Partners Thoughts… The Murray’s
A FEW THOUGHTS on the Partnership by Ed and Dianne Murray
Question: Why I am an Oblate Partner?
Read More»Video Slideshow: OblatePalooza 2013
- At July 31, 2013
- By Oblate Partnership
- In News, OblatePalooza
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Called “Oblatepalooza”, this is the first Oblate Partnership mission experience for youth imagined and sponsored by an anonymous Missionary Oblate Partner and who is also donating a significant grant for missionary work in the region.
Below a collage of photos, video and memories of the group who has just returned from this successful and inspiring experience in Zambia.
Video: OblatePalooza 2013
- At July 15, 2013
- By Oblate Partnership
- In News, OblatePalooza
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Sponsored by the Oblate Partnership, an Oblate Youth Mission travels to Zambia to spend several weeks getting to know the communities and the missionary work of Oblate missionaries there.
More: http://www.oblatepartnership.org/category/news/oblatepalooza-news/
First Partnership’s OblatePalooza 2013 goes to Zambia
An Oblate Youth missions has just arrived to Zambia where they will spend the next couple of weeks getting to know the communities and missionary work of Oblate missionaries there.
Read More»Called “Oblatepalooza”, this is the first Oblate Partnership mission experience for youth imagined and sponsored by an anonymous Missionary Oblate Partner and who is also donating a significant grant for missionary work in the region.
Partners’ “Footsteps Of De Mazenod” Experience
Each year, the Oblates of France host a small group of Partners to spend a week walking in the footsteps of St. Eugene de Mazenod, founder of the Missionary Oblates. And the “Footsteps 2014” experience is already under planning for June of next year.
Read More»When The Wolves Came
- At April 11, 2012
- By Oblate Partnership
- In Mission Stories, News
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Fr. Ted Peifer’s “When The Wolves Came” is the title of a documentary about his missionary work to premiere this coming May in San Antonio, Texas.
The film is based on Oblate Father Francis Theodore “Ted” Pfeifer, O.M.I., who served the indigenous people of southern Mexico for over 40 years. The documentary is based on his book by the same name where Fr. Peifer shares his life and missionary work. Fr. Ted is now retired and living in San Antonio, Texas where we talked to him about the events that are now at the heart of this documentary.
To find out more about the documentary’s premiere visit Fr. Peifer’s web site: http://whenthewolvescame.com/documentary.html
Thomas Groome, De Mazenod Conference 2012
Thomas Groome presentation recapped video, De Mazenod Conference 2012.
On the weekend of February 24-26, 2012, fifty participants gathered from all parts of the U.S. at King’s House Retreat and Renewal Center for the third annual De Mazenod Conference: “Missing in Action (MIA) II: Engaging & Re-engaging Catholics. Dr. Thomas Groome of Boston College gave an excellent and entertaining keynote address: “The Best Things About Being Catholic: A New Apologetic.”
La Morita Mission, So close. Yet… So Far!
- At March 01, 2012
- By Oblate Partnership
- In Mission Stories, News, Tijuana
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By Patricio Espinoza, OblateMissions.org
Oblate Partners visit La Morita Mission
La Morita is a community south of the California, Mexico border. Here Oblate Missionaries serve more than 250,000 people.
In 2010 Partners visited La Morita Mission, as part of a field trip to the site during the Missionary Oblate Partnership Meeting and Retreat in San Diego California.
La Morita is only minutes south of the Tijuana-San Diego border. Four Oblates and one brother manage Casa San Eugenio, several chapels , a clinic, a community center and more. The streets are only dirt roads that turn into thick layers of mud during the rainy winter months.
And life? Life is not easy here, most families survive doing odd jobs, many are elderly, and the young are unemployed. Often a family’s weekly income barely covers their basic needs like groceries.
