On October 3, Pope Francis addressed participants in the general chapter of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. St. Eugène de Mazenod founded the missionary institute in 1816.

“May your founder, the charism he transmitted to you, and his missionary vision be and remain points of reference for your life and your work; to stay rooted in your missionary vocation, above all by living the testament of your founder, in mutual love among yourselves and in zeal for the salvation of souls,” the Pope said in his address. “It is the heart of your mission and the secret of your life, and this is why the Church still needs you.”