The Oblate
Missionaries of Mary Immaculate

A reflection by Bonnie Kirk following a team discussion.
The discussion was sparked by the viewing of a video on internet posted by a Friar Casey Cole (Georgia, USA) who asks, “Why are some congregations not recruiting new members? What needs to change? In the process of modernizing to be more like the world, some religious communities have lost their radical edge, he says, and, by the same token, have lost the interest of young people who are attracted by a radical gift of self. Communities that flourish are radical: they have visible signs that distinguish them from the world like the habit and an intense prayer life.

The question that arose in the team was, by its nature, is secular consecration radical?

“Yes,” Bonnie says, “our Oblate secular consecration is radical; we are called to embrace gospel values as the root and foundation of our lives; a commitment that is given flesh by our evangelical spirituality and empowered by our vows.

Embedded in society, at times anonymously, we are not called to visibility by conditions such as distinctive signs, communal living and prayer and specific ministry.

We have a strong charism and mission which are discreetly manifested from our place in the world, for the world and with the world. We are lay persons with regular jobs and in diverse living situations. We have some similarities with religious congregations yet we are different.

I think Friar Cole’s judgement of some traditional religious communities relates to the way they have watered down the description of who they are. In so doing, according to him, they have more or less embraced the life style of laypersons with no distinct dress, ministry or communal living.

I think he is challenging us as well in our own quest for vocations. In our contacts we often fall short of sharing our spirituality. We need to be open and vulnerable about Oblate life– a life style with all the rights and responsibilities inherent to lay consecration; a life rich and blessed but that, with its own particular challenges, is at times difficult to live.”

Bonnie K.

I thank the Lord for having inspired our dear Father Louis-Marie Parent, founder of the Institute, The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate. He has drawn a very concrete path of Christian and consecrated life for us to follow.

Being attentive to people, as Christ was, opens the door to a life of charity.

With a team, we had welcomed the children of migrants (the pandemic put an end to this project). I had gotten to know the parents beforehand. That is how, at an R.S.F. demonstration, the mother of three found the courage to confide: "I have a home, but I have no fridge or washer. Could you help me find some?"

Her request provoked me and propelled me to make multiple contacts to respond to her needs. I took particular interest in this family and made myself available for various services and I got others involved with me. The very grateful mom knows she can knock on my door anytime. Together with others we are always be able to help out. The family knows how to bring enjoyment by sharing moments of friendship.

The Covid crisis and confinement, which keep us mostly at home, have made me more attentive to my neighbors allowing me to create a fraternal atmosphere through small gestures.

The spirit of charity is not improvised, it is received from Him who is total Love and asks only to be spread around. I borrow a quote from Catherine of Siena: "Make yourself capable, I will make of myself a torrent!”

Lord, grant us the grace to live in your Love. Then You, in turn, will spring up like a waterfall giving us, as a bonus, the joy of sharing!

Marie M.

The Volunteers of God are a group associated with the secular institute of The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate. They are committed to living the Love of Christ everywhere in the present moment.

Since the pandemic, the participants of the Volunteers of God team of La Tuque have been prevented from meeting monthly to pursue deepen the spirituality of the 5 attitudes of life and to nourish fraternal bonds between them.

The priest, Marc Lahaie suggested that we hold a virtual meeting in December 2020. Stéphane (deacon in the making) and his wife Nicole, initiated the virtual meeting via the Teams application.

The meeting was scheduled for 7:00 pm Monday, December 14, 2020. There were 13 of us online, some with access to video (10), others who don't have a camera participated using audio.
Lise, one of the group leaders, facilitated the meeting. We were happy for the opportunity to exchange news.

Surprise! The priest, Marc Lahaie and Réjeanne, Oblate (initiator of our team 33 years ago) joined us.

Lise invited us to express our prayer intentions. Suzelle read the form of our commitment (promise) which we renewed together. Line continued with a brief description of the 5 attitudes of life which are: Presence of God, Absence of destructive criticism, Absence of unnecessary complaints, Being of service and Being a peacemaker. We renew our commitment to living this spirituality.

Réjeanne delivered a heart-warming tribute addressed to us. "Ah! If everyone lived that.” Stéphane exclaimed. The meeting lasted approximately 45 minutes. Although we were not gathered physically we felt a lot of mutual love and isn't that the main thing?

Nicole N. Volunteer of God, La Tuque team

In this new year 2021, we present you with an interview of Fr. Louis-Marie Parent, OMI, on the Radio Canada program "In the Spirit of Friendship ...", hosted by Father Rolland Leclerc who likes to meet people who testify to their beliefs. Father Leclerc dares to make us live a privileged moment with Father Louis-Marie Parent, o.m.i., by asking him direct questions about the faith, in addition to walking with him on his journey of life.

