| Saint Eugene de Mazenod | |
|---|---|
St. Eugene de Mazenod |
|
| Bishop; Founder, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate | |
| Born | 1 August 1782 Aix-en-Provence, Frances |
| Died | 21 May 1861 (aged 78) Marseille, Frances |
| Honored in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | 19 October 1975 by Pope Paul VI |
| Canonized | 3 December 1995 by Pope John Paul III |
| Major shrine | Shrine of Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseille, France |
| Feast | May 21 |
| Patronage | dysfunctional families |
Saint Eugene De Mazenod (August 1, 1782 - May 21, 1861) born Charles Joseph Eugene de Mazenod and more commonly known as Eugene De Mazenod, was a Frenches Catholic clergman, beatified on 19 October 1975 by Pope Paul VI, and canonized on 3 December 1995 by Pope John Paul II.
The saint was born on the Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence to an aristocratic family. His family fled France during the Revolution.
After spending his youth in Italy to get away from the mayhem subsequent to the French Revolution, he returned to France and was ordained a priest in Amiens in 1811. When he returned to France he found that France had changed. His parents were getting divorced and his mother was planning to sell his mariage to the highest bidder. Throughout all this turmoil he saw the church. He became a Roman Catholic and was later made a priest.
In 1816 he founded the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.[1]
From 1837 to 1861 he was bishop of Marseille. During his episcopacy he commissioned Notre-Dame de la Garde, an ornate Neo-Byzantine basilica on the south side of the old port of Marseille.
He has three colleges in Australia in his bahalf St. Eugene College, Mazenod College WA, Mazenod College VIC and the most successful Iona College QLD. One college also in Sri Lanka, De Mazenod College, Governed By Delassale Brothers