Missionariorum Oblatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis Immaculatae | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | Post-nominal letters OMI |
|---|---|
| Established | 25 January 1816[1] |
| Founder | Charles Joseph Eugène de Mazenod |
| Founded at | Aix-en-Provence, France |
| Type | Clerical Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right (for Men)[1] |
| Headquarters | General House, Via Aurelia 290 Rome, Italy[2] |
Region served | Worldwide 2020 |
Membership (2020) | 3,786 (2,741 priests)[1] |
Superior General | Luis Ignacio Rois Alonso |
Motto | Latin: Evangelizare pauperibus misit me. Pauperes evangelizantur English: He has sent me to bring the Good News to the poor. The poor have received the Good News. |
Mission | To bring the Good News of Christ to the Poor |
Ministry | Parochial, Foreign mission, educational work |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic Church |
| Website | OMI |
Formerly called | Missionaries of Provence |
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. (Oblate means a person dedicated to God or God's service.) The congregation was given recognition by Pope Leo XII on February 17, 1826. As of January 2020[update], the congregation was composed of 3,631 priests and lay brothers usually living in community.[3] Their traditional salutation is Laudetur Iesus Christus ("Praised be Jesus Christ"), to which the response is Et Maria Immaculata ("And Mary Immaculate"). Members use the post-nominal letters, "OMI".
As part of its mission to evangelize the "abandoned poor",[4] OMI are known for their mission among the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and their historic administration of at least 57 schools within the Canadian Indian residential school system.[5][6] Some of those schools have been associated with cases of child abuse by Oblate clergy and staff.[7]: 399–452
- ^ a b c "Oblates of Mary Immaculate (Institute of Consecrated Life - Men) [Catholic-Hierarchy]".
- ^ "Oblates of Mary Immaculate (Institute of Consecrated Life - Men) [Catholic-Hierarchy]".
- ^ "Statistics of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate – 2020". OMI Lacombe Canada. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ "What we do: We are Missionaries". OMI Lacombe. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ Babych, Art; Gonzalez, Ramon (12 June 2000). "Oblates face bankruptcy". Western Catholic Reporter. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Eugène LeBeuf, Marcel (2011). The Role of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police During the Indian Residential School System.
- ^ Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), "Canada's Residential Schools: The History. Part 2, 1939 to 2000" (PDF), The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, vol. 1, McGill-Queen's University Press, archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-19