The Oblates of the Virgin Mary is a community of priests and brothers who work toward a rebirth of spirituality in today's world. They do this by living the Oblate charism and preaching the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. They seek to guide others to live and grow in the spiritual life. Like their founder, they foster a tender love for the Virgin Mary. They love the Magisterium of the Church with a persevering fidelity. And they have a great devotion to the presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. By living the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Oblates of the Virgin Mary hope to provide a valuable, spiritual witness to the world.
The essential elements of the Oblate charism are the following:
A keen sense of the Mercy of God made manifest in Jesus Christ
The God who seized the heart of Fr. Lanteri is a God of goodness and mercy who sent his Son not to condemn the world, but to save it. Oblates experience Christ as their companion, their teacher, their model, their help and their reward. Lanteri urged the Oblates to trust in this merciful Lord with the words, Immediately destroy every shortcoming in the fire of love, and repeat continually, and with firm resolve: Nunc Coepi, Now I Begin. The Oblate community life and apostolic style are imbued with the spirit of merciful love, striving to win over the heart before the mind, by making one fall in love with the truth.
A filial love for Mary
At the age of 22, the young Lanteri entrusted himself to the Lord through the hands of Mary, which is captured in his words, Virgin Most Holy, Mother of God and my Lady, I ask of you two things, both of which are necessary for me. Give me your Son. Give me to your Son. He is my wisdom and my light: without him I am in the shadows. Christ remained ever at the center of the whole of Fr. Lanteri's theological vision and spirituality, but the Virgin Mary occupied a privileged place as the Model of faith and Mother who brings us to Christ.
A loving and sincere obedience to the Pope and the Magisterium of the Church
Fr. Lanteri often quoted the words of Christ, My teaching is not mine, but His who sent Me (Jn 7:16). These words served as the foundation of his total adherence to the teaching of the Church. This obedience is an important component of the spirit of communion with the Church, the sensus Ecclesiae that characterizes the Lanterian spirit.
Ignatian Spirituality
Fr. Lanteri chose Ignatian spirituality both for his own prayer life and for its use in the apostolate. The Exercises of St. Ignatius are, in general, a very powerful instrument of divine Grace for worldwide reform, and in particular, a sure method for everyone to become a saint, a great saint, quickly. The Exercises chart a spiritual course that teaches one to contemplate Christ in prayer in order to follow him in a radical way and to live the Gospel fully in one's vocation.
An ardent and intelligent apostolic consciousness
Fr. Lanteri burned with the heart of a missionary. He desired to help all encounter Christ, especially through the power of preaching and the ministry of the Word. His apostolic action was directed toward the evangelization of the person and evangelization of the culture. This is accomplished through the ministry of spiritual direction, confession, through good books and various instruments of the media. The Oblates are committed to be men of prayer and study reading the signs of the times and helping to proclaim the truth of the Gospel in today's world.