Father Barry Strong re-elected Superior General of the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales

The twenty-first General Chapter of the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales took place in Annecy, France, July 15-27. Father Barry R. Strong, OSFS, the 12th Superior General, was re-elected Superior General for a six-year term, on July 24, 2024. He was installed in a formal liturgy celebrated in the Basilica of the Visitation in the presence of the holy remains of Saints Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal.

Father Barry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) and is a graduate of DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania (Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish) and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (Doctorate in Systematic Theology). He professed First Vows on 15 August 1976 and was ordained to the priesthood on 8 September 1984.

The Chapter elected three members of the General Council (pictured below, from right):

• Father Guillaume Kambounon (Benin) – First Councilor
• Father Bijesh Thomas (India) – Second Councilor
• Father Paulo Rodrigues dos Santos (Brazil) – Third Councilor

In accordance with the Constitutions, a fourth General Councilor will be named by the Superior General. The Superior General then chooses one of the four councilors as his Vicar (Assistant General).

Thirty-three delegates gathered from 8 units of the congregation, spanning 16 countries. The theme of the Chapter was "The Heritage in our Hands: Faith in the Mission, Hope for the Future." Using the Conversation in the Spirit methodology of the Synod on Synodality, Chapter members, joined by a representative gathering of young confreres in formation, reflected on what Oblate presence, mission and ministry might look like in the future and what inner transformation and renewal the Spirit might be calling us to. Sister Nathalie Becquart, Under-Secretary to the General Secretariat of the Synod at the Vatican, led us in a day of recollection to help us examine the connection between the practice of synodality and our charism in today's church and world.

The congregation is looking forward to the 150th anniversary of its foundation next year. De Sales Oblates were founded to fulfill the desire of Saint Francis de Sales to establish a religious institute of men to continue his apostolic work. Under the inspiration of Mother Mary de Sales Chappuis, VHM, superior of the Visitation monastery in Troyes (France), Blessed Louis Brisson brought this unrealized Salesian dream to fruition in 1875.