Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lusaka (Agenzia Fides) – The Regional Conference of Major Superiors of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) was held in Lusaka, Zambia.
According to a statement sent to Fides, the meeting, held every two years, was attended by thirty delegates, representing the 853 Oblates on the continent.
The meeting ended May 20, on the eve of the feast of its founder, St. Eugene de Mazenod. The congregation, founded in 1825 in southern France, has the charism of evangelizing the poor.
In addition to the superiors of several provinces, delegations, and missions, including the Oblates of Africa, meeting in Lusaka, there were also delegates to the next chapter of the General Congregation, the 45th in history, to be convened in Rome in September/October.
The general theme of the chapter is conversion. Personal conversion, but also community conversion. The Oblates of Africa have prepared by studying the matter. The general chapter was preceded by elections and polls, to choose those who represent them in the administration of the congregation and other regional bodies.
The Oblates of Africa have been affected by the demographic changes of recent decades. While the number of vocations has fallen drastically in the Northern Hemisphere, there is abundance and prosperity in Africa, Asia, and South America.
In Africa, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate are present in a dozen countries, both French-speaking and English-speaking: Angola, Botswana, Morocco, Madagascar, Lesotho, South Africa, Senegal, Kenya, Cameroon, Namibia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe . (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 05/29/2010)
