A History o f the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate A sincere thanks to Father Felix Vallèe, Provincial, who greatly assisted the composition of this book and authorized its publication; to Father Fernand Jetté, Superior General, for the priceless and constant encouragement he gave me. My gratitude also extends to Fathers Gaston Carrière, André Dorval and Jean-Paul Demers who reviewed the text, as well as to all those who gave me their fraternal collaboration. DONAT LEVASSEUR, O.M.I. Translated by John Rheidt, O.M.I. and Aloysius Kedl, O.M.I. A History of the Missionary Oblates Mary Immaculate Toward a Synthesis I 1815-1898 ROME GENERAL HOUSE 1985 Table of Contents Table o f Contents ............................................................................ VII Presentation ................................................................................................. XV Introduction ........................................................ XVII Bibliography .................................................... XIX Part One — The Beginnings - 1815-1841 Chapter 1 — The Lord’s Elect: Eugene de Mazenod — 1782-1808 3 I. Family Origins: 3. — A true native of Provence: 3. II. Exile: 5. — Nice and Turin: 5. — Venice; Don Bartolo Zinelli: 5. — Naples: 8. — Palermo: his personality revealed: 9. — End of Exile: 10. III. Return to France: 11. — Disappointment and boredom: 11. — Fortune eludes him: 12. — A broken home: 13. — Nothing satisfies him: 14. — Return to Sicily is impossible: 15. IV. Priestly Vocation: 16. — The Lord’s call: 16. — A profound conver­ sion: 17. — Committed to the apostolate as a layman: 18. — “I will be a priest.”: 19. Chapter 2 — Completely and Solely in thé Service of the Church: Eugene de Mazenod— 1808-1815 21 I. In the Major Seminary of Paris — 1808-1812: 21. — The seminar­ ian’s life: 21. — Priest in a persecuted and neglected Church: 22. — Captivated by Christ the Saviour: 24. — Father Emery’s collaborator: 25. — Works of zeal: 27. — Ordination to the priesthood: 27. — Director at the Major Seminary: 28. II. Activities at Aix — 1812-1815: 29. — Ministry at Aix: 29. — The Christian Youth Association: 30. — Choice in favour of the poor: 31. — Ardent defender of the Church: 33. — His project of a Society of missionaries for Provence: 35. Chapter 3 — The Society of the Missionaries of Provence, 1815-1825 ........................... .......................... 39 /. The Foundation — 1815-1816: 39. — The intervention of Providence: 39. Purchase of the former Carmelite monastery in Aix: 40. — Foundation of the Society: 41. — Its first members: 42. — Setbacks: 44. — Gathering in community: 45. — The very first community: 49. IL The Society's First Developments, 1816-1825: 51. Conflict with the parish priests in Aix: 51. — Measures to assure the future: 52. — Con­ fronting the failure of these measures: 53. — An establishment at Laus: 54. — The First Rules and the First Vows: 55. — The Society’s expan­ sion: 57. — An internal crisis: 58. — Peace and unity: 60. — The Society in December 1825: 61. Chapter 4 — The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate, 1825-1840 . ................... 63 I. The Papal Approval of 1826: 63. — Advantages and apprehensions: 63. — Revision of the Rules: 64. — The Founder’s hesitations: 65. — The name Oblates of Mary Immaculate: 66. — Audience of December 20, 1825: 67. — Approval of the Rules: 68. — Promulgation of the Rules:?!. II. The Congregation’s Growth: 1825-1840: 71. — The major seminary of Marseilles: 12. — The major seminary of Ajaccio: 74. — A Marian consecration and mission: 75. — The first Marian shrines: 77. — Keen desire for foreign missions: 77. — The Oblates refused in Algeria: 77. — The desire for foreign missions approved by the General Chapter: 79. — Proposed foundation for America: 79. III. The State of the Congregation in 1840: 80. — Personnel: 80. — Houses: 81. — Works: 82. — The need to expand: 82. Chapter 5 —- Missionaries to the Poor— 1815-1840 ...... 85 I. The Ministry o f the Missions: 85. — An adaptation of a traditional formula: 8 6 .— Innovations: 87. — The missions from 1815 to 1823: 89. — Partial and complete successes: 90. — The mission at Marseilles: 92. — The mission at Aix: 94. — New missionary fields, from 1823 to 1840: 96. — Switzerland: 96. — Corsica: 97. — In France: 98. — An apostolic field to be enlarged: 98. II. Other Ministries: 99. — Churches and shrines: 99. — Receiving priests and seminarians: 101. — Works in the cities of Aix and Mar­ seilles: 101. Part Two — Ait Era of Foundations — 1841-1861 Chapter 6 — Expansion in France and Implantation in England 1841-1861 ................................................................. 