February 2017 574/1 OMI Information No. 574 (English) February 2017 February 17: to remind us of our identity By Fr. Paolo Archiati, OMI, Vicar General Every year in February, we celebrate the approval the virtues of religion to which they are so strongly of our Constitutions and Rules by Pope Leo attracted…”. If the fi rst missionaries were not to XII in 1826. During the jubilee year of our fi nd in this Society the possibility of living those foundation, we referred several times to another “virtues of religion”, they would have gone to Rule which is mentioned in the famous “Request some other religious Order. of authorization addressed to the Vicars General of Aix”, written by Eugene on January 25, 1816. This is why Eugene is so explicit: “If they have preferred to form a regular community of In this letter that we may consider as our Missionaries, it is in an eff ort to be useful to “foundational” text, Eugene and his first the diocese, while at the same time working at companions request from the Vicars General their own sanctifi cation, in conformity with their of Aix “the authorization to come together at vocation.” Aix in the old house of the Carmelites which one of them has acquired; and to live there in Our Rule, whose approval we celebrate on community under a Rule whose main points they February 17 every year, is at the service of both now indicate to you.” these goals. The Preface to the Constitutions and Rules is also very clear on this point, when Immediately after these words, Eugene underlines it says that by living them, “these priests… hope the two main ends of the Society that he is about to obtain all the benefi ts they need for their own to begin. Two ends, two objectives that we should sanctifi cation and for the salvation of souls”. never separate from one another. They are the goals that the Rule will help the members of The fi nal number in our Constitutions and Rules the Society to achieve. At some moments of our (C 168), and certainly not the least, reminds history, and even today, we may tend to forget us that, through our oblation, each Oblate the second of these two “chief” aims. We are “…assumes responsibility for the common a missionary Congregation, as it is beautifully heritage of the Congregation, expressed in stated in Constitution 5. Mission is certainly one the Constitutions and Rules and our family objective of our religious family, expressed by tradition”. We are exhorted to let ourselves Saint Eugene in these words: “to work for the be guided by our Constitutions and Rules “in salvation of one’s neighbour by dedicating itself creative fi delity” to the legacy that Saint Eugene, to the ministry of preaching.” our Founder and Father, left us. But our Society has two “chief” aims, not just one, A reference to our Rules, even if in a more and I think these two goals go together, both in spiritual way, was made by Pope Francis when our lives and in our mission. That is why the text he met the members of the 36th General Chapter continues: “… its chief aim also includes providing on October 7 last year. Among other things, he its members with the means necessary to practice said: “Following the example of the Founder, 574/2 February 2017 may charity among you be your fi rst rule of help us not to forget that our religious family life, the premise of every apostolic action; and has two main goals that we must always keep may zeal for the salvation of souls be a natural united, because they are strictly interconnected consequence of this fraternal charity.” and interdependent. From our desire and eff orts towards holiness springs the effectiveness of This exhortation binds together the beginning and our missionary life; from the challenges of our the end of Eugene’s life, his Rule and his Testament, mission, faced and lived through our missionary his fi rst and last Will. Our fi rst “rule of life” is zeal, springs our ongoing holiness, a gift for God, charity among ourselves. This is also the premise for our brothers within the community to which of every apostolic action. These words of the pope we belong, and for the people we serve. General Administration GENERAL SECRETARIAT and deaths which are received daily in Rome go Statistics 2017 to make up the annual