Mission & Charism

Oblate Charism and Spirituality

As Oblates of St. Francis De Sales, in the spirit of St. Francis de Sales, we commit ourselves to Christ who came not be served but to serve and to give his life for others.

Like Christ, with humility, trust and compassion and an effective love that thirsts for the Reign of God, we seek to discover and to fulfill the will of God as it presents itself in each moment.

Gifted with an evangelizing spirit and sensitive to the needs and experiences of people in daily life, we embrace the grace of the ordinary in a spirit of humility and gentle strength.

Oblate Mission Statement

The mission of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales is to "Live Jesus" according to Salesian spirituality in our personal and communal lives and to share this spirituality with the People of God.

Oblate Creedal Statements

We believe that as Oblates we are recipients of a precious heritage, the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales.  This gift to the Church is a practical guide to holiness for all the People of God.

We believe that all life comes from God and is sacred.  Each person is to be treated with authentic respect and love.

We believe that the Salesian focus on the gentleness and compassion of Jesus reveals the human and welcoming face of the Church.

We believe that the ministry of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales  has a vitality.  It is faithful to the mission of the Church and affirmed by the continuous response of the people we serve.

We believe that the interior life, the life of prayer that Oblates are called to live through our Directory and our charism, sustains us as men of faith, encourages us in our mission and enables us to deepen our knowledge and love of Jesus.

Oblate Commitment Statements

We commit ourselves to a life of study and prayer that nurtures our personal growth in understanding and living the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales.

We commit ourselves to live Oblate community.

We commit ourselves to making the discernment and development of vocation to our vowed way of life a priority concern by our personal witness and example of Salesian values, by the attractiveness of Oblate community and by the specific efforts we make in the ministries we fulfil.

We commit ourselves to serve God's people well by a continual professional updating in theology and ministry, by a sensitivity to people's needs and feelings and by developing new initiatives in evangelization in response to present day needs.

We commit ourselves to developing a corporate identity and mission that are explicit, understood and accepted.

We commit ourselves to develop our understanding of what it means to be a discerning community in the spirit of St. Francis de Sales.

We commit ourselves to "Live Jesus" in contemporary society by increasing our response to the needs of the oppressed and poor.

We commit ourselves to overcome whatever divides the people unjustly, denies authentic human rights and violates the dignity and sacredness of life.