Marcello Zago defines the identity of Missionary Oblates

In the book ‘In the Footsteps of Saint Eugenius’, Marcello Zago OMI explores the identity and vocation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Zago, who served as the Superior General of the order from 1986 to 1998, defines the essence of an Oblate as an ‘apostolic man’.

According to the text, the quality of a mission depends on the quality of the missionaries themselves rather than just their structures or pastoral activities. Zago emphasizes that true evangelization stems from a personal and constantly renewed relationship with Jesus Christ, which must serve as the center of both personal and communal life. He warns against the temptation of becoming a ‘functionary of the sacred’—someone who performs religious duties without the original spiritual fervor.