined to go overseas but where. the answer came in 1841 when bishop
bourget visited marseille to beg for oblige missionaries for canada. These oblates had to be
capable of facing challenges and dangers with determination and charity. Bishop de
Mazenod knew that leaving home never to return was difficult; he would stay up late to visit
with the departing missionaries. Rev Marcel Chenier OMI - “ he seems to be so interested in
his missionaries whenever they Write to him from montreal, from oregon, from western
canada, from texas, he is so interested in having the precise news of what's happening with
so and so and uh he would like to be there,” while father viton was in marseille the founder
wanted to favour this quiet and unassuming oblige who had suffered such great hardships in
canada. he had a magnificent pike stuffed and prepared for dinner during the meal bishop
de Mazenod Commented De mazenod - “i am sure that you never ate such a fish in your
poor mission in the north”. Father grandin hesitantly but humbly replied that when they fished
for winter provisions they saved the trout and char for themselves; the pike was frozen and
stored to feed the sled dogs. In life's difficulties the oblates always looked to Mary for help.
The founder's strong devotion to Mary was passed on to him from his mother's deep faith.
When a ship left the bay and reached the open sea the outgoing missionaries went up on
deck, looked back toward the virgin and sang the save regina-a Latin hymn asking for her
protection. Bishop De Mazenod died on may 21 1861 hearing his oblate sons prayerfully
gathered around his bed chanting this Hymn. on december 3rd 1995 the catholic Church
officially declared him Saint eugene de Mazenod, the celebration in Rome was attended by
Jesus Hernandez Serrano, who in 1987 was cured of an aggressive form of liver cancer
through Saint Eugene's Intercession. The celebration surrounding the canonization brought
today's oblates even closer to the spirit of the founder. Rev. Mokone Joseph Rathokoa,
OMIS - “ these three days it's a moment of celebration Of the reality that we have been
Living but today i see there's a moment really that we become one with the spirit of the
Founder. as a man who had a vision and who has been understood in many different
countries and today it becomes one spirit of the founder and we give this spirit to the church.
our challenge today is not to do things exactly as saint eugene de Mazenod did. the charism
challenges us to see the world as he saw, it through the eyes of Christ seeking out today's
most abandoned wherever they may be. Rev. John Hannah OMI - “he preached to the
servants those who nobody else were bothered about and in their own language he had the
common touch and he drew them with this i guess this warmth and this friendliness that
must have been so much part of him, his love for the poor i think always did attract me and i
think that's been our our strength as oblates. Rev. Marcel Chenier OMI -” we try to be close
to the poor, to those who don't have the possibility to defend themselves and have
themselves Heard. we try to help those and i think this particular trait of the mission with the
ablaze is still very living Everywhere. Rev. Ernest Ruch, OMI- “they've discovered that that
charism is not just for religious or for priests or for missionaries going to all kind of Countries
it's for everybody that what bishop de Mazenod has been saying what father de Mazenod
has been saying what saint eugene has been saying is the basic message of the gospel love
god love your neighbour because everything is contained in that”. the founder of the
missionary oblates Prayed De Mazenod - “what i ask of god is that he choose for us and
send us the people we need to do this work”. Even today, nearly a century and a half after
his passing, his legacy of daring calls us to hear the good news as we share it with the
abandoned and together we'll reach the other side of struggle.

Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod
- was born on August 1 1782, at Aix-en-Provence
-founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
- died May 21st 1861

Siblings(di ko syur spelling kay wala galabas sa google shuta)

-oldest Charlotte Elizabeth, died at the age of five,
- Charlotte Eugenie Antoinette, born three years after Eugene.

Charles Antoine de Mazenod

-Father of St. Eugene; president of the Audit Office of Provence,
Rose Joannis
-mother

August 2 1782 - He received the sacrament of baptism in the Madeleine Church in the same
town.

Bourbon School of Aix - He began his studies from 1789 to 1791.

1788 - A king ruled France controlling all aspects of life, most citizens were mistreated and
lived in poverty

Age of 8 - Eugene and his family were immersed in the bloody events of the French
Revolution.

December 1790 - the revolutionaries threatened to hang charles-antoine in his own

courtyard because he had continued to defend his class privileges

December 14th - Tuesday, a lynch mob broke into the prison, dragged out two noblemen
and hung them from a lamppost outside the Demazenod home

Victor Amedeo III -St. Eugene was entrusted to the Barnabites

April 5, 1792 - received first communion

June 3, 1792 - confirmation from the hands of Cardinal Costa

May 2, 1794 - he left with his family for Venice, descending the river Po.

May 16 - November 11, 1797 - he stayed under the enlightened guidance of a holy priest,
Don Bartolo Zinelli

Venice - he heard the first call to the priesthood.

Adriatic to Manfredonia - sailed for 45 days

January 1 1798 - on the evening, he reached Naples and remained during the entire year

January 3, 1799 - he had to embark, together with his father and two uncles, in portuguese
boat for Palermo

January 6, 1799 - arrived at Palermo

Princess of Larderia - who acted as a second mother for him

October 11, 1802 - he embarked for France, where his mother was insisting that he return.
Paris in 1805 - trying to get back his father's possessions, he endeavoured to find some
position for them, in keeping with their rank, even thought of returning to Palermo and
making a career in Sicily.

