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Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate / General Administration
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3-9 August 2026 (Week 32) | 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
3-9 August 2026
Two relics from Saint Peter's Basilica arrive in East Flores, Indonesia. Plus 3 more stories: Vatican News; Oblate news from Europe.
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Lead Story
Two relics from Saint Peter's Basilica arrive in East Flores, Indonesia
On 3 August in Lewouran, East Flores, Indonesia, Father Markus Solo Kewuta, SVD, returned to his birthplace carrying two relics from Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Hundreds of local Catholics lined the streets to welcome him at Saint Peter the Apostle Mission Station Church, kneeling in reverence as he carried the sacred relics. Village elders honored him with traditional woven cloth, betel nut, and drinks, symbolizing deep respect for his service at the Holy See. Padre Marco, who works at the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, explained that the relics are signs of communion between the local church in East Flores and the Universal Church. He recalled the parish’s origins around 2001, when locals built the church through collective effort, and now sees its growth as a spiritual center. Local leader Yohanes Kleden praised Padre Marco’s Vatican service as an inspiration for the community, especially for young people.
Read more →
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Vatican News
 Pope to Knights of Columbus: Be prophets of harmony in an age of division (Photo: Vatican News)In a video message to the 144th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Denver, Colorado, on 4 August, Pope Leo urged members to become “prophets of harmony,” calling them to build bridges and promote reconciliation amid rising division. He highlighted the Order’s themes of unity and charity, rooted in Christ’s prayer for oneness among believers, and stressed that unity must be cultivated through honest dialogue. The Pope praised the Knights for their century-long service to the unborn, persecuted Christians, the poor and others on society’s margins, and thanked them for their generosity. He concluded by entrusting their work to Mary, Mother of the Church, and Blessed Michael McGivney, and imparted his Apostolic Blessing. Read more →
 Church in Morocco assists migrants returning from Ceuta (Photo: Vatican News)Nearly 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in May 2021, most by swimming around the Bab Sebta border crossing, but Moroccan authorities report that almost all have since returned. Spanish authorities say at least 67 people died in the attempt, while Morocco has confirmed 11 fatalities, though the overall death toll may be around 100. Archbishop Emilio Rocha Grande, OFM, of Tangier told Vatican News that exhausted and hungry migrants returning from Ceuta are being assisted by the local Catholic Church, which normally supports sub-Saharan migrants but was overwhelmed by the sudden crisis. The archbishop noted that while Morocco’s economic growth has not reached everyone, especially young people, media portrayals of Europe as a paradise fuel unrealistic hopes and deep frustration among Morocco’s youth. Read more →
Regional Activities
Europe
 CCRR200 | A Penitential Pause: Charismatic Family Marks Ash Wednesday in Rome (Photo: OMI World)On Ash Wednesday in Rome, the Oblate Charismatic Family marked the transition from joyful celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Oblate Constitutions and Rules to a penitential service that opened Lent. The evening liturgy, led by the Oblate Cross of the Founder and accompanied by candles and sand, invited participants to reflect on human fragility and the need for conversion. Speakers emphasized acknowledging both the glory of the Congregation’s history and its failures, urging a gaze fixed on the Cross as the center of their vocation. The service concluded with prayers for reconciliation and forgiveness, as the community entrusted itself to God’s mercy beneath the gaze of the Madonna del Sorriso. Read more →
Points for Reflection- reminds us that relics are not objects of worship but tangible signs of communion, echoing the early Church’s practice of gathering around the apostles’ witness as in Acts 2:42.“They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
- calls us to cultivate unity through honest dialogue, rooted in Christ’s prayer that all may be one in John 17:21.“that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:21)
- shows how the Church’s immediate response to human need, offering water and food, lives out the mandate to welcome the stranger in Matthew 25:35.“for I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in.” (Matthew 25:35)
Oblate Value of the Week
Community, from the Dictionary of Oblate Values.
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