FAQ

• How many Oblates are there in Canada / the world today?
• Where do the Oblates work in Canada?
• Why do you call yourselves OMI Lacombe Canada Province?
• Is there an age limit to joining the Oblates?
• Can I join OMI Lacombe Canada if I do not live in Canada?
• I was married. Can I still join the Oblates?
• What do you do all day?
• How important is prayer in your life?
• Is prayer ever difficult for you?
• What is the difference between a diocesan priest and a religious priest?
• How do congregations or orders differ from one another?
• Why do some priests and religious dress in clerical garb or habits and others do not?
• What is the difference between an Oblate brother and a priest?
• How does one become a member of a religious community?
• What is a religious vow?
• Do diocesan priests make vows?

How many Oblates are there in Canada / the world today?

4300 throughout the world
580 in the three Canadian Oblate Groups
255 in OMI Lacombe Canada (there are two other Oblate groups in Canada: Notre Dame du Cap Province in Quebec, and Assumption Province which specializes in ministry to the Polish immigrant communities.)

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Where do the Oblates work in Canada today?

From coast-to-coast-to-coast. We live and work throughout Canada performing a range of ministries including parish, First Nations and Inuit, education, hospital and prison chaplaincies, youth ministry and a host of others. We also have members ministering in Kenya, Peru, The United States, and Lesotho.

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Why do you call yourselves OMI Lacombe Canada Province?

Albert Lacombe, a Metis born in Quebec in 1827, became an Oblate priest and worked in many parts of Canada doing a variety of ministries, all for the purpose of building up the church and the young country. He worked with First Nations peoples and the newer European communities in both French and English.

From five Oblate Provinces, OMI Lacombe Canada was founded in 2003 in response to the changing face of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada. We are one of over 65 Oblate Provinces in the world today.

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Is there an age limit to joining the Oblates?

The current practice in OMI Lacombe is to accept candidates up to the age of 40 years old. Exceptions to this rule are made on a case by case basis.

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Can I join OMI Lacombe Canada if I do not live in Canada?

If you do not already live in Canada we suggest that you contact the Oblate community in your home country or in the country nearest to you (omiworld.org), and inquire about their formation program. If you would like to live and minister in Canada we suggest that you establish yourself in Canada, and then contact us.

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I was married. Can I still join the Oblates?

If you are no longer married because your spouse is deceased there are no impediments to becoming a religious priest or brother.
If you have divorced you will need to have your marriage declared "annulled."
If you have children you may be better suited to the diocesan priesthood. A religious order cannot take financial responsibility for younger children.
If children are older there is still an emotional responsibility that cannot easily be fulfilled when moving all over the country.

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What do you do all day?

What an Oblate priest or brother does with his day is so varied that only a sampling can be given here. Prayer, work and leisure make up most of our days, and try to ensure we have a balance in all these.

In the area of work or ministry, many of us have one main occupation, such as teaching, parish ministry, social work, or mission preaching, all of which have somewhat regular hours and predictable demands.

Prayer is both communal (Eucharist and The Office) and personal (Meditation) and might take as much as two hours per day. Leisure activities are unique to each person, although in community we often spend time together informally, much like families or friends do.

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How important is prayer in your life?

Prayer is central. It is communication with God who loves us. Can you imagine having a best friend (or husband or wife) with whom you never spoke?

Most Oblates spend about two hours a day in prayer; part of that time is praying with others, at Mass and other communal prayer, and part is alone, in reading and quiet attentiveness. One of the chief benefits of prayer is that it makes us more sensitive to God's activity in our lives, in the lives of others people, and in the events and circumstances of daily life.

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Is prayer ever difficult for you?

Sure! There are lots of times when prayer doesn’t come easy. Most of us have times when we don't feel like doing the other things that are good for us like studying or working out. But because the we’ve made the commitment, and because it will help us come closer to God and others, we try to make regular prayer a part of our lives.

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What is the difference between a diocesan priest and a religious priest?

A diocesan priest ordinarily serves the church within a defined area (a diocese). He usually serves the people as a parish priest, but may also be involved in other forms of ministry. A religious priest, on the other hand, is a member of a community not bound to the geographical limits of a diocese.

A religious priest seeks to live a vowed life within a community of men for mutual support and accomplishment of some work. There is an emphasis in the community on shared ideals, prayer and commitment to Christ. Religious priests work in a wide variety of ministries.

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How do congregations or orders differ from one another?

Religious communities were most often founded in response to specific needs their founders witnessed around them.

The charism of a community often comes from the values held by the founder or the community such as hospitality, simplicity, healing or education. The charism, the specific ministries of the community, and styles of prayer and community life are the basic differences among religious communities. All are alike in that their primary concern is to share with others the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

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Why do some priests and religious dress in clerical garb or habits and others do not?

Those who wear habits or clerical garb today do so for various reasons. One of the primary reasons is that religious dress is an instantly recognized symbol of faith in God and commitment to Christianity.

Some communities have opted to wear street clothes, saying that the most valid sign of Christian faith is lifestyle, rather than clothing. Those who make this choice say the original reason for the habit was to wear the dress of the common people; therefore street clothes are the common people's clothes nowadays.

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What is the difference between an Oblate brother and a priest?

An Oblate brother commits himself to Christ by the religious vows of poverty, celibacy, obedience, and perseverance. He is a full and equal member of the Oblate Congregation, lives in religious community and works in nearly any job: teacher, cook, doctor, etc. Brothers are not sacramental ministers.

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How does one become a member of a religious community?

Click here to see the basic steps.

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What is a religious vow?

A vow is a solemn promise made freely as an individual gives his or her life to God. Many communities make vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience, but other communities like the Oblates, have other vows.

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Do diocesan priests make vows?

Diocesan priests make no vows. For ordination, they freely make promises of celibacy and obedience to their bishop.

 

Adapted from materials published by vocations.com and The National Coalition for Church Vocations and National Religious Vocation Conference, 15420 S Cornell Ave., #105, Chicago, IL 60615-5604.