Category Archives: Oblate Mission

Profound Desire to Live a “Missionary Experience“

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Celebrating the Oblate Associates
By Armelle and Louis Molin

1. To become associates

molin.web Profound Desire to Live a “Missionary Experience“We have been in contact with the Oblates since 1973. In 1986, we participated in a workshop on “Personality and Human Relations” directed by Father Lomer Laplante O.M.I. Through personal reflection and sharing with the other members of the group, we discovered a profound and nearly urgent desire to live a “missionary experience“ which led us to our first trip to Bolivia in 1987. We remained in Bolivia during 10 out of 15 years, because we also wanted to spend time with our family in Canada.

 

In 1989, when we were in Bolivia, we received a letter from F. Alain Piché O.M.I. who was at the time Provincial in Manitoba, inviting us to become associates of the congregation. This was a surprise and an honor which we took seriously. F. Louis Jolicoeur guided us during a time of preparation and on October 9, 1989 we made our first commitment in the Oblate chapel in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Armelle remembers that she felt as on her wedding day; she was entering a new phase of her life, a phase filled with promises and challenges. She felt privileged to belong to a missionary congregation and her wish was to always be worthy of such an honor.  On the other hand, Louis felt more of an affiliation with the Oblates, a partnership where he would seek example and orientation.

We worked with abandoned children who entered the Amanecer institution. As associate, Armelle became responsible for the preparation of the boys who wished to receive the sacraments; she was able to listen to their suffering and to accompany them on their young life’s path. Louis’ responsibility was the maintenance of the 10 homes of Amanecer, inviting the boys to give him a hand, teaching them a few tricks of the trade but most of all, the importance of a job well done.  We also learned that very little is required to make a child smile, few words or actions are needed to make him feel protected and valued.

2. Shared Life

In the fall of 1990, we were in the rain forest in the tropical region of Bolivia where the heat and humidity are tremendous.  Louis was in a state of extreme fatigue and arthritic pain when he went to Santa Cruz to buy a tractor for the farm we were managing. He stayed with the Oblates. When the tractor was purchased and he was ready to leave, F. Henri Bujold said:”Stay one more day, you can rest a while before returning to your workplace.”

Every year, the Oblates would invite us to their annual retreat. That year, at the time of the offerings at the closing mass, F. Bujold presented a pair of sandals, symbolizing the hard labor we were doing in the hot and humid climate of the tropics.

A few months later, we all met in Manitoba where we were for a time of rest. At the close of a meeting at the MAMI Centre in Winnipeg, F.Bujold announced most simply that he was coming to our place for the night. He did not know how special that was for us. We keep an indelible memory of this great Oblate.

3.  The mission

During our time in Bolivia, we had been invited to accompany F. Roberto Lacasse O.M.I. as well two other associates and a few Oblate scholastics who regularly went to the distant rural communities. There, we discovered a totally unknown universe, roads that were barely passable even by jeep, the stinging cold on the high plateaus of the Andes, the meager vegetation, the poorly nourished sheep, the people who were so destitute, but we also saw their smiles and visible friendship the next morning as we shared the breakfast we had brought especially for them. We then appreciated the courage of the Oblates to maintain this mission, bringing to these far away people some comfort and hope.

It is also with F. Lacasse that we organized a series of encounters for married couples, encounters which proved to be beneficial for the Bolivian participants as well as for ourselves. The same F. Lacasse was the first pastor of the Saint Eugene de Mazenod parish inaugurated in 2001 on the outskirts of Cochabamba. It is with enthusiasm that we gave him a helping hand in the areas of electricity, confection of window curtains, refurnishing etc. Back in Canada, with the contributions of our benefactors, we were able to financially help in setting up a Pastoral Centre for the formation of catechists who would be called to teach in the remote sectors of the parish.

In July of 2009, F. Lacasse was visiting family in the state of Maine, USA. Since it was our 50th wedding anniversary that year, we invited him to come and celebrate with us. The presence of a missionary Oblate at our anniversary was a special gift from Heaven.