107 I. Expansion in France - New Establishments: 107. — Five houses of missionaries: 108. — Six Marian shrines: 109. — The milieux that were evangelized: 111. — Three major seminaries: 111. — The scholasticate of Montolivet, a house in Paris: 112. — In the already existing works: 113. — Dismissal from Notre-Dame du Laus: 114. — Full novitiates: 115.—Two new Provinces established: 116. II. Implantation in England: II8. — The first steps: 118. — A founda­ tion at Penzance: 119. — The foundations fròm 1845 to 1849: 121. — Bishop de Mazenod’s visit in 1850: 122. — Financial crisis: 123. — Sta­ bilization 1850-1861: 124: — Three foundations in England: 124. — IX Three foundations in Ireland: 125. — Two foundations in Scotland: 126. — Bishop de Mazenod’s visit in 1857: 127. — Apostolato among the poor: 127. Personnel, houses: 128. Chapter 7 — Implantation in America, 1841-1861 ................... 131 I. In Eastern Canada: 131. — The appeal of Bishop Bourget: 131. — Foundation: 133. — First activities, Longueuil, Montreal: 134. — Bytown, Indian missions, lumber camps: 136. — Diocese of Bytown: 137. — In the diocese of Quebec, Indian missions, St-Alexis, Quebec: 138. — Missions and foundations in the United States: 140. — Pro­ vince, personnel: 141. II. In the Canadian West and North: 143. — Missionaries sent: 143. — Among the Saulteaux: 144. — Among the Montagnais and the Cree, in the Far North: 145. — In the West: 146. — Results of these first labours: 147. — The Vicariate in 1861: 148. III. In Oregon and in British Columbia: 150. — Foundation: 150. — In Oregon: 151. — In British Columbia; 153. — The mission in 1861: 154. IV. In Texas: 154. — Foundation at Brownsville: 154, — The founda­ tion taken up again: 156. — Galveston, Brownsville, the ranchos, in Mexico: 156. — Trials, personnel: 158. Chapter 8 — In Asia and in Africa — The General Government 1841-1861 .......................................................................... 159 I. Ceylon: 159. — In “one of the most beautiful missions”: 159. — A situation of conflict, an unforeseen orientation: 160. — Father Semeria, Vicar Apostolic: 162. — In the Vicariate of Colombo: 164. — Beyond intrigue: 165. The state of the mission in 1861: 166. II. Algeria: 166. — In a desired mission: 166. — Why it was relin­ quished: 167. III. Natal: 169. — An unexpected request from the Holy See: 169, — Foundation, first ministry: 171, — Lack of success among the Zulu; St, Michael, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows: 173, — An element of hope: Basutoland: 175. — The state of the mission in 1861: 176, IV. The General Government: 176, — Concern for the foreign missions: 176, — 1850 General Chapter: provinces, changes to the Rules: 177, — Affiliation of the Holy Family of Bordeaux: 178, — Bishop de Mazenod, Superior General: 179, V. The Congregation in 1861; 180, — Personnel, works: 180. Part Three Taking Root and Growing: 1861-1898 Chapter 9 — In Europe: 1861-1898 ................... 185 I. The General Government: 185. — Joseph Fabre, Superior General: 185. — Louis Souiller, Superior General: 187. — Painful conflict with Bishop Cruice: 187. — Family bonds: 190. — A procurator to the Holy See: 192. — Seholastieates; 192. —• The Holy Family of Bordeaux; 193. II. The Provinces o f France: 194. — Zeal for parish missions: 194, —- The shrines of Tours and Pontmain: 195. — The work of Montmartre: 195. — Trials of 1871 and 1880; 199, — New foundations; 200, — Some personalities: 202, — State of the two Provinces: 203. III. The Anglo-Irish Province: 205. — New works: 205. — Foundation in Australia: 207. — Apostolic activities: 208. — The Province in 1898: 208. IV. Origins o f the Province o f Germany: 209. — Foundation: 209. — The young Province: 210. Chapter 10 — In Eastern Canada and in the United States 1861- 1898 . 211 I. The Province of Canada: 211. — The Indian missions: to Labrador and to Chimo: 212. — From Temiscaming to James Bay: 214. — The St.-Maurice and other missions: 215. — The ministry of the mission­ aries: 216. — Among the pioneers: Maniwaki, Temiscaming, Mattawa: 217. — Montreal, a centre for preaching: 219. — Saint-Sauveur in Quebec: 221. — Ottawa: parishes, the University: 221. — Hull: Notre- Dame de Grace: 222. — Lowell: centre for Franco-American works: 223. — Among the English-speaking people: 224. — Houses of forma­ tion: 225. — Fathers Antoine and Lefebvre: 225. — State of the Pro­ vince in 1898: 228. II. The Missions o f Texas and the Province o f the United States: 228. — Trials coming from the outside: 228. — Refusal of apostolic vicar­ iates: 229. — An internal crisis: 230. — A Province in the United States: 231. — Works of the new Province: 234. Chapter 11 — In the Canadian West and North — 1861-1898 235 I. The Vicariate o f St. Boniface: 235. — Divisions of the vicariate: 235. — The mission of St-Laurent: 237. — The mission at Fort Alexander: 239. — The mission of Qu’Appelle: