Oblate Partners in Mission

…leave nothing “undared for the Gospel”

In 2006, Fr. Tom Murphy OMI set the Province on a new journey when he called for lay people to be invited to the Congress of the Province. The theme of the Congress was to be “Partners in Mission.” It was the first time we had invited the people we walk with to such an event. The days we spent together helped shape the direction taken by the Province in the years that followed.

Four years later this new direction would lead to the establishment of the Partners in Mission team based at Denis Hurley House in London. The then Provincial, Fr. Willie Fitzpatrick, encouraged the team to find new ways to engage with people during a time of immense change within the life of the Province.

At present we have a team of nine people involved in the Partners project. This nine is comprised of two Oblates and seven lay people who share both our spirituality and mission. Three of them are devoted to youth ministry, four others work in the area of charism development and the final member of the team takes care of the administration needs of the project.

The values that underpin the work of the Partners in Mission team are: Continuity, Responsiveness and Innovation. By continuity we mean continuing the best practices of our Oblate heritage and building on our rich traditions. Responsiveness is for us to be faithful to the example of St Eugene and to reach out to the needs of the present moment. While innovation invites us to leave nothing “undared for the Gospel.”