Back in Canada, it has become easier for us to approach those who are lonely, hurt, handicapped, to listen to them, to accompany them on their sometimes difficult path. That is surely one of the benefits of our time in Bolivia.

4. The Future

One way of becoming more visible as Associates and Oblates working together would be to create projects in common, but that seems to be somewhat difficult because of different lifestyles, age, health conditions, travelling distances etc.  Possibly it would not be necessary to accomplish “great things” but to function as associates where we are, to be present to the most fragile, to participate in the life of the Church according to our talents and capabilities etc. Regular encounters with other associates are also very important.

In our experience as Associates, we have lived wonderful moments of complicity, friendship, personal and spiritual growth. On the other hand, we have also known tensions, apprehensions, including total rejection on the part of one Belgian member of the Congregation in Bolivia. Those are hardships but also opportunities to forgive and grow as persons and as Christians.

We thank you for this opportunity to share some of our souvenirs and observations. We wish you many blessings.

“It was what God told me to do”

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By Patria C. Rivera.
Translated by Léonce Paquet, OMI

labat.web It was what God told me to doThis first appeared in Catholic Missions in Canada, November, 2004 (Vol.8,no 2). Reprinted with permission.

As a young man in the 1950’s the just-ordained Father Felicien Labat, OMI, could have chosen to stay and serve in the farming town of Sizun in Brittany, a region on the West coast of France, where he grew up. But he had other dreams. The beauty of ancient churches and imposing cathedrals and fortresses – all the art, history ad architecture of old France, even the rolling hills of his ancient village – could not hold him back.

His dream was many kilometers and an ocean away, on the ice-swept tundra in the northwest corner of Canada: vast, unexplored, rugged.

“I think it was what God told me to do,” he admits in a phone conversation from Eber House, a home for transient staff in Yellowknife, that he runs for the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith.

In 1904, an uncle, Brother Oblate Derrien Kerautret, had gone to the Northwest Territories to serve in Fort Simpson, Fort Good Hope, Aklavik and Fort Resolution.

“I was six years old when my mother’s brother came home in 1934,” recalls Fr. Labat. “He wrote letters home. I also read stories about the North during my seminary days in Solignac. All these stories could have fuelled my dreams.”

After his ordination in February 1953, the young Felicien left the oat and barley fields, the greem meadows, the cattle and pigs of his family farm in Sizun to take on the cold and desolate country across the Atlantic. First stop was Fort Resolution for five to six months of learning English. Then to Deline (which was renamed Fort Franklin and again renamed Deline) for a couple of winters.

Those harsh winters were nothing like what he had expected, he says. “I learned everything about fishing, hunting and trapping from the Dene during those years. I was completely ignorant about their way of life but they were patient with me. They taught me how to travel on the ice, how to survive.”

From 1956 to 1961, he took over the missions in Fort Norman now known as Tulita. Fr. Labat later served in Fort Smith where he managed Breynat Hall, a hostel for students. In 1968 he was sent to serve in the mission of Norman Wells, a base for oil explorations. He came back to Tulita briefly in 197, and was again transferred to another assignment – Fort Good Hope – were he served until 1976. He took off the following year to study pastoral care at St. Paul University in Ottawa. In 1978 he became assistant pastor in Yellowknife, and in the early 1980’s served Tulita and Decline as pastor.

In 1989 the bishop of the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith, Bishop Denis Croteau, OMI, assigned Fr. Labat and Sister Jackie Keefe to travel around the missions to work with young people. During that year, however, he was stricken ill. When he recovered, he was assigned to work in the Sahtu Region, an area encompassing Deline, Tulita, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake where he served until his retirement in 2001. He has since served as chaplain at Yellowknife’s Stanton Hospital and still assists Father Joseph Daley, pastor of St. Patrick’s parish in Yellowknife, on the occasional days when they are short of a priest.

“I will nothing behind,’ he says matter-of-factly. “Others would have written poetry or essays or memoirs about their life. I haven’t,” the self-effacing priest offers without regret. “I keep myself busy. I help in the parish.  I try to be a good priest.”

