IN THIS ISSUE

Poem

From the desk of
Fr. Louis Studer, O.M.I.

Fr. Lou's Mailbag

Rebuilding
Shattered Hopes

Oblate Profile

Oblate Crossings

Mother’s Day at the National Shrine
of Our Lady of
the Snows

Oblate Ministries in
East St. Louis, IL

Finding God in
Ordinary Things

Healing and Hope Profile

A Story of Faith

Donor Profile

Donor Highlight
Profiling Friends of the
Missionary Oblates

Albert Hoffman


For more information on making a gift to the Oblates or to receive a personalized gift annuity proposal, call the Charitable Gifts Department at
1-800-233-6264, or mail your check to: Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, 9480 N. De Mazenod Drive, Belleville IL 62223-1160.
 
 
 
 
 
 

You plan your life by looking ahead, but you understand your life by looking back. When you look back, you see that you’ve done God’s will, even if you didn’t know it at the time.”

Albert A. Hoffman lives by these words. As he looks back on his life, he knows that he has been blessed by God. He feels that throughout his life the Holy Spirit has guided him to where he is now. Albert knows that God has put him in a very fortunate position to help others.

As a friend of the Missionary Oblates, Albert has invested in several Charitable Gift Annuities. With these annuities, Albert supports the Missionary Oblates in our ministries with the poor throughout the world.

“I am happy to do it because all of my money came from God. It is God’s money; I just have to be a good steward for it,” he said.

As a steward of God, Albert finds fulfillment in charity. With the income Albert receives from his gift annuities, he finds that he can donate some of his yearly income back to the charities.

“I do this because the Holy Spirit guides me. I want to help provide for the future of the Catholic Church. That’s why I always support missionary work and education. We need missionaries to bring the truth of the Church to more people, and we need education to make sure people are strong in their faith.”

“When you look at the world, there are a lot of things that need attention,” Albert explained. “But we must do something to help make the world a better place.”
Albert believes that because of his commitment to charity, God has provided for him.

“I always lived frugally, so that I wouldn’t be wasting what God gave to me. In return God helped me build up large savings for my retirement. I didn’t know what I was doing, truly. I never set out to put aside a lot of money, but it was God Who watched over me and provided for me. That’s why I feel I have to give it back to God’s causes.”

Recently, Albert was asked to participate in the Oblate Challenge Campaign. Our existing donors were asked to give donations that would be matched dollar for dollar by a mail campaign.

“This was a special opportunity because I knew that my donation would be matched for the Oblates. Thanks to the generosity of other Oblate benefactors, my gift would be doubled. I was happy to do it.”
Thanks to people like Albert, the Missionary Oblates can continue serving the world’s poor. As we progress with our Challenge Campaign, we look for other wonderful people like Albert who understand the power of Christian charity and love.

“Money is meant to be given away. Why should I go out and buy a $500 suit? Whom would that help? Would it make me feel better? No. It’s better if that money went to provide for more of God’s children around the world.”

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate owe a debt of gratitude to Albert and the other people like him who understand God’s will in their lives and support our ministries of compassion among the poor and disenfranchised.
   


“My brother and I were both lucky enough to make it home. It’s hard when you think back because a lot of boys never made it home.”

Bob returned to school and finished his degree. Soon, he began working for Sun Chemical. Since he liked his job so much, and he knew how lucky he was to be in his position, Bob retired only recently, at 80 years old.

“I worked for the company for almost 60 years. Not many people can say that.”
Although Bob officially retired from his job as Chief Research Scientist a number of years ago, the company hired him back as a consultant.

“When I hit 80, I thought maybe it was finally time to pack it in. Although, I still dabble with it sometimes at home.”

Bob considers himself fortunate, and he wants to share what God has given him, by becoming a friend to the Missionary Oblates. Bob has invested in several gift annuities with the Missionary Oblates.

“I’ve been connected to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows for a number of years. And then I learned about the work of the Missionary Oblates,” he explained. “The Oblates are a worthy cause. They go all over the world helping out people in need. I was very fortunate to have a decent job and salary, and I want to help.”

Bob’s contribution is helping the Oblates make a difference in the world. For Bob, the chance to share the blessings from his life was just another fortunate opportunity.