Oblate Missionaries in La Morita bring as much comfort as their resources and donations allow. Their medical center helps children and the elderly, there is also help and education for children with special needs, and on a weekly basis many of the families receive their “despensa”, a groceries bag with basic foods including milk, rice, beans, oil.
Partnership Hosts De Mazenod Conference
Missionary Oblate Partnership Hosts De Mazenod Conference
by Alicia von Stamwitz
On the weekend of February 24-26, 2012, fifty participants gathered from all parts of the U.S. at King’s House Retreat and Renewal Center for the third annual De Mazenod Conference: “Missing in Action (MIA) II: Engaging & Re-engaging Catholics.”
Missionary Oblate Partners launched the conference series in 2010 with Artie Pingolt, President, convening the event and Fr. Tom Singer, Spiritual Director, coordinating. The conference seeks to promote broader collaboration and understanding around issues of faith and human development.
A lively mix of vowed Oblates, national leaders, partners, and friends attended the conference, including 14 Oblates from the U.S. province: Bill Antone, Jim Brobst, Jim Chambers, Bill Clark, Paul Daley, Jesse Esqueda, Seamus Finn, Art Flores, Ray John Marek, Pat McGee, Tom Meyer, Bill Morell, Ron Roheiser, and Lou Studer.
Dr. Tom Groome
Dr. Thomas Groome of Boston College gave an excellent and entertaining keynote address: “The Best Things About Being Catholic: A New Apologetic.” A short video recording of the keynote is available here. A conference Journal will be published soon
The journal will offer highlights of conference proceedings and recommendations, as well as original articles authored by attendees. Our hope is that post-conference audiovisual and print materials will help promote further dialogue on the critical issue of Catholics leaving the Church.
Missionary Oblate Partnership De Mazenod Conference, 2012
Artie commented after the conference: “So many conferees approached me over the weekend to tell me how personally renewed in faith they felt as a result of the conference. If the De Mazenod Conference did nothing else to address some difficult questions facing our Church, it showed that time spent reflecting on the primacy of Jesus and his Gospel message can and does move minds and hearts.”
Sunday morning prayer at MIA II
Artie extends special thanks to the sponsors of this year’s conference: A leadership gift from Partners Frank & Joanna Hogan was matched by Partners Len & Marge Busch and Patrick Grace as well as Oblate friend Helena Park.
Lusaka
- At January 19, 2012
- By Oblate Partnership
- In Zambia
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Ash Wednesday celebration at Mary Immaculate
The headquarters of the Oblate Zambia Delegation are in Lusaka, the capital of the country, where Oblate presence is visible in many ministries.
One of such ministries is the Mary Immaculate Parish that opened its doors in January of 2004 with a Mass for 250 to 300 people celebrated in a canvas tent. Currently, several hundred people attend daily services and a new building is under construction to house the growing number of parishioners.
Mary Immaculate's Youth Group
Following on the words and work of St. Eugene the Mazenod:
“I will make every effort to preserve the youth from the evils that threaten them ….”
particularly important at Mary Immaculate Parish are the programs for local young people, who actively participated in the building of the current structure and who occupy three positions in the Parish council. Mary Immaculate Parish offers retreats, workshops, evenings of prayer, vocation clubs, and field trips to Oblate missions in the Western Province of the country.
Chapel and wards
Another Oblate ministry is Lusaka is Our Lady’s Hospice, in the area of Kalingalinga. The Oblates are one of the religious congregations involved in the building and management of the Hospice that has the mission of promoting and providing quality palliative care to patients who have HIV/AIDS and cancer.
The priority is to enhance the quality of life of those patients by controlling their pain and giving them the courage to live as full a life as possible. Services are availagble to all who need hospice care and provided free of charge although those who can afford to make a donation are invited to do so. Recently, the Partnership was instrumental in obtaining funding to purchase and install solar-powered hot water geysers to all of the wards of the hospice.
Please, also visit How to Build a MissionMaking: the De Mazenod Formation House at Makeni.