An interview that is dated, you may say, but what a great surprise to see Father Parent again, who speaks with passion of this God of love whom he rubs shoulders with through his life of prayer.
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Father Louis-Marie Parent, o.m.i. is the founder of the Secular Institute The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and of the Voluntas Dei. He is also the co-founder of a contemplative religious community, Les Recluses Missionionnaires.

In addition to having been a good counselor for many families and spiritual movements, he is the author of several books on spirituality reflective of the daily life of every Christian. By his deep faith and his missionary heart, he inspired many to commit themselves to following Christ as disciples and apostles in the midst of the world.

We invite you to read some inspiring thoughts from Fr. Parent by visiting our website and our Facebook page: Thoughts for the Heart and the Spirit.

To view the video (available in French only) go to

Hello everyone,

It is with trust that we come to share with you what our Drummondville Volunteers team is experiencing.

The year 2020 is a year of great trials that destabilizes us all. Three of our members have been diagnosed with serious illnesses which, in spite of themselves, keep them away from our meetings. It is with sadness that our facilitator Paulette Chénard finds herself obliged to withdraw from the animation of our meetings since she must take particular care of her health. However, she remains a spiritual support for us to the extent that she is able.

Of course, we stay in touch with each one. These events affect us deeply and inspire us to live a part of the spirituality of the Volunteers, "the present moment" more profoundly.

It was with humility that Jocelyne and I accepted the responsibility of leading the team of Volunteers of God, entrusted to us by Paulette.

Through these events we are invited to let God realize his project of Love by our living the mission of the Volunteers of God: "To live everywhere the Love of Christ in the present moment."

With joy, we renewed our commitment as Volunteers of God this December 8, 2020, at St-Frédéric Basilica in Drummondville all the while respecting government instructions.

We congratulate Francine M. on her first commitment as a Volunteer.

Standing together before the crib, we gave thanks to Mary through moments of interiority and, by praying a decade of the rosary for Aline B. Jacqueline C. and Paulette C. who were absent due to illness.

Jacqueline B.
December 9, 2020

On September 8, 2020, at the little Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Cape, in the presence of Oblates, members of my family, my friends, and the Carmelite Friars (celebrant and animator of the singing), I professed my first vows with great emotion and joy!

Gertrude, my formator, and Marie, the regional leader, accompanied me in a wonderful way in preparing me for this memorable stage in my journey as a member of the Institute. They were very involved in the smooth unfolding of this celebration and I thank them. And what a beautiful fraternal event it was!

It is with great emotion too that I found myself in the company of my Oblate companions, my family and my friends. For my first vows, the little Sanctuary became the gathering place for people who are very dear to me, but also with the presence of those in Heaven. Father Parent, founder of the Institute, was with us spiritually but also symbolically with the chalice on the altar that had belonged to him and had been donated to the Sanctuary Museum, thanks to a kind gesture on the part of Martin Yelle, director of the mission of the Sanctuary.

What joy when Denise, President of the Institute, invited me forward to profess my first vows! It is difficult to put into words such an experience of interiority. Briefly put, I experienced “a spark of eternity:” feelings and emotions, an interior foretaste best expressed as an indelible stamp imprinted on my heart. Another joy was seeing companions of my team renewing their vows during this same celebration.

The ceremony concluded with a fraternal meal with the joyful mingling of Oblates, families, friends and the celebrant, Friar Ange-Marie, d.c.f. The gifts received could in themselves be the subject of a complete article, so great was their symbolism for this stage of my Oblate life.

Following this September 8, the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, I am filled with gratitude for this beautiful grace given to me and in which my Oblate companions are journeyers and missionaries with me! I thank from the bottom of my heart everyone present at this moment of eternity!

Diane B.
North America East Region

As the pandemic continues to ravage our country and the world. One must make the best of it as we remain quarantined.  So I decided to do some creative quilts.  One thing led to the next: a table runner for Halloween even though no trick or treat took place.
Then I moved on to the next celebration coming up Thanksgiving.  Yes we must be thankful for all that the Lord has done for each and every one.  So far he has spared me and my family of a COVID Virus.  However we cannot see each other, we keep in touch.
Christmas is around the corner so I just finish doing a couple of things. Needless to say I feel this is therapy for me to be able to occupy myself daily in some sort of creativity.  I just get lost in it and time goes by so fast.  I am the happiest when I can use my talent of creativity.
My next project is to finish a quilt started for my brother in Arizona who is a Vietnam handicapped veteran.  The quilt will have some quilted “cowboy” hats and antique cars.  This is to commemorate his love of antique cars and love of the southwest.
See attached photos of a few table toppers.
Claudette C.