1806 - he was appointed administrator of the prisons of the city

Two sorts of opinion according to St. Eugene: political and religious.

1806 or 1807 - during Good Friday, upon seeing the Cross, he shed bitter tears for his past
life.

October 12, 1808 - he was 26 yrs old, when he entered the Saint-Sulpice Seminary in Paris
in order to dedicate himself in a more special way to the service of God and to try to revive
the faith which is disappearing among the poor

December 21, 1811 - received the priestly ordination at Amiens from Bishop Demandoix
thus avoiding being ordained , by Cardinal Maury - the unapproved bishop of paris

March 7,1813 - began his priestly ministry among the poor and in Provençal in the
Madeleine Church, which today houses the font where he was baptised.

February 7, 1814 - he led an association of young men which he’s founded to acclaim Pius
VII, still a prisoner, on his way to Savona.

1814 - caught the typhus epidemic,he spent three months between life and death.

January 25,1816
- he established the Society of the Missionaries of Provence for the evangelisation of poor
people in the country and the preaching of popular missions.
-with a small group of priests from the diocese, among whom Father Templer vicar at Arles

Grans - where the Missionaries of Provence preached their first mission

1817 - During the summer of this year, St. Eugene went to Paris in order to obtain legal
protection for his Society, exposed to the opposition of Jansenists and Gallicans.

August 23 1817 - he learned that his uncle Canon Fortuné had been appointed Bishop of
Marseilles. This appointment also made it possible for his father to return to France.

He returned to Aix, continued his ministry and preaching of missions, among which we
should note the one given in Marseilles in 1820 in the company of the Missionaries of France
founded by M. Rauzan with Charles de Forbin Janson - closed friend of St. Eugene

This mission was the occasion for the opening of a house called Calvaire in Marseilles in
1821.
Notre Dame du Laus - first to be accepted outside of Provence in 1818, which was the
beginning of great changes in the Society.

During the month of September,St. Eugene retired to the family residence of Saint-Laurent-
de-Verdon and, and using St. Alphonsus Liguori as his inspiration, he finished writing the
Rules and Constitutions of the Missionaries of Provence in thirteen days.

November 1, 1818 - beginning with the youngest, the members who so wished made their
consecration to God by the vows of chastity, obedience and perseverance.

1821- vow of poverty was adopted

1825
- the expansion of the Society beyond the limits of Provence made it necessary, to change
the name Missionaries of Provence into that of Oblates of Saint Charles in honor of the
saintly archbishop of Milan
-the same year the founder decided to request for his Society the pontifical approbation.

Venerable Charles Dominique Albini

- entered the Congregation in 1824
- set out for Rome in November 1825

Leo XII - he approved the Congregation, under the new name of Missionary Oblates of Mary
Immaculate, on February 17, 1826, without having to pass through the traditional Decretum
laudis.

January 13, 1823 - the appointment of his uncle Fortuné to the see of Marseilles, was
confirmed by Paus VII

July 6, 1823 - St. Eugene became a Vicar General of Diocese

30th September, 1832, at the request of Msgr Fortuné, Gregory XVI raised him to the
episcopal dignity with the title of bishop in partibus of Icosia and of apostolic visitor of Tunisia
and Tripoli, while remaining vicar general of Marseilles.

October 14, 1832 - the consecration took place, in Rome, in the church of St. Sylvester of
the Quirinal

French government, which was then openly anti religious, upon Bishop de Mazenod He was
denounced as a political agitator. As the Holy See continued to defend the nomination and
the work of Blessed Eugene, the French government took its revenge by depriving him of
French nationality and obliging him to retire from public life.

1835
the situation in France changed. The government, finding itself compelled to seek the
benevolence of Catholics, adopted a different policy towards the Church.
Father Hippolyte Guibert OMI, future Cardinal Archbishop of Paris
Because of his intervention, Blessed Eugene was re-established in his rights as a bishop

On 9th April, 1837

He was appointed the successor of Msgr Fortuné to the see of Marseilles and le governed
the diocese until 1861

1st April 1851 he received the sacred pallium

29th November 1854

 Ile was nominated assistant to the pontifical throne
 was invited to go to Rome for the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception

24th June 1856

Appointed senator of the Empire, as doyen of the bishops of France

26th August 1859

he was officially proposed for the cardinalship by napoleon

Although bishop of a large diocese, he remained at the head of his Congregation

1841
Sent his missionaries to England and Canada

1847
Sent his missionaries to the United States and Ceylon

1850
Sent his missionaries to South Africa

1859
his missionaries were announcing the Good News beyond the Polar Circle
He gave episcopal consecration to five of his religions, including the future cardinal of Paris,
Msgr Guibert, and the Venerable Vital Grandin, the first bishop of St. Albert (Edmonton) in
Canada.
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