Last updated:12 December 2009
 |
Who are the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Buffalo? |
Last updated:12 December 2009
|
Who are the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Buffalo? |
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate began in 1816
when a young French priest, Eugene DeMazenod, formed a group of
priests to revive the Faith, which had been widely forsaken during the French
Revolution of 1789. They went from parish to parish evangelizing, baptizing
and re-establishing the Church. Soon other priests joined
the group. They became a Religious Congregation in 1826. Later Father
DeMazenod became Bishop of Marseillles. In 1861, at his death,
400 Oblates were working in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Today,
almost 5,000 Oblates work in over 60 countries in
every branch of ministry.
St. Eugene DeMazenod was canonized on December 3, 1995 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in Vatican City.
On August 21, 1851, three Oblate priests: Fr. Chevalier, Fr. Soulerin and Fr. Corbett arrived here from Montreal in response to Bishop Timon’s 1849 invitation to work with him for the church and the people of Buffalo – a largely immigrant and minority Catholic population.
In July of 1852, land was purchased in the “suburban” area known as Prospect Hill and by 1856 foundations were laid for a permanent church which was blessed by Bishop Timon on May 10, 1859. Holy Angels Parish (which had been operating from various temporary venues for almost a decade) finally had a permanent home. For a time, the Oblates also staffed a second parish in the Black Rock section of the city.
Bishop Timon had also asked the Oblates to conduct a seminary for the diocese of Buffalo and thus began the involvement of Oblates in educational ministry in western New York. While the diocesan seminary project was short lived due to low enrollment, the Oblates later (1891) began operating an educational institution for their own aspirants but which was also welcoming of any interested lay students in a building adjacent to Holy Angels Church. This educational institution later added a high school division and became known as the Holy Angels Collegiate Institute (H.A.C.I.)
Although classes at H.A.C.I. were discontinued in 1910, the seminary itself remained a residence for Oblate seminarians. The young candidates for the Oblate priesthood attended classes at Canisius High School and Canisius College until H.A.C.I. was reopened in September of 1932. In 1947, the seminary section of H.A.C.I. was transferred to Newburgh, NY.
By 1950, growing lay enrollment at H.A.C.I. required larger facilities here in Buffalo and so a Main Street campus was opened under a new name: Bishop Fallon High School (in memory of an Oblate – former pastor at Holy Angels made Bishop of London, Ontario). For the next 25 years, this Oblate educational institution trained many thousands of young men to take their place in the service of God and country.
In 1961, the great success of Fallon High School prompted Bishop Burke to invite the Oblates to accept the administration and staffing of a second high school - this time in suburban Williamsville. For 18 years the Oblates ran co-ed St. John Neumann High School which also educated many thousands of young people in western New York.
The hallmarks of the Oblate education apostolate were always scholarship, character development and religious formation.
Another apostolate which engaged the Oblates
almost from the outset of their arrival in Buffalo was the preaching of Parish
Missions. Prior to the turn of the century, due to the pressing
nature of parish and educational concerns and the manpower which had to be devoted
to them, this preaching outreach to the larger church in western New York and
beyond was necessarily sporadic and done at great sacrifice – but it was done.
By the early 1900’s a band of Oblate missionaries
exclusively devoted to the preaching of parochial missions had been constituted
and Buffalo became one of its hubs. Very quickly the Oblate “Mission
Band” became renowned from coast to coast.
Various and sundry chaplaincies - especially in health care - have been filled over the years by Oblates "in residence" in our Buffalo Oblate houses.
After 150 years, the Oblates in Buffalo remain engaged in all of these apostolates.
The Oblates in Buffalo today are engaged in a multiplicity of thriving ministries, all emanating from a vital community-based Center. Since 1851, this formula has characterized and constituted Buffalo, New York as an “Oblate signature foundation” in the United States.
The years subsequent to the turn of the century (the second 50 years) saw Buffalo build on its good fortune. The abundance of cheap, renewable energy in the form of hydroelectric power which could be harnessed and distributed attracted heavy industry and kept Buffalo on the map as an economic engine in the Great Lakes area. Wave after wave of Catholic immigrants – the Germans and the Poles, the Irish and the Italians – populated the city, lured by the industrial jobs which abounded. The Oblates redoubled their efforts, ministering to their spiritual needs and educating their children.
The past 50 years have witnessed a downturn in Buffalo’s fortunes. The advent of the St. Lawrence Seaway (connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean) eclipsed Buffalo’s importance as an inland port and railhead. In addition, heavy industry undertook its migration south as energy became more readily available and where the climate seemed more suitable.
Buffalo today is an economically depressed area with an unemployment rate 1 ½ % higher than the national average. On the West Side, (within the boundaries of Holy Angels Parish), nearly half of all households have an income below $15,000 and less than 1/3rd of the homes are owner occupied. The Oblates continue to minister to the Catholic population here because the need continues to be great. Buffalo’s ethnic diversity remains – augmented now by an influx of Hispanic residents. Despite an overall population decrease, Buffalo remains the 2nd largest Diocese (after Brooklyn) in the United States.
Interestingly, the city has retained a good deal of the cultural infrastructure of its “Glory Days” – a sprawling urban park system connected by wide boulevards laces through the city; homes which are architectural masterpieces dot almost every neighborhood; there are world-class museums and a symphony orchestra; the environs boast of 12 colleges and universities (public and private); there are over 30 venues for live theatre here and 2 major league sports teams.
Because of its water resources (at the confluence of two Great Lakes); its prominence as a major educational oasis in western New York; and its strategic location as the international gateway to the cross-border metropolis of Toronto, Canada, Buffalo could be poised to reclaim its heritage as the “Queen City of the Great Lakes” during the coming 50 years.
The Oblates have ministered in Buffalo during its good times and its less than good times. The newly restructured American Province is calling all of us to rededicate ourselves to the mission and to regroup into Oblate Centers featuring a vibrant and supportive community life and from there to fan-out in a multiplicity of ministries “ to preach the Gospel to the poor.” That has always been and continues to be the “M.O.” of Oblates in Buffalo – we can attest that it is a formula for missionary success. We look forward to the next 50 years of missionary challenge on the Niagara Frontier.
More information is available by clicking Introduction to Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
Bishop Fallon High School/Holy Angels Collegiate Institute