I have been asked to write a testimonial on the following thought: "When I prepare my day, how does my prayer life energize my audacity and my faith to enable me to speak of the Lord through my presence."

In the midst of this Covid-19 quarantine, I start my day at 7:00 a.m. with the rosary, at times before rising, to praise the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask for her help in emulating her qualities (availability, attentiveness to the Holy Spirit etc.) I ask of her the grace to be docile to the Will of the Father. As soon as I awaken I say to my Lord; “Here is the handmaid of the Lord,” and I pray the prayer of 555. I offer Him my day, my limitations, my grief over the absence of my deceased brother; I am still not used to his absence. I pray to reveal the Presence of God to the people whom I will contact during the day (Oblate companions, relatives, friends, Volunteers) by phone, in light of the present circumstances.

What audacity can I have without leaving home? I simply offer my Vow of Poverty - detachment, dependence. With the recitation of the Divine Office I feel united with the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and with the whole Church; I strive to make of my day what God wants it to be. I am inspired by the words of Father Parent to live the present moment, to be docile to the Will of God, and I give thanks for the new Day that He gives me.

Ana Alarcon S. Chile

I am enjoying a happy pastime making small wool figurines. While limbering up my elderly fingers, this hobby gives me the opportunity to exercise my creativity through the matching of colors and in varying the appearance of the dolls. It is also an opportunity to sow happiness around me.
All proceeds from the sale go to organizations like: "Little school pleasures" for less well-off children
and for the organism "OLO" (eggs, milk, orange) for pregnant mothers so that their babies are born healthier.
The wool is provided to me by generous ladies concerned about recycling.
Also, the children who receive these little dolls can tell them secrets ...
It's a hobby that brings a smile to my face, especially during this time of confinement.
Jeannine B.

I carry all the Volunteers of God in my heart; I love your mission: "To live the love of Christ everywhere in the present moment".
You live this mission fully. Love is important in a broken world. Jesus calls us to embody his love because the love of God can transform the world.
Rév. Gerald Michaud

Humanity's loud cry is not war, famine, etc., it is the lack of love. Everyone everywhere needs love, whether in prison, in retirement homes, etc. Therein lies the strength of the Volunteer of God teams because it is love that reigns there. Alone it’s more difficult, but, together, everything becomes extraordinary.

In all situations, God calls us to embody the love of the Father and that is what Volunteers do. Let’s go back in time and remember how we encountered the love of God.

• "I was in a very difficult situation. I was involved in many activities, unable to say no and I was very tired. Going to the hospital to meet a patient, I enter the wrong room and come across a grieving family. God sent me to this room to comfort them ... "

God needs our hands, our eyes, ... to realize this beautiful project of love.

• “One day, upon entering a community center, I see a statue of a woman holding her child above her head. My first impression was that it was Mary and Jesus. But that statue actually represented any mother and her child and that's when I realized that this child was me. God raises me up through my baptism and tells me: You are my beloved son and I love you, you are my child. "

God takes us in our littleness and lifts us up with the princes; he gives us our dignity.

Love is the heart of our mission. We must realize that God loves us and that we must trust him because the Volunteers have said "yes" to God and He is in all our gestures of tenderness and love. He brings love into our daily lives. The heart of our spirituality is the five attitudes of life.

The young people of today with their tattoos, their multi-colored hair-styles tell us: "Hey! I'm here ...!!" Many elderly people are bored; they need to know that someone is thinking of them.

That is how we can be missionaries everywhere. God takes us where there is a need. Sometimes we don't think we are up to the task, but God knows we are; He knows our abilities, our qualities, ... He sends us with what we have.

The Kingdom of God is the kingdom of love. Every time I make a gesture of love, I participate in building the Kingdom. Our small gestures have extraordinary power.

Father Parent taught us not to criticize, not to crush the gifts of others. Criticism kills life; it prevents the flourishing and fulfilment of ones-self. The absence of a complaint means that God is there with us and that we must see the positive in all events because God is active in each of us:
• "I am a chaplain in a prison and I realize that I too could have been incarcerated here if I hadn't had love in my life."

The prison is an environment of great suffering but prisoners are children of God. They are screaming to us that they need love. The path of love is a path of growth.

The greatest suffering can turn into a path of Life, of Resurrection. Some situations are not easy, but we are called to grow, to become transparent with the love of God.

If we accept to suffer, we will see other miracles happen. By embracing the reality of what is happening, we allow God to do His work.

In the Eucharist we remember the presence of God. We can meet God in others because God is at work there. He wants us to take the path of love.

Father Gérald Michaud, I.V.D.

(Extracts from a conference to the Volunteers of God at the Basilica.)