Missionary Oblates

of Mary Immaculate OMI

Out of love for Christ and the Church, the Oblates of Mary offer themselves to work among those suffering from any type of poverty. As missionaries they believe that the greatest poverty is that of not knowing Christ and therefore have a special concern for those who have never heard of Him and those whose faith needs to be rekindled. They strive to be close to the people with whom they live, always open and respectful to the values embedded in their culture, working with them to establish Christian communities and Churches responsible for their own development and growth. They are open to being evangelized themselves by the people they are sent to evangelize. They find in Mary the perfect model of their response to God.

The O.M.I.s were founded by blessed Eugene de Mazenod in 1816 in France. The weakness of the Church led him to bring together a small group of priests who would give themselves totally to the reformation of the local Church. This community grew beyond expectation, and the founder was appointed Bishop of Marseilles in 1832. In 1841 the first Oblates left their homeland for North America (Canada) and in 1847 others went to Sri Lanka. In 1852 Bishop de Mazenod sent five missionaries to Southern Africa including Joseph Gerard, the apostle of Lesotho, now one of the most Catholic nations in Africa. During Pope John Paul 11`s visit to Southern Africa in 1988, Joseph Gerard became the first person to have lived in this part of the world to be beatified. There are approximately 690 O.M.I.s working in 13 countries of Africa, out of a world wide total of 5200.

There are seven members in Zimbabwe, working in Bulawayo Diocese. The majority of Provinces / Administrations on this continent are now headed by locally born members.

Missionary Oblates

of Mary Immaculate

Vocation Promoter

Eugene de Mazenod House

P.O. Box 157 QP

Queens Park – Bulawayo

Tel: (09) 226747

E-mail: siya@mweb.co.zw