Was there something else he wanted to do in this life?

“I had no other dreams than to walk the month-long journey to Santiago de Compostela [a pilgrimage site on France’s southern border with Spain]. I did it halfway in 2000.”

In 2002 when he was 73, he fulfilled that dream, and completed the pilgrimage.

Summing up his life’s work, Fr. Labat says: “I love Denendeh, the land, and the Dene people I’ve met over the years. This is the place where God is calling me.”

An update (January 2011) to the first article.

Felician was not the first of his family to come to the NWT. His mother’s brother arrived in the NWT in 1904 (died in 1959) and served almost all of his ministry in the Territories.

Felician’s bouts with medical issues have not derailed his life and ministry. He has made the trip for by-pass surgery, developed shingles, broke his collar bone and adds in the same sentence, “It was no big thing!”

When he broke his pelvis and has to be hospitalized for three months the signs indicating retirement could no longer be argued. “I would like to go back to Yellowknife but if doubt it will happen anymore.”

On the window sill, just behind his chair, is a decorative license plate with “Comino de Santigo.” His eyes light up when he describes walking the Comino in Spain. There is a lilt in his voice. “It was wonderful.” On the first attempt he walked sixteen days when his walking partner became ill and the walk had to be discontinued. Two years later (2002) when he was seventy-five years of age, he finished the walk. “This was one of my dreams. Why did I wait so long? I had no problem, not even a blister on my foot.”
Surveying his health record he admits that “I was strong until I came here with surgery.” Much to Felican’s surprise the prisoners in the Yellowknife jail sent a large bouquet of flowers (July, 2009) as a get well card. He searches for a photo of the bouquet, “That famous bouquet!”

In his humble manner he responded to the first request for an interview, “There is nothing to be famous about! I walked with the people.”  The interview came to an end with the good news that his niece and her adult daughters were coming to visit from France, next Saturday (in mid-January).

Our Vulnerability Teaches Us To Be Missionary

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Kathy Stack is a ‘minister on her feet.’ She knows the people of the street on a first name basis and walks with them.

“…walking in radical trust and confidence that God will birth new life….”
These words echo some hopeful possibilities emerging from our community here in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside parishes.

Sacred Heart, St. Paul’s and Kateri Tekakwitha Centre, make up a small Catholic presence in the Downtown Eastside, the poorest neighborhood of our city. The aging of members, in those deeply committed religious orders serving this area for so many years, is bringing about a gradual change in ministries, leaving gaps to be filled.

Inspired by the history, dedication and example of those who came before, another generation of missionaries now struggle to discern how they are called.

As members of the Downtown East Side parishes, we began to reflect on what we might have to offer, considering our limited numbers.  Empty for a decade and having fallen into disrepair, one of our physical resources, the old Sacred Heart elementary school had begun to mirror the loneliness and despair, manifest in the sick, homeless and addicted souls roaming our streets.

To determine whether the building was salvageable, we set to work removing the mold, rot and damaged materials.  What remained was a beautiful, sound, well-built old structure with much potential.  We now find ourselves in the early stages of a plan to re-develop the old school, renamed ‘Sacred Spirit Center’.  Buoyed by the interest, energy and generosity of other Catholic parishes, trade unions and a variety of folks committed to the common good, we hope that our Center will enhance the life of our worshipping congregations and provide a place where we can build community with our neighbors.

As part of this process, we also took part in a faith sharing series, helping us to discern the meaning of ‘service’.  In weekly sessions, we began to clear out the mold and rot of judgement and pre-conceived notions about ‘the poor’.  We came to recognize that charity requires more than one being the ‘giver’ and one the ‘receiver’.

Shared reflection helped us uncover our own aversion to vulnerability, and has caused us to cringe somewhat, at our eagerness to name and treat another’s weaknesses.

We began to recognize ‘those people’ on the street, are us, our friends,  our neighbors and members of our families.

