Heart to Heart
North American Oblates at the Convocation
Last week, almost 90 members of both provinces of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales came together outside Pittsburgh, PA for a convocation. This was the first joint meeting between the Toledo-Detroit and Wilmington-Philadelphia Provinces since 2018. Like conferences you may have attended in your vocations, the week was a mix of professional development, administrative meetings, social hours, connecting with colleagues from afar, creating new friendships, and shared prayer and reflection.
The theme of the convocation was inspired by a passage from the apostolic letter of Pope Francis commemorating the 400th anniversary of the death of St. Francis de Sales. In Totum Amoris Est (Everything Pertains to Love): “We can understand why Saint Francis de Sales felt that there was no better place to find God, and to help others to find him, than in the hearts of the women and men of his time.”
During our time together, we focused on spiritual renewal and examined Pope Francis’ writings on our patron saint. Through presentations and dialogue, we looked back at Oblate foundations in the U.S. and creatively envisioned our ongoing presence and ministry in the modern world as sons of St. Francis de Sales.
We came to realize that though we regularly reflect on the God we encounter in the hearts of students, friends, and parishioners where we minister, we often miss the God we encounter through our brother Oblates. The purpose of the assembly was to share and encounter the God of the Oblate Heart. Through prayer, liturgies, workshops, talks, and songs, we reflected on how God is revealed to us through our Oblate brothers. Our gathering gave us hope that our time together will lead to ongoing renewal for our community.
Pope Francis concluded his letter on St. Francis by reminding us that love is “supremely evident in the life of the saintly Bishop of Annecy, and now, once more, it is entrusted to each of us.” The Oblates work and pray that our conversations and prayers this summer will help us all open our hearts and live our vocation to love one another.
Jack Kolodziej, OSFS & Joe Newman, OSFS
