Yazha Thoni: OMI Newsletter Sep-Dec 2009 - oblate province of ...

Most Rev. Fr. Wilhelm Steckling Omi,The Superior GeneralFr. Steckling was born on April 23, 1947,at Verl in North Rhine-Westphalia, in thediocese of Paderborn, Germany. It was duringa parish mission in his village that he cameto know the Oblates. After his seconda­ryeducation at the Gymnasium in Gütersloh,and then at the Oblate Juniorate in Borken,he entered the novitiate at Engelport wherehe made his first vows on the 1 st of May, 1967.He did his scholasticate at Hünfeld andlater at Mainz where he made his perpetualoblation on 15 th of April, 1973. He wasordained a priest in his native parish ofSpexard, near Gütersloh, on the 20 th of July,1974. The same year, he received his firstobedience to he then Vice Province ofPilcomayo and left for Paraguay.His early ministry was among the ruralGuaranis in the parish of Independencia,diocese of Villa-rica. He later worked inAsuncion as a formator, notably at the prenovitiatewhich is located in a working classneighborhood.In 1986, and again in 1989, he was electedProvincial of the Vice Province of Pilcomayo.He had just finished his term of office andreturned to his work at the pre-novitiate whenthe 1992 General Chapter elected him secondAssistant General. This new post made him avery close cooperator of the Superior General,Fr Marcello Zago, in all that pertaining to theordinary and extraordinary government of theCongregation. During those six years asAssistant General he was responsible for theformation portfolio.In that capacity he visited the Oblatehouses of formation throughout the world,directed the revision of the “Norms for OblateFormation”, organized sessions for formatorsin several languages, as well as a session fornovice masters. He was elected the twelfthSuperior General of the Congregation in 1998,succeeding Marcello Zago, who had becomethe Secretary of the Congregation for theEvangelization of Peoples. The 34th GeneralChapter (2004) reelected Fr Wilhelm Stecklingfor a second term as Superior General of theMissionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.IT’S BETTER TO LOSE YOUR EGO TO THE ONEYOU LOVE,THAN TO LOSE THE ONE YOU LOVEBECAUSE OF EGO.- JOHN KEATS -4 Yazha Thoni