What does it mean to us to be missionaries today?

It seems each of us are being led to examine ourselves, as we endeavor to be people of service.  We struggle with what it really means to be ‘caring neighbors’ in an area that is home to many who are deeply affected by poverty, addiction and mental health issues.

Our hope is to live compassionately, keeping our hearts open to the gifts of others.

Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal Centre

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queens house retreat and renewal centre Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal CentreNear to fifty years ago on what used to be a landfill site for the city of Saskatoon the Oblates of Mary Immaculate of St. Mary’s Province built Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal Centre.  The centre is now beautifully situated on the knoll of a hill at the south end of seven and a half acres of land flanked by a variety of trees on the far west, with an easy access pathway leading down a hill to the Saskatchewan River and the city’s Meewasin Trail.  Along the edge of the property, a circular sidewalk trail encompasses a grassy slope where on the north end stands a sculpture of Our Lady of the Prairies surrounded by an ecosystem of rocks, native flowers, and a pool of water which inspire meditation, and where along the path the Stations of the Cross are represented in stone sculpture as well.   No one would guess, looking at the Centre and the grounds now, that years ago the land was a dumping ground of waste.  

How fitting a metaphor for what the Oblates saw then and throughout these forty-eight years to the present as part of their mission to evangelize.  To take a plot of land that by all appearances may have seemed impossible to transform and to build a house on that land that would provide sacred space for people everywhere to come and be renewed spiritually parallels the work of retreat and renewal to welcome the poor in all of their guises and to provide space where they can uncover the veils to find their true self with God indwelling.  Whether people come for quiet alone, to take part in the retreats and workshops offered, or to book their own retreat, the staffs over the years have served to create a space of hospitality for inspiration, healing and transformation of the weary and wounded into the image of God.  

As we approach the fiftieth Golden anniversary in two years time, with faith we pray and work for this enduring Oblate legacy to continue in service to others until the day when “…all may love tenderly, act justly and walk in truth with one another and with God. Micah 6”.   (Submitted by Lucie Leduc, Programming Director)

Vocation Story – Why I Choose to Join Oblates

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Dionisius Mwandiki Ananua
03 04 06 01 Vocation Story Why I Choose to Join Oblates I was born in a Catholic family of six, including my father and mother, on December 20th, 1978. I hail from the Eastern part of Kenya under the foot of Mt. Kenya. In school I liked to do the things children like doing most, playing games and singing in groups, but above all, I liked my books. Then I joined high school for grades 9 to 12; as a boarder this meant a stay away from home. It was not long before I finished my grade 12 and it was in this setting that I first came into contact with the Oblates working in Kenya – in particular, Fr. Bill Stang OMI. Little then did I know that I would be one of them sharing in their works, spirituality and charism of Saint Eugene de Mazenod.

At home, after graduation from high school, I had engaged myself in coffee production; however, the wind blows where it will and it was while working in my coffee fields that the desire to respond to my vocation came back to me. I couldn’t resist!

To give you a bit of my vocation story… as I grew up, the seeds of participating in the mission of Christ grew in me and when I was old enough I looked for guidance in order to respond fully to this call. Christ says, “The harvest is rich but the workers are few”. In Isaiah we find the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send?” and the reply comes, “I said, ‘Send
me Lord. I will go’”. In my heart I felt the strong desire to respond to the Lord’s invitation to participate in his ministry.

And why did I choose to join Oblates? In my searching I found in the Oblates something I could03 04 06 02 Vocation Story Why I Choose to Join Oblates identify with: their generosity, hospitality and love for the poor, “…the poor with their many faces;” as it is expressed in our Constitutions and Rules. Above all, I was drawn by our founder’s courage, and daring – his courage and daring to love and to be generous; “Leave nothing undared!” he emphasized to those whom he had gathered. This courage is remarkable and I find it an imperative, especially to us Oblates so popularly referred to as “The specialists in difficult missions”. To be one of those who participate in this Oblate mission is my desire.

