Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

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Seal of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest from Marseille. It was first recognized by Pope Leo XII on February 17, 1826. Originally established to revive the Church after devastation by the French Revolution, the religious order now serves in various countries around the world. Though they originally focused on working with the poor, they became known as a missionary and teaching order as well. In 1938, Pope Pius XI called them "specialists in difficult missions". One of the more famous members of the OMI is Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago.

The Oblates played the major role in Catholic missionary activity in Western Canada. Famous Oblate missionaries to the native peoples of Northwestern Canada include Father Émile Petitot, Father Adrien-Gabriel Morice, Venerable Vital-Justin Grandin, Father Albert Lacombe, Brother Anthony Kowalczyk (beatus), Father Leon Fouquet, and Father Roger Vandersteene. Even today many parish priests in western Canada are Oblates.

Their traditional salutation is Laudetur Jesus Christus ("Praised be Jesus Christ") which is responded with Et Maria Immaculata ("And Mary Immaculate")^[1].

One site the Oblates manage is the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois, along with its nearby retreat center, King's House.

1 Schools
2 Membership
3 External links
4 Resources
5 References

[edit] Schools

The OMI founded the University of Ottawa in 1848, then the College of Bytown.^[2] Since the University of Ottawa became publicly funded in 1965, Saint Paul University exists as a separate but federated institution with a pontifical charter to grant ecclesiastical degrees and a public charter, through the University of Ottawa, to grant civil degrees.

The OMI also administer the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.

The OMI also operate three schools in Australia: Iona College in Brisbane, Mazenod College (Victoria) and Mazenod College (Western Australia).

The Oblates of Mary Immaculate also administer the Notre Dame schools and universities in Mindanao, including Notre Dame University (Cotabato) and Notre Dame of Midsayap College in North Cotabato, and the Notre Dame of Greater Manila in Caloocan City, which are located in the Philippines.

The Oblates also opened and operated a mission school in 1863 in what was to be later named Mission City, British Columbia. The school's first master was Father Leon Fouquet. Its aim was to bring the local indigenous people - the Sto:lo - to a Christian and agrarian lifestyle, in keeping with the directions of James Douglas, the colonial governor of the day. Later, the school became a federally mandated residential school named St. Mary's and was closed in 1984, making it the last BC residential school to close. It is now operated as a cultural centre by the Sto:lo people.

Currently, OMI holds the presidency of the Notre Dame Educational Association, a group of approximately 194 Notre Dame Schools, Colleges, and its 5 Universities in the Philippines[3], which were originally established by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

The Oblates are the largest congregation of Catholic Male Religious in Southern Africa working in South Africa, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Zambia

[edit] Membership

As of 2006, there are 4,440 Oblates, including 580 in formation. Currently, the highest-ranking member of the order within the church hierarchy is Cardinal Francis E. George, Archbishop of Chicago.