The Founding of the Order...

On February 9, 1934, the Venerable Father Félix de Jesús Rougier, M.Sp.S., gathered a group of women together with the express purpose of praying for vocations for the priesthood. This group became the seed of the Oblates of Jesus the Priest, which was accepted by the Church as a new religious community in 1937. The Oblates of Jesus the Priest were the fourth order founded by Fr. Felix; he founded the men’s order, the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, as well as the Daughters of the Holy Spirit and the Guadalupan Missionaries of the Holy Spirit.

In founding the Oblates, Father Felix drew entirely upon the spirituality of the Venerable Concepción Cabrera de Armida. Hers was a profound "Spirituality of the Cross" which taught that it was by love alone that we are saved.

From the beginning, the Sister’s apostolate was realized in the setting of seminaries. Here the Sisters did everything to support and promote the priesthood, including cooking the meals and doing the laundry, but of course their primary “work” was prayer.

The Oblates Today

Today, all aspirants to the Oblate Sisters of Jesus the Priest receive a college education. They work in various settings such as the Chancery of a diocese, in vocation and formation offices, in rectories and Bishops’ houses. The Sisters are invariably part of the spiritual formation and catechesis in the locations where they work.

Currently , the Oblates have 140 Sisters, including fifteen Juniors who, after six years of temporary vows, make their final vows. There are five Postulants and two-second year Novices. The Oblates have been blessed with a steady number of Mexican vocations. The community seeks and invites vocations from the United States, where they have four houses, and other countries as well.

Learn more about the Oblates of Jesus the Priest!