Currently, I am doing my philosophical studies just outside of Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon 03 04 06 03 Vocation Story Why I Choose to Join Oblatesand living in a Scholasticate with an international community of fifty-nine Oblates. Members are from eleven different countries, across and outside the continent. The Oblates have evangelised in Cameroon for sixty years and the province covers Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad. They are found in a number of parishes and in institutions of education. Despite the difficulties, Oblates are committed and faithful to their mission of bringing Christians to a full awareness of their dignity in society and calling them to participate fully. They draw joy and happiness from those with whom they work and let themselves be enriched and touched by the warmth of the poor. In the words of Rule 8A, “…for they can make us hear in new ways the Gospel we proclaim.” I see Oblates reaching out to those who need them most.

What would I like to do in the future as an Oblate? I would like to work where there is the greatest need in the congregation of the mission… be it in the slums of Kenya or anywhere in the Oblate world.  

To end, I quote the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread”. May we, as Oblates, always be attentive to the world’s hunger for love and appreciation!
(Submitted by Bro. Dionisius  Ananua, OMI)

OMI Travels to Nunavut

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Bishop Rouleau called together the seven priests of his diocese – all of whom are Oblates – in Rankin Inlet,Nunavuton the north western side ofHudson’s Bay.

Stereotypes cannot help but colour our perception of life and ministry in the North; even those of us who have grown up in Canada often have but hazy ideas based on school lessons from long ago or from reading Midst Ice and Snow. The Arctic has changed. Vast distances, isolation, high cost of living, intense cold (despite global warming!), language and closeness to the land remain … but the North is a living culture, not a static museum.

Alcohol and drugs such as crystal meth, marijuana and even heroin, have become a growing problem; sometimes people in the community who should be part of the solution are in fact part of the problem. Flowing from this is an increase in violence and accidents – often with tragic results. Break-ins and vandalism, almost unheard of in the past, are becoming more commonplace. Problems difficult enough to deal with in a southern community, where resources are more readily available, can be overwhelming in an isolated village, lacking social services, where something as basic as going for a drive is not an option and ‘getting away for awhile’ is prohibitively expensive. Television, via satellite dish, is a constant in every home, indoctrinating the children with foreign values incomprehensible to the community elders and subtly teaching the young that traditional culture cannot possibly compete with the excitement of life ‘down south’.

Added to this pot of social disintegration, and souring the relationship between the Oblates and the people to whom they were sent, are the offences committed by missionaries in the past. While abuse in its various forms was perpetrated by a few, it is all the Oblates who pay the price. When children coming running up and want to hug Father, what do you do? You are faced with the unpalatable choice of turning children away or leaving yourself open to accusations.  Missionaries can no longer assume they are welcome in every home; anger has been openly expressed and threats of violence made.

Recent history has seen evangelical churches moving into communities that were once largely Catholic or Anglican. These churches are often well funded and come with ready-made resources and a well-honed plan of proselytization, which capitalizes on missionary’s past mistakes. As confusion and discord grow in people’s minds, church attendance and participation in the sacraments fall off.

Despite difficulties, hope flourishes. For daily Eucharist a large group gathered and afterwards people stayed to visit. They were evidently happy to have the northern Oblate missionaries gather in their community and they celebrated joyfully, especially true when the Bishop had a mass honouring his anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Inuit liturgies are not staid affairs but filled with lively singing and movement. Present were an Inuit couple whose names have been forwarded to Rome with the request that they be named Honourary Oblates.  Mass was followed by a special meal and people lingered late into the night sharing stories.

When asked what struck him most during his visit, Andy replied,
“I was impressed by the sincerity of the missionaries working in Nunavut – the depth of their faith and courage – their patience to work in what is sometimes a very difficult situation. Despite the difficulties they wouldn’t want to move. It’s home for them. They’ve learned the language, Inuktitut, and always spoke it with the people. Mass was in Inuktitut and all the visiting that happened afterwards was in the local language.

