On 189th Oblates Dayand PH has 110 OMI members
• 06:38 AM Wed Feb 18, 2015
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By:
Edwin Fernandez
(photo by Amielitus Cagayan, OMI I-Watch)
COTABATO CITY –
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) today celebrates its 189th
foundation anniversary.
The OMIs is a missionary
congregation arriving in the Philippines 76 years ago today.
It was on January
25, 1816, when Father Eugene de Mazenod and four companions came together to
preach missions in Provencal, in the rural countryside of southern France. And
currently, how many are we? Where are we? What do we do? We are 4,440 Oblates
in all - young men, old men, Oblates in formation, priests, Brothers! Of this
total, 580 are in formation, having already made their first commitment,” a
statement from and//www.omiworld.org/ www.omiworld.org , said. On Feb. 17 that year, Pope Leo XII approved the OMI Constitution in Rome.
For the
highest number in formation, the prize goes to Africa, with 165 young men in
training. We are in the five continents. The branch planted in Aix-en-Provence
thrived welland more than 700 in Africa, 1450 in Europe, 630 in Asia, 360 in
Latin America, 750 in Canada, 480 in the United States,” it said.
And all these
people, what do they do? We do everything. We are not specialized, except in
facing urgent needs.... It was enough for bishops to come to our Founder and
say to himand I do not have anybody... for him to act, re-examine his
manpower, cut personnel here and there, and release 2 or 3 men for these new
needs. And that continues today still. You see, it is a question of passion, of
missionary concern....
Recent
foundations? The last one is Guinea Bissauand a station close to one of our
missions in Senegal. But there are also the working districts of Marseilles,
Strasbourg or Cadiz there is also Cuba, Turkmenistan, Byelorussia and
Ukraine.... And then, the Missions of other times have now grown up and in
their turn are taking on responsibilitiesand Haiti went to found in Colombia,
among the afro-Amerindian and Sri Lanka for many years expanded into India,
Bangladesh and Pakistan,” the OMI said in a statement.
In the
Philippines which belonged to Asia-Oceania Region, has 110 Oblates. Of this
number, one is a cardinal, his Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Quevedo, one bishop, Jolo
Bishop Angelito Lampon, 80 Priests, nine Brothers, three Scholastics with perpetual
vows, 16 Scholastics with temporal vows.