Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

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The Oblate Fathers of St. Francis de Sales (Latin: Oblati Sancti Francisci Salesii, O.S.F.S.) are an order of Roman Catholic Oblate priests who base their spirituality on the teachings of St. Francis de Sales.

[edit] History

They serve the community by operating schools around the world, including several in their two provinces in the US. A congregation of priests founded originally by Saint Francis de Sales at the request of Saint Jane de Chantal. The establishment at Thonon was a preparatory step toward carrying out his design, the accomplishment of which was prevented by his death. With Saint Jane Frances de Chantal's encouragement and assistance, Raymond Bonal of Adge, in France, carried out his plan but this congregation died out at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Two hundred years later it was revived by Ven. Mother Marie de Sales Chappuis (died 7 October, 1875) and Abbé Louis Alexander Alphonse Brisson, a professor in the Seminary of Troyes. In 1869 Father Brisson began Saint Bernard's College, near Troyes. In September, 1871, Father Gilbert (died 10 November, 1909) joined him and Mgr. Ravinet, Bishop of Troyes, received them and four companions into the novitiate.

The Holy See approved temporarily their constitutions, 21 December, 1875. The first vows were made 27 August, 1876. The definitive approbation of their constitution was given on 8 December, 1897. The members of the institute are of two ranks, clerics and lay-brothers. The postulate lasts from six to nine months; the novitiate from one year to eighteen months. For the first three years the vows are annual, after that perpetual. The institute is governed by a superior general elected for life, and five counsellors general elected at each general chapter, which takes place every ten years.

They first came to America in 1893. The congregation gradually developed in France. It numbered seven colleges and five other educational houses when the Government closed them all, 31 July, 1903. The founder retired to Plancy where he died 2 February, 1908.

The mother-house was transferred to Rome, and the congregation divided into three provinces, by linguistic family: Latin (France, Belgium, Italy, Greece, and South America), German(ic) (Austria, the German Empire and the southern half of its South-west African colony), and English (England, United States and the north-western part of Cape Colony). Each province is administered by a provincial superior, appointed by the superior general and his council for ten years. He is assisted by three counsellors elected at each provincial chapter, which meets every ten years, at an interval of five years between the regular general chapters.

In the early 20th century they had the following membership. The Latin province has a scholasticate at Albano. In 1909 the church of Sts. Celsus and Julian in Rome was given to the Oblates. The novitiate for the Latin and German provinces is in Giove (Umbria). The Ecole Commerciale Ste Croix in Naxos (Greece) had about fifty pupils and the College St. Paul at Piræus (Athens) about two hundred. Four Fathers, stationed in Montevideo (Uruguay) did mission work, running a flourishing Young Men's Association; in Brazil, three Fathers had the district of Don Pedrito do Sul (11,000 square miles with a Catholic population of 20,000); the headquarters of the Uruguay-Brazil mission being at Montevideo, Uruguay. One Oblate was stationed in Ecuador, where before the Revolution of 1897 the congregation had charge of the diocesan seminary of Riobamba, several colleges and parishes. In 1909 a school for the congregation was opened at Dampicourt, Belgium.

The German(ic) province had a preparatory school of about forty students in Schmiding (Upper Austria) and charge of St. Anne's (French) church in Vienna, also the church of Our Lady of Dolours in Kaasgraben, Vienna, which is served by six Oblates. At Artstetten, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand gave them charge of the parish in 1907 and assisted them to build a school. With the consent of the German Government, Cardinal Fischer gave them the church of Marienburg in 1910. Several Fathers were engaged in mission work. The English province founded its novitiate in Wilmington, Delaware, 23 September, 1903 and transferred it to Childs, Maryland (1907) with a scholasticate attached. The Fathers in Wilmington conducted a high school for boys and were chaplains of several religious communities, the county alms-house, the state insane hospital, the Ferris Industrial School for boys and the county and state prison. In 1910 the parish of St. Francis de Sales at Salisbury, Maryland (1209 square miles with a population of 70,000), was confided to the Oblates.

In Walmer (Kent, England) they had a boarding school for boys, the chaplaincy of the Visitation Convent and Academy of Roselands and a small parish in Faversham. To this province belonged the Vicariate Apostolic of the Orange River.