The Year 2022 in Review
“The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!”
The blessing from the Book of Numbers is well known and used in liturgical prayer by all Christian denominations. This blessing is very dear to me. I am writing the first blog message for the mission office during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18 through 25). At the Last Supper, Jesus prayed that his followers be one! History and events of long ago have brought division. It took decades before religious leaders could overcome obstacles and sit face to face to address issues that unite us, but also what still divides us. Thank God, the dialogue is ongoing! As followers of Jesus let us embrace the call of The Joy of the Gospel to which Pope Francis invites us all. Let us live our faith joyfully and be a light in the darkness of our world and a beacon of hope!
Let me share with you about our monastic community in Schuyler, our ministries and give you a report of fundraising activities in 2022. Without the prayerful and financial support of many friends we would not be able to help with projects of the Missionary Benedictines around the world and out outreach to those in need. This outreach happens also here in the United States.
Christ the King Priory is a dependent house of the Abbey of Muensterschwarzach, Germany. In 1935, our pioneers settled in the heartland of America, taking up residence in an empty standing convent in Schuyler, Nebraska, that formerly served as school for home economics, etc. operated by the Notre Dame Sisters of Omaha. From here our “good will ambassadors” travelled to almost ever state to find new friends and supporters. Today we must use technology and direct mail in finding new friends.
We remain committed to the personal approach that our pioneer monks handed down to us!
Monks of Christ the King Priory:
Fr. Anastasius Reiser, OSB Prior
Fr. Adam Patras, OSB Subprior and Cellerar
Br. Sebastian Goldade, OSB Vestment Department
Fr. Tom Hillenbrand, OSB Pastoral Ministry
Fr. Volker Futter, OSB Oblate Director, Librarian
Br. Tobias Dammert, OSB Director of Development
Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB Administrator of St. Benedict Center
Br. Andrew Fuller, OSB Bookstore Manager
Confreres on assignment: Fr. Paul Kasun, OSB St. Benedict Priory, El Rosal, Colombia
Fr. Jacques Missihoun, OSB, Abbey of the Incarnation, Agbang, Togo
For the past 6 years, Fr. Joel Macul, OSB, served our community as its prior. On January 15, 2023, he handed over the responsibilities to Fr. Anastasius. We thank Fr. Joel for his energy and leadership and wish him God’s blessings as he returns to his monastery of profession, St. Paul’s Abbey in Newton, NJ.
Despite the challenges of the corona virus and its variances, you responded generously to our appeals. Your financial support in 2022 helped with these projects:
St. Michael’s Priory, Kumily, Kerala: renovation of monks’ residence and formation house in Malom and expansion of rubber tree plant - $119,708.00
Our Lady Help of Christians Abbey, Ndanda, Tanzania: ongoing formation and education for hospital staff - $125,961.00
African Benedictine Sisters of Our Lady Help of Christians, Mwanza, Tanzania: student hostel for their schools - $121,849.00
Congregation of St. Ottilien: operating cost of our study houses in Kenya and Zambia & student fees - $80,048.00
Christmas Appeal 2022 – general mission support (as of 1-20-23) - $241,792,00
Website Christmas Appeal 2022 – photovoltaic systems for African monasteries - $13,210.00
Mass offerings (Masses have been celebrated with the help of missionaries) - $148,173.00
In 2022, the total income from appeals, regular mail, and bequests came to $3,386,068.28 with the average donation of almost $200.00.
In our appeal letters we always stress that you, the donor, have your own needs and obligations and that these must come first. A big thank you to all our friends who supported our work again financially and with their payers.
We try to find new supporters through personal contact, referrals, and mailings. In 2022 we received help from over 2,000 new donors, acquired through mailings or who found us on the internet. The average donation from these new friends came to $42.03. Many remained faithful supporters beyond their initial gift. The promotional mailing seeks support for our hospitals, farming and environment, clean water, and support of education in Africa and Asia.
In 2022, we mailed #1,014.057 pieces of appeal letters to friends and potential donors. Our expenses are covered from investment income, a fund that was established many years ago. We do not hire consultants. However, printing and bulk mailings are outsourced to a company in Omaha.
All incoming mail receives personal attention and, if possible, is acknowledged the very same day. Postage increases do not stop us: all gifts are acknowledged, even a $1.00 gift because we believe that the proverbial “widows mite” adds to the funds that make outreach possible and successful. It is also our policy that 100% of the donations are used for the purpose indicated by the donor.
The total income of 2022 includes funds from bequests that have been used towards projects if the Last Will and Testament did not state a specific purpose. My predecessor once wrote a brochure “The Law has no Soul.” Hopefully this helpful information can be reprinted and shared. Contact us if you have any questions concerning how to make a charitable bequest in your Last Will and Testament.
Our investment portfolio makes it possible that we can reach out to Schuyler community through the Ministerial Association in addition to support education for underprivileged youths, with outreach to the Native American communities, our retreat ministry, natural disaster relief, assistance to our motherhouse in Germany and its ministries and requests from communities working with the Missionary Benedictines.
Finally, the work as Development Director/Mission Procurator is teamwork. I am grateful to my coworkers in the data entry and correspondence office, Wendy and Mara; to my brother monks Andrew, Adam and Anastasius who keep an eye on me while I count money for the bank deposit; to the coworkers in the IT, finance and administration departments: Mary, Paul, and Pam.
Our common mission is, as St. Benedict says:
THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD BE GLORIFIED!
Be assured of our prayers for you and your intentions! Thank you and may our God shower many graces and blessings upon you as we journey through 2023.
Br. Tobias Dammert, OSB
and the team of the Mission Office
