VOL.47, NO.4 NOVEMBER 2016 Missionary Association of Mary Immaculate Pope Francis’s address to the Oblates meeting in the recent General Chapter. Dear Brothers, poor, to reach distant lands whose people were still ‘without a pastor’. It is with particular joy that Today, every land is a ‘missionary I welcome you, who represent land’, every human dimension is a a missionary religious Family missionary land, which awaits the dedicated to evangelization in proclamation of the Gospel. Pope the Church. I greet you all with Pius X1 defined you ‘specialists in difficult missions’. The scope of the affection, beginning with the Fr Louis Lougen and Pope Francis newly-elected Superior General mission today seems to expand every day, embracing ever new and his Council. You are here On the day of his canonization, poor people – men and women for the General Chapter, in the St. John Paul 11 defined Father with the face of Christ who plead year in which you celebrate the de Mazenod a ‘man of Advent’, for help, consolation, and hope in bicentennial of your foundation docile to the Holy Spirit in reading the most desperate situations of through the work of St Eugene the signs of the times and aiding life. Therefore, you are needed: de Mazenod, a young priest eager the work of God in the story of the your missionary daring and your to respond to the call of the Spirit. Church. May these characteristics availability to bring to all the Good At the beginning of its history, be present in you, his children. News, which frees and consoles. your Congregation laboured to May you also be ‘men of Advent’, reignite the faith, which the French capable of discerning the signs Revolution was extinguishing of the new times and guiding in the hearts of the poor in rural your brothers on the paths which Provence, overwhelming also God opens in the Church and in many ministers of the Church. the world. In the space of a few decades, it expanded throughout the five The Church is living, together with continents, continuing on the path the entire world, an epoch of great begun by the Founder, a man who transformation in the most diverse loved Jesus with passion and the areas. She needs men who carry in Church without conditions. their hearts the love of Jesus Christ, which permeated the heart of the Today you are called to renew this young Eugene de Mazenod, and twofold love, remembering the the same unconditional love for the Fr Christian Fini with Pope Francis two hundred year lifespan of your Church, which seeks to be a house religious Institute. Your jubilee, ever more open. It is important to for a fortuitous and providential toil for a Church for all, ready to May the joy of the Gospel shine coincidence, occurs in the Jubilee welcome and accompany! The work above all on your faces and make of Mercy. Indeed, the Oblates of necessary to realize all this is vast; you joyful witnesses. Following the Mary Immaculate were born from and you also have your specific example of the Founder, may ‘among an experience of mercy, lived by contribution to make. yourselves practice charity’ be your the young Eugene one Good Friday first rule of life and the premise of in the presence of Jesus crucified. Your missionary history is the every apostolic action; and may May mercy be ever at the heart history of many consecrated ‘zeal for the salvation of souls’ be of your mission, of your efforts of persons, who offered and sacrificed the natural consequence of your evangelization in the world today. their lives for the mission, for the fraternal charity. MAMI You would be aware of the devastation caused by the hurricane in Haiti. The Oblates have a significant presence there. Our missionaries and their people have suffered terribly. If From you would like to assist these people, MAMI is able to ensure that the aid gets to where it is needed most. the At Christmas we celebrate the sharing of God’s presence in Christ ‘the Word made Flesh…dwelling among us’. Director Jesus said ‘What you do to the least of your sisters and brothers, you do Each year somehow passes faster. to me’. MAMI is for all of us one way As we get to the end of 2016, it is of living out this mystery of God’s time for reflection on what has been presence among us. On behalf of achieved. Attending the retreat with the Oblate Mazenod Family I thank the Oblates of our China Delegation The financial assistance that we you for your prayers and financial was a time of prayer for me but have been able to give to the Oblate assistance. You are remembered also an experience through which Indonesian Province has enabled in our Masses and prayers. May I deepened my appreciation of the them to continue their work among this year’s celebration of the Birth ministry of my brother Oblates both some of the poorest of the poorest. of Christ be a time of experiencing in Mainland China and Hong Kong. the peace of Christ’s presence in The visit to Australia by Fr Giovanni In recent years our partnership with your lives and those of your family Zevola OMI has helped to promote Oblates missions in India, Vietnam, and friends. As St Francis of Assisi the PIMs – Partners in Mission Sri Lanka, Kenya and Zimbabwe urges us to pray ‘Lord make me an program which is an important part has enabled us to assist our brother instrument of your PEACE…..’ of the mission both in Beijing and Oblates working in some very Hong Kong. difficult situations. Fr John Sherman OMI More Oblate Martyrs On 10th December Cardinal Quevedo OMI in Laos will declare on behalf of Pope Francis 17 martyrs of Laos. Six of them are Fr Louis Leroy OMI Fr Jean Wauthier OMI Oblate Priests. All were martyred in the 1960s when the country was taken over by the Communists. One of the Martyrs is the first Laotian Priest Fr Joseph Thao Tie, a catechist Paolo Thoj Xyooj who was martyred with Fr Marion Fr Michael Coquelet OMI Fr Mario Borzaga OMI Borzaga OMI, five were lay church Fr Vincent L’Henoret OMI Fr Joseph Boissel OMI leaders and five were Priests of the Missionary Society of Paris. Oblate Martyrs of Laos WYD2016 Combined China youth group at WYD Oblate Youth both from the Mainland and Hong Kong were present with the Oblate Youth from Australia at the recent World Youth Day in Poland. Australian and some of the Chinese Oblate Young at WYD CELEBRATIONS As well as being the first Rector of Austin commenced his association St Mary’s and overseeing the with Catholic Theological College in opening of St Mary’s in Mulgrave, 1967 when he chaired the committee he led the Province as Provincial from formed by Archbishop James Knox 1977–83. His teaching continued at (later Cardinal) to consider the Fr Austin Monash University and the diocesan future of theological education for seminary but surely his most seminarians and the laity in the valuable apostolate has Archdiocese of Melbourne. One of Cooper been his leadership and the outcomes of these deliberations lecturing at Melbourne’s and negotiations was the establish- Catholic Theological ment in 1972 of CTC as a member of OMI AM College (and Melbourne the Melbourne College of Divinity. College of Divinity) Austin was the first Master of A proud and joyful celebration for many years to the CTC and he was reappointed to in the Australian Province present day. the position two times for a total as Fr Austin reaches his of thirteen years, making him the 60th anniversary of Priesthood. There, students for the longest serving Master. Austin A very modest man himself, Priesthood, adult became the first Catholic President we all hail him as someone students Catholic of the MCD and in 1993 was made who has made a unique and non-Catholic, a Fellow of the College. When the contribution, not only to have enjoyed MCD became the University our Province, but to the and admired his of Divinity in 2001, Austin was Church in Victoria and knowledge, clarity appointed one of the ten inaugural wider Australia. of exposition, Professors of the University. his kindness and As we know, he is the first – and his humour in teaching History and To all who have been colleagues only – vocation from Sorrento parish, Spirituality. The skills and enthusiasm or students of Austin over these our first Oblate foundation in the he showed all those years ago forty-four years, he has worn Eastern States. His grandparents and teaching Year 5 children have never these appointments lightly. The the Cooper family were wonderfully left him but been honed and fine overwhelming experience of Austin supportive of the parish in its early tuned by his tireless preparation, is that of priest and scholar, teacher years and Austin was educated at incredible reading and his own deep extraordinaire, wise guide, faithful first by the Sisters of Mercy in the spiritual life and faith. friend, spiritual director and a man little parish school before he went of great humanity and wit who led to the Marist College at Kilmore and He is sincerely ecumenical and has the College through significant Melbourne University. written a number of books and many change and development with a articles and his sermons whether on steadying hand. Much loved and Austin was in the first group of Sundays or in Retreats, are valued for respected by all, Austin’s scholarship novices when the Novitiate was their depth and clarity.