Join Us!
Being an Oblate is simple! If you haven't already been there, check out our
Who We Are page to read up on a brief description
of our group. It is not necessary to live in the area of an existing group
in order for YOU to become a part of our family. We are united in spirit, not
necessarily geography. Many of us do meet for prayer, however, so please see
if there is a group already in your area.
In order to join, all that is required at this point is for you to send a letter of intent to Father Clancy. Simply tell him who you are and why you would like to be an Oblate of Divine Mercy. You may either email it to him or snail mail it to:
Rev. Richard Clancy
One Lake Street
Brighton, MA 02135
Remember, we do make commitments to prayer, but none of these are held under
the penalty of sin. We do our best and then lay ourselves at the feet of the
Merciful Christ.
Finally, please read the following letter from Fr.
Clancy. It is addressed to all who would like to join us and it really sums
up the spirit of our group quite well:
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your interest in the Oblates of Divine Mercy. I would be
pleased to encourage your efforts to start a group in any way that I can.
I will try to address some of the issues in a newsletter (which
should come out very soon). Let me say a couple of things in a
preliminary way:
Any Catholic in good standing is most welcome to join. There is, of
course, no fee to join.
The emphasis is on "prayer" , not on "group." That is to say, that what
is most important is that the prayer happen. So many groups collapse
because of control issues, personalities, conflicts etc. My desire is to
lead people to prayer and deeper intimacy with God. By joining (writing a
letter to me requesting to join) you pledge to pray the rosary and chaplet
daily and to attend Mass as frequently as possible, adore the Lord present
in the Blessed Sacrament and attend monthly confession. These pledges are
NOT under the penalty of sin. You do the best you can with God's grace.
We operate on freedom, not compulsion.
As for a group...you are first of all part of the universal group of
Oblates. Secondly, you can begin to invite others to pray with you and
study Sr. Faustina's diary. By doing that, keeping in touch with the
website, etc., you will be kept aware of the materials we are using,
conferences in your area that we might be planning etc. Ideally (and I
emphasize "ideally", a priest would assist you in these obligations), but
you can gather in each others' houses or any central location to have
monthly meetings of prayer, study (e.g. sharing around pages in the diary
or a Papal Encyclical), and to plan for works of mercy done by the group.
Remember, even if you are the ONLY ONE right now, you are part of US and
are a member of the larger group.
I will write more later! I am just so pleased with your interest and I
hope and pray that your interest in Divine Mercy will be of benefit to
your soul and to countless other souls through your loving response to
Christ.
God Bless,
Fr. Richard F. Clancy
|
