The people we help have names and faces.  They experience hunger, homelessness, and grief.  They are real people – with real feelings – just like you and me. 

Thousands of people are being helped every day by the Missionary Oblates.  Here are just a few of those who are benefitting from the Oblate ministries.

Shawna – United States

Shawna and her infant daughter live at the Theresa Living Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, a facility for needy women funded by the Missionary Oblates.  Before arriving at the center, Shawna endured abusive relationships, alcoholism, depression, and homelessness.  Now she is being trained as a Computer Support Technician, thanks to the stability and guidance she has received at the center. 

Mary – Sri Lanka

Mary has been living in a refugee camp at the Oblates’ Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary for the past two years.  She lives with her husband John and their four children in a hut made of mud and sticks.  A civil war raged in Sri Lanka from 1983 until 2001.  Although Mary and John once had their own home and work to support their family, they now are destitute, with no home or jobs to return to.  Without the Oblates, Mary and her family would have no source of food, water, or shelter.

George – Haiti

George lives at the Oblates’ Hope House in Les Cayes, Haiti.  He came to Hope House after breaking his leg playing soccer.  His mother could not afford medical treatment so she tried to fix the leg by herself.  The leg became infected and later had to be amputated.  The mother begged Fr. Marc to take George in because there was no way she could afford to care for a handicapped child.  George is one of 100 young boys who live at Hope House and who are now receiving  food, medical care, schooling, and the love and care they so desperately need.

Peter – United States

When Peter was10 years old, his family fled the African nation of Congo during a violent civil war.  Eventually, the family settled in Miami, Florida.  Peter, along with his three brothers, were given scholarships to enroll at St. Francis Xavier School run by the Oblates.  Just two years after fleeing Congo, Peter was the top-ranked student at St. Francis.  His goal is to attend Harvard University and become a doctor.