, abbreviation = OSJ , founded = , founder = Bishop

Joseph Marello Giuseppe Marello (known as Joseph Marello in English; 26 December 1844 – 30 May 1895) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Acqui from 1889 until his death and was also the founder of the Oblates of Saint Joseph. Ma ...

, founding_location =

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, headquarters =

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy , type = Clerical Religious Congregation , num_members = 627 (450 priests) , membership_year = 2017 , leader_title =

Superior General A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while t ...

, leader_name = Jan Pelczarski, OSJ , parent_organization =

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, website = http://www.osjusa.org , footnotes = The Oblates of St. Joseph ( la, Congregatio Oblatorum S. Ioseph; abbreviated OSJ) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrate ...

founded on 14 March 1878 by St.

. The institute has provinces or delegations in

, the

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, the

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México Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Perú , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy fo ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The congregation also has members in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

History

Joseph Marello's original intent was to found a simple association of men dedicated to a common spirituality, serving the local church in

catechesis Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

and assisting local clergy, but not publicly professing canonical vows in a religious institute. On March 14, 1878, he opened a house for what he called the "Company of Saint Joseph" and invited four candidates to be members. By 1883, the Company had begun accepting candidates for the priesthood along with candidates to be

lay brothers Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...

. The Company would eventually become known as the Oblates of Saint Joseph. On September 15, 1921, the Oblates received approval as an international institute of pontifical status.

Apostolates and Ministries

The principal apostolate of the Oblates of St. Joseph is to work with youth and the poor. However, Joseph Marello's initial plan was to have the Oblates serve in whatever capacity the local bishop deemed necessary, so long as it was consistent with the spirituality and life of the Oblates. Presently, the Oblates serve in many different capacities, depending upon the needs of the bishops where they serve. Common apostolates include education and catechesis of youth, parish ministry, serving the poor and underprivileged, and orphanages.

Organization

The Oblates of St. Joseph are led by a ''Superior General'' and the four-member General Council. Geographic regions are organized into Provinces and Delegations, each of which is headed by a ''Provincial'' or ''Delegate'', respectively. The Superior General and his Council serve for a six-year term; Provincials and Delegates serve for three-year terms. Each community has a superior or ''Rector,'' who also serves a three-year term. Oblates of St. Joseph are bound by their Rule to live in community, unless exceptional permission is granted.

Notes

External links

Oblates of St. Joseph, Holy Spouses Province
Catholic orders and societies Religious organizations established in 1878 Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century Saint Joseph (husband of Mary) {{catholic-stub

History

Apostolates and Ministries

Organization

See also

Notes

External links