Embracing the Constitutions and Rules: A Call to a “Second” Conversion

Cor Unum

In 2004, Fr. Nestor Grégoire, an Oblate from Lacombe Province, offered his fellow Oblates a daily meditation series, “Praying the Oblate Constitutions and Rules.”  He began his month-long reflections with two compelling questions: How do we make the Oblate Constitutions and Rules truly “user-friendly”? And how do we integrate their vital values into the very core of our being? These insightful questions, I believe, still resonate with us.

Two decades prior, in 1981, Frs. Jaime Sullivan and Ruben Elizondo authored the Manual de animación oblata, which was translated into both French and English for the entire Congregation. This manual helps every Oblate, from individuals to local communities and the entire Oblate unit, to better understand our charism. It supports our spiritual and religious growth, and guides our missionary work.

In his foreword to the manual, Fr. Fernand Jetté, then our Superior General, spoke of a “second conversion” for each of us. He observed: “We have been Oblates for 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 years. Yet, in Oblate life, we are called to a second conversion. This second conversion can be more challenging than the first, precisely because it penetrates us so deeply. After years as Oblates, we develop habits, establish routines, and form attachments to ourselves and our own will—attachments we may not even recognize.” He further emphasized, “…if we are serious about practicing our Constitutions and Rules, we must make choices, difficult choices, not only in our missionary activities, but, more importantly, in our way of thinking and in our very lifestyle.”

The 2022 General Chapter echoed this wisdom, stating: “Our pilgrim journey and Oblate identity as missionaries to the many faces of the poor call us to live as consecrated men through our vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and perseverance, ‘making visible the marvels wrought by God in the frail humanity of those who are called’ (Vita Consecrata 20)…Reflecting on our vows helps us understand the freedom they offer—the freedom to love, to go where we are called, and to live simply. Our faith and trust in God as religious men are directly reflected in how we live these vows. Authentic and fraternal growth arises from living the vows daily, acknowledging our human frailty, and persevering in our commitment to conversion…” (PHC 7.3).

During the launch of the “Materials for Animating the Constitutions and Rules”, commemorating the 209th anniversary of the Oblate Foundation, our Superior General, Fr. Luis Ignacio Rois Alonso, inspired the approximately 240 Oblates and Lay Associates participating via Zoom, saying: “This meeting marks the first step of a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage in which the Holy Spirit will illuminate our hearts, renewing us and empowering us to live our charism with greater passion and generosity. We must begin in our hearts, listening to Jesus’ invitation to conversion. The pilgrim’s journey is vital, and equally so is the fact that he does not walk alone, but in community. A community that dedicates itself for an entire year to a heart-to-heart dialogue with fellow Oblates, reflecting on how to renew our missionary family through the lens of the Constitutions and Rules.”

Let us begin in our hearts. Let us make the Constitutions and Rules “user-friendly” for each of us. Let us integrate the values of our Book of Life into the very core of our being…for our second conversion!

By Henricus Asodo Istoyo, OMI – Assistant General for Formation

Published on the OMI World website