Pope Leo XIV Tells Religious the "encounter with God, from the Eucharist, from prayer, from adoration...makes us a reflection of God’s love in the world"
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Pope Leo encourages the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles to continue their mission in difficult regions across the globe and amongst those most in need. The speech to two religious congregations, Pope Leo XIV addressed the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate on the 200th Anniversary of the approval of their rules and constitutions and the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles
on the 150th Anniversary of their foundation.
In the Vatican Clementine Hall on Saturday, 21 February 2026
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
Good morning and welcome to all of you!
I am very happy to greet the Superiors General who are present, as well as all of you here today. I am delighted to meet with you on the occasion of two significant milestones for your Congregations: the 200th anniversary of the Papal approval of the Rules and Constitutions of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles.
Although your histories are different, your religious institutes have many things in common: the period of their foundation, their land of origin and above all the missionary vocation.
“He has sent me to evangelize the poor” (cf. Is 61:1; Lk 4:18) was the motto chosen by Saint Eugene de Mazenod for the Oblates, whose foundation he courageously undertook at a time when Europe was shaken by complex and dramatic events that heightened the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel to those most in need. He powerfully spoke and acted in defense of the dignity of the poor, workers and peasants who were exploited as a mere source of labor with their deepest human needs neglected. Equally powerful and striking was the audacity with which, even as Bishop of Marseille, he did not hesitate in responding to his brother in the episcopate, Archbishop Bourget of Montreal, who requested help. He sent religious first to Canada and then to Europe, Africa and Asia. This generosity was rewarded, in fact, by an impressive flowering of missionary vocations, which testifies to how docility to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and attention to the demands of charity are sources of fruitfulness and a leaven of growth for every foundation.
Even today, with more than three thousand religious spread across seventy countries, you continue to carry out your ministry with the same preferential openness to the least among us, enriched by the precious gift of an extended charismatic family and a growing appreciation of individual cultures. You welcome this vitality as a gift and as a sign that prompt you to preserve and renew the spirit of your origins. As Pope Francis pointed out to you not many years ago, your Founder taught you to love the Church as a mother, and you offer her “your missionary zeal and your life, participating in her exodus towards the peripheries of the world beloved by God, and living a charism that leads you towards the furthest, the poorest, those whom no one reaches” (Address to Participants in the General Chapter of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, 3 October 2022). And you do all this under the protection of Mary and with her maternal support.
In this regard, we are also encouraged by the presence of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, whose motto is inspired by the words of Saint Luke in the Acts of the Apostles: “With Mary, the Mother of Jesus” (1:14).
This phrase refers to the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary among the Apostles, in the Upper Room and in the first Christian community. Father Augustine Planque entrusted these words to you a century and a half ago, when he founded your Congregation to ensure the indispensable presence of women in the work of the Society of African Missions. Many women from France and other countries responded to his invitation to be “with Mary” so that they might be like her, who bore witness to Christ among the apostles and in the world. For many of them, that “yes” cost them their lives, given the harshness of missionary work, exposure to disease, and, in recent times, martyrdom. Even now, you are present in difficult situations, where you offer your service with faith and respect for all. I encourage you, dear sisters, to continue this mission, wherever you serve, becoming ever more authentic witnesses of fraternity and of peace (cf. Saint John Paul II, Homily at Holy Mass on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2 February 2002, 4).
I would like to conclude by recalling one last aspect of the charism that unites the inspiration of your Founders: a family spirit. In this regard, both of them encouraged their spiritual sons and daughters to foster a sincere and generous family spirit within their communities. For consecrated men and women, as well as for truly committed Christian laypeople, this arises first and foremost from their encounter with God, from the Eucharist, from prayer, from adoration, from listening to the word and from the celebration of the sacraments. From there, from the altar and the tabernacle, this spirit grows in our hearts, filling them with those feelings of communion and affection, of solicitude and patient closeness, which must always distinguish us and which makes us a reflection of God’s love in the world.
Dear friends, thank you for all the good that you do. I assure you of my support in prayer and I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and your Congregations.
Let us pray together …
Our Father …
The Lord be with you …
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
Good morning and welcome to all of you!
I am very happy to greet the Superiors General who are present, as well as all of you here today. I am delighted to meet with you on the occasion of two significant milestones for your Congregations: the 200th anniversary of the Papal approval of the Rules and Constitutions of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles.
Although your histories are different, your religious institutes have many things in common: the period of their foundation, their land of origin and above all the missionary vocation.
“He has sent me to evangelize the poor” (cf. Is 61:1; Lk 4:18) was the motto chosen by Saint Eugene de Mazenod for the Oblates, whose foundation he courageously undertook at a time when Europe was shaken by complex and dramatic events that heightened the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel to those most in need. He powerfully spoke and acted in defense of the dignity of the poor, workers and peasants who were exploited as a mere source of labor with their deepest human needs neglected. Equally powerful and striking was the audacity with which, even as Bishop of Marseille, he did not hesitate in responding to his brother in the episcopate, Archbishop Bourget of Montreal, who requested help. He sent religious first to Canada and then to Europe, Africa and Asia. This generosity was rewarded, in fact, by an impressive flowering of missionary vocations, which testifies to how docility to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and attention to the demands of charity are sources of fruitfulness and a leaven of growth for every foundation.
Even today, with more than three thousand religious spread across seventy countries, you continue to carry out your ministry with the same preferential openness to the least among us, enriched by the precious gift of an extended charismatic family and a growing appreciation of individual cultures. You welcome this vitality as a gift and as a sign that prompt you to preserve and renew the spirit of your origins. As Pope Francis pointed out to you not many years ago, your Founder taught you to love the Church as a mother, and you offer her “your missionary zeal and your life, participating in her exodus towards the peripheries of the world beloved by God, and living a charism that leads you towards the furthest, the poorest, those whom no one reaches” (Address to Participants in the General Chapter of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, 3 October 2022). And you do all this under the protection of Mary and with her maternal support.
In this regard, we are also encouraged by the presence of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, whose motto is inspired by the words of Saint Luke in the Acts of the Apostles: “With Mary, the Mother of Jesus” (1:14).
This phrase refers to the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary among the Apostles, in the Upper Room and in the first Christian community. Father Augustine Planque entrusted these words to you a century and a half ago, when he founded your Congregation to ensure the indispensable presence of women in the work of the Society of African Missions. Many women from France and other countries responded to his invitation to be “with Mary” so that they might be like her, who bore witness to Christ among the apostles and in the world. For many of them, that “yes” cost them their lives, given the harshness of missionary work, exposure to disease, and, in recent times, martyrdom. Even now, you are present in difficult situations, where you offer your service with faith and respect for all. I encourage you, dear sisters, to continue this mission, wherever you serve, becoming ever more authentic witnesses of fraternity and of peace (cf. Saint John Paul II, Homily at Holy Mass on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2 February 2002, 4).
I would like to conclude by recalling one last aspect of the charism that unites the inspiration of your Founders: a family spirit. In this regard, both of them encouraged their spiritual sons and daughters to foster a sincere and generous family spirit within their communities. For consecrated men and women, as well as for truly committed Christian laypeople, this arises first and foremost from their encounter with God, from the Eucharist, from prayer, from adoration, from listening to the word and from the celebration of the sacraments. From there, from the altar and the tabernacle, this spirit grows in our hearts, filling them with those feelings of communion and affection, of solicitude and patient closeness, which must always distinguish us and which makes us a reflection of God’s love in the world.
Dear friends, thank you for all the good that you do. I assure you of my support in prayer and I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and your Congregations.
Let us pray together …
Our Father …
The Lord be with you …
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