They have a wonderful community there. They rely on one another and the young missionaries listened attentively to the older ones; you could see that they really wanted to learn from their experiences! They have a true missionary spirit. You can see that they are alive and excited about what they are doing. At the liturgies even the older missionaries would be clapping and kind of dancing as they sang the Inuktitut hymns.”

Andy also spoke of how all the Oblates contributed to the building up of community. Proving once again that missionaries make excellent cooks, they prepared their own meals and at various times feasted on caribou, Arctic char and a dish special to Polish culture (Bigos) – a mixture of sauerkraut, mushrooms and various meats including chicken gizzards. For men a long way from the country of their birth, it was a nostalgic taste of home!

To be a northerner is to be a storyteller and Andy brought back a number to share on his return. Fr. Szwarc OMI, based in Kugaaruk, was happy to share pictures of his hunting trip. In his words:

“It happened on Friday, January 27th in the afternoon around 3.00 P.M. I was in my house and the phone rang. It was my neighbour Bernadette. She speaks only Inuktitut so it was hard to understand what she wanted to tell me … but I got at least one word, nanuk, which means polar bear; I still didn’t know what about it. Then I caught another word that means “see” and I looked through the window. A few meters from the church there was a polar bear.

It was dark but right when I was watching two Inuit came on snowmobiles to hunt it, so I could see it clearly in the light from their machines. I dressed up and went out. There was no danger because polar bears are afraid of the snowmobiles. When I came out from my house three young Inuit came to me from the house of Bernadette, Jackie, Henry and Chester. While we were watching, the bear began running towards the bay. They said that they were untying a dog when suddenly Henry saw a bear just few meters behind them. He said only “Nanuk!” The other two looked behind and started the fastest run of their lives. Bernadette’s house was very close and the bear was young and not too big so nothing bad happened. We heard two shouts but it was too far to see anything. Anyway, we were sure that they shot it. Polar bears are too dangerous and should never be allowed to enter the town.

It was Henry Totalik, son of our church’s leader, who shot it. So right after I went to help them to skin it and cut it, and of course take some pictures.

The next day I was going by taxi to the airport and the taxi driver said that thanks to this bear his business is running better; because people are afraid to walk alone, they call taxi more often! It was the second polar bear that came close to the town this year.”

Fr. Krotki OMI, from Igloolik, recounted how he and a traveling partner, on their way to a far off mission, were caught in a blizzard. With conditions steadily worsening, they had to make a decision – do they go on, stay or turn back? When in a near whiteout you have to, at all cost, stay on the trail; wander off and the likelihood of anyone finding you is nil!  To test the conditions, they drove in a large circle; coming back to their starting point they could no longer see the track so knew it wasn’t safe to go on. They quickly set up their tent and not knowing how long the blizzard would last, took stock of their food supplies. That didn’t take long. Two fish! By cutting up the frozen, raw fish into pieces and eating only when necessary, they calculated they would be able to survive several days. Things turned out for the best. When the storm ended and they had not arrived at their destination, people came looking for them. The distant roar of a search party on snowmobiles was welcome indeed. In Fr. Krotki’s words, “Thank God we stayed on the trail or we wouldn’t be here today!”

What does the future hold for our northern missions? Andy, Tom and the Bishop were asked about the possibility of one or two more men being made available – it would help alleviate the pressure on the present personnel as they try to meet the needs of their many, isolated missions. It was questioned why there were no young Canadian missionaries in the North but only themselves from Poland. They explained that it was the allure of the Arctic, the chance to go to a difficult mission that had drawn them. Would OMI Lacombe be open to them traveling to southern parishes and talking to young people about vocations, especially about missionary life in northern Canada?

Oblates have a long, proud history of missionary work in the Arctic. Saints have been produced in its icy crucible. As with most of our ministries, its future is unclear. However, should any area of evangelization in Canada offer both challenge and hope, the Arctic community certainly does. Young missionaries and old, bonded in Oblate community continue to be inspired by the vision of De Mazenod as they work to establish the Kingdom of God.

(Submitted by Harley Mapes, OMI)
Feb 2006