19/05/2026
The gathering of Oblate Bishops at the General House opened this morning with a Eucharistic celebration in honor of Mary, Mother of Unity, presided over by Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, OMI. In his homily, he called all present and the entire Charismatic family to deepen their unity in Christ and to renew their commitment to the Oblate mission.
Here is his inspiring homily:
“Rev. Fr. Luis Rois, our Superior General, my Brother Oblates:
Let me begin with a historical trivia. When the first gathering of Oblate Bishops took place in Rome, I was seated beside the great Bishop of Durban, Bp. Dennis Hurley. Across from us was Bishop Francis George.
I spoke about the mode of evangelization in Asia, the mode of Triple Dialogue: dialogue with the many faiths in Asia, which necessitates interfaith dialogue; dialogue with the rich mosaic of cultures of Asia, which requires the inculturation of the Gospel; and dialogue with the multitudes of the poor in Asia, which requires integral evangelization and liberation. Such a mode of evangelization remains valid today.
In this reflection, may I begin with the image of Jesus dying on the Cross. At the Last Supper, he had bequeathed to us his own Body and Blood as the Eucharistic Sacrament to be celebrated till the end of time. And now, on the Cross, he bequeaths to us the woman he most deeply loves, as he utters the words, “Son, behold your Mother.” “Woman, behold your son.” From then on, the whole community of believers and we became her children, the whole Church, the Body of Christ. She is the Mother of the Church. With her maternal love, she was perfectly and totally united with her Son. With this, our Blessed Mother teaches us that no community of believers, no Oblate community, can truly live in unity and harmony unless its members are in a communion of love with Jesus and his beloved Mother, our own Mother.
From Mary, our Mother, and through her, three fundamental realities of Oblate life flow: a communion of charism, a communion of vision, and a communion of mission, charism, vision, mission. All these we can find in the Preface of the Constitutions that our Founder wrote.
We share the common charism of being a community of daring apostolic men, in love with the Church and placed at her service. We envision ourselves as men entrusted to Mary, our Mother and Model, and called beyond borders to serve the poor. We are sent on a mission to evangelize the poor, to proclaim to the many faces of the poor the Good News of integral salvation in the Kingdom of God.
How have we journeyed so far as missionary bishops towards living our common charism?
How have we journeyed in attaining the vision and carrying out our common mission, given our different social, cultural, political, and economic contexts?
How can the charism of St. Eugene still be an inspiration to us, Oblate Bishops?
My own response may be found in full in a talk I gave as guest lecturer in Fr. Santucci’s Kusenberger Chair of Oblate Studies in Chennai, India, in 2019, eight years ago. It was published in Oblatio, vol. VIII, 2019/2. The talk is entitled: “Daring, Ministering, Opting for the Poor: the Vision and Praxis of an Oblate Cardinal.”
My brother Oblates, may our Blessed Mother bring us ever closer to her Son, Jesus, and intercede for us, so that our days of communion together may lead us into deeper unity and harmony as pilgrims of hope for our people. Amen. May this be so.”