report. Introduction: The source for Oblate statistics is For various reasons, these records sometimes do the database of members in the General Secretariat not arrive at the Secretariat in a timely fashion. The at the General House, updated and adjusted with numbers included in this publication, especially reports which come in from the various Oblate related to scholastics, vows, ordinations and provinces, delegations and missions. The records departures, refl ect not only the statistics of the year of fi rst vows, fi nal vows, ordinations, departures that has just passed, but also of some previous years. GENERAL STATISTICS –January 2017 JANUARY 2016 JANUARY 2017 Total Fr B1 B2 PD Schol. Total Fr B1 B2 PD Schol. 41 38 3 0 0 0 General Admin. 41 38 3 0 0 0 Africa- 833 543 54 4 0 232 838 555 49 3 0 231 Madagascar 450 350 24 3 0 73 Latin America 436 354 26 3 0 53 801 580 27 0 2 192 Asia-Oceania 806 583 25 2 2 194 691 591 90 1 2 7 Canada-USA 657 564 85 0 2 6 960 788 98 4 4 66 Europe 931 773 96 3 3 56 3776 *2890 296 12 8 570 Total 3709 *2867 284 11 7 540 *Of whom 47 are bishops, 1 is an Apostolic Prefect and 1 is a priest in temporal vows In the above table, each Oblate is counted in the Region to which he belongs. For example, the Oblates in Zambia are counted only in Africa-Madagascar, although they are members of the United States Province. The scholastics in Rome are listed in their home Region. “B1.” indicates perpetually professed Brothers, and “B2” the Brothers who are still in fi rst formation. PD refers to an Oblate Brother who is a permanent deacon. February 2017 574/3 SUMMARY (as of January 2017) January January MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE 2016 2017 Cardinals 1 2 Archbishops 8 8 Bishops 37 37 Prefect Apostolic 1 1 Priests 2841 2818 Priests with temporary vows 2 1 Brothers with perpetual vows 296 284 Brothers who are permanent deacons 8 7 Brothers with temporary vows 12 11 Scholastics with perpetual vows 97 68 Scholastics with temporary vows 473 472 Total number of Oblates 3776 3709 PERSONNEL BY UNIT (As of 17 January 2017) The next table shows the number of Oblates according to the Unit to which they belong. For example, all the Oblates attached to the Zambia Delegation are listed there, even though they are juridically members of the United States Province, or may be temporarily living elsewhere. Some of the Zambian scholastics are in Cedara, others in the U.S. etc. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION Card. Ar.Ep. Ep. Pr.Ap. Fr. Br. Br.T Fr.T Sc.P. Sc.T. Deac. Tot. 0 0 0 0 38 3 0 0 0 0 0 41 Total: 0 0 0 0 38 3 0 0 0 0 0 41 AFRICA-MADAGASCAR Card. Ar.Ep. Ep. Pr.Ap. Fr. Br. Br.T Fr.T Sc.P. Sc.T. Deac. Tot. Angola 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 13 Botswana 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 2 0 11 Camero0n 0 0 3 0 67 12 0 0 6 28 0 116 Central S. Africa 0 0 1 0 24 1 0 0 2 1 0 29 Congo 0 0 1 0 96 12 0 0 7 29 0 145 Kenya 0 0 0 0 9 1 0 0 0 4 0 14 Lesotho 1 2 2 0 74 10 0 0 4 23 0 116 Madagascar 0 0 0 0 40 3 2 0 5 28 0 78 Namibia 0 1 2 0 32 2 0 0 0 8 0 45 Natal 0 1 1 0 45 0 0 0 0 9 0 56 Nigeria 0 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 2 24 0 39 Northern S. Africa. 0 1 1 0 31 1 0 0 0 2 0 36 Sahara 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Senegal 0 0 0 0 36 2 1 0 1 17 0 57 Zambia 0 0 2 0 35 3 0 0 5 13 0 58 Zimbabwe 0 0 0 0 10 2 0 0 1 10 0 23 Total: 1 5 13 1 534 49 3 1 33 198 0 838 574/4 February 2017 LATIN AMERICA Card. Ar.Ep. Ep. Pr.Ap. Fr. Br. Br.T Fr.T Sc.P. Sc.T. Deac. Tot. Argentina-Chile 0 0 0 0 33 2 0 0 0 1 0 36 Baja California 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 Bolivia 0 0 0 0 18 7 0 0 2 0 0 27 Brazil 0 0 1 0 57 3 0 0 2 0 0 63 Colombia 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 3 0 15 Cuba 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 French Guyana 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Guatemala 0 0 0 0 16 0 1 0 2 4 0 23 Haiti 0 0 1 0 93 7 2 0 3 21 0 127 Mexico 0 0 0 0 37 2 0 0 0 7 0 46 Paraguay 0 0 2 0 28 1 0 0 1 1 0 33 Peru 0 0 1 0 12 2 0 0 0 3 0 18 Puerto Rico 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Uruguay 0 0 0 0 12 1 0 0 0 1 0 14 Venezuela 0 0 1 0 7 0 0 0 0 2 0 10 Total: 0 0 6 0 348 26 3 0 10 43 0 436 ASIA-OCEANIA Card.