Characteristic of the Oblate is the special esteem he nourishes for the dignity of the laity, whom he considers as his brothers and sisters, and the special openness to collaboration with the laity as his co-responsible persons in the apostolic work. The Oblates are aware that an integral part of their apostolic identity consists in collaboration with the laity in the Church. This openness to collaboration is a quality of every Oblate, regardless of apostolic activity; thus, every local community of Oblates becomes a center for working with the laity in the area. The Oblates find in the laity valuable collaborators in carrying out ministries, such as giving the Spiritual Exercises, forming youth and young adult groups, working in parishes, proclaiming the Gospel through various means of Social Communications, ministering in the foreign missions…. In this line of animation of the laity is envisaged too the laity associating themselves to the Congregation, to support also its commitments in evangelisation. The Oblates try to contribute in different ways to the formation of the laity. This formation is at once spiritual and pastoral. The Oblates form the laity so that they can in turn evangelically animate the earthly realities. One of the ways of concretely putting this intent into practice is the effort to create, insofar as it is possible, groups of lay people, renewing the style followed by Lanteri in the Friendships (“Amicizie”), particularly the Christian Friendship where priests and laity worked together; the model of animation therein adopted should be renewed and updated according to the present-day situation.

The Congregation is committed also to:

• The Evangelization of culture;
• Giving priority, among the spheres of pastoral care, “to the poor (Mt.25:35-36), youth, and families”;
• The promotion of peace.

(Cfr. Constitutions and Norms, Articles 5, 40, 41, 42; General Chapter OMV, Duc in Altum! Final Document , (2003), Chapter 3, art.1, nn. 1.3.5-8).