St. Eugene de Mazenod

Eugene was born on August 1, 1782 in Aix-en-Provence, France. At age eight, he fled with his family to Italy because of the French Revolution. His maternal grandmother and a mentally ill aunt contributed to constant conflict in his home and his parents eventually divorced. Young Eugene was torn between the worldly life he experienced in Palermo and the good example set by the priest who tutored him, but eventually entered the seminary and returned to minister in Aix-en-Provence after he was ordained. Eugene founded the Oblates of Mary Immaculate to be missionaries to the much disrupted Church in France and to other nations. He was later named the Bishop of Marseille. As bishop he founded parishes, rebuilt damaged churches, established the best training for his priests, developed a catechetics program, and continued to foster the growth of the Oblates. Eugene died on May 21, 1861. Because he grew up in a dysfunctional family, St. Eugene de Mazenod is the patron of dysfunctional families. He was canonized in 1995 and his feast is May 21.