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About
The Labouré Society
Why are we needed?
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This is my
Vocation Story
There are an estimated 10,000 individuals discerning a priestly or religious vocation in the US annually
42% are blocked from pursuing this call due to educational loans*
The average vocational ‘aspirant’ in Labouré owes $45,000 in educational loans
Most religious communities cannot assume this debt
Most dioceses will allow some debt but have a limited threshold for acceptance
* (NRVC, Vision Study, 2010)
BRENDEN BELL
What have we accomplished?
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Operating since 2003
Over 255 assisted into formation to the priesthood or religious life
Over $3.2 million awarded, over 90% of aspirant funds received
A network of thousands of praying singles, families, religious, priests, & bishops
Efficient service: A modest staff of 3 employees in a donated office
How do we do it?
Our Aspirants:
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Discern a vocation & are accepted into a diocese or religious community
Are blocked from entering or continuing vocational formation due to student loans
Apply to Labouré & meet intake requirements
Are trained in ethical fundraising - empowered with practical tools, personal mentoring, & accountability
Share their vocation stories & participate in building a culture of vocations & evangelization
Raise funds for Labouré to benefit many vocations
Are awarded monthly payments towards their educational loans
Receive final award payout after 3 years & enter freely into a lifetime of priestly or religious service
The Labouré Society
• Works with each aspirant to ensure all personal means are utilized to mitigate the loan amount (loan consolidation, asset review, financial counseling, employment, etc.) prior to acceptance into
the program
• Trains each aspirant in biblically based philanthropy
• Forms a semi-annual ‘class’ of aspirants
• Mentors each aspirant building a unified team; each individual works toward the collective goal
• Provides ongoing accountability to ensure proper preparation & completion of personal fundraising plans
• Equips each aspirant with an online fundraising platform for real time donation processing, reporting, assessment of goals & class interaction, marketing & communications tools
• Facilitates ongoing communication & updates between aspirants & donors after formation entrance
• Manages aspirant award payments while they are in formation
• Completes award payout after 3 years active formation
BRIDGE
TO
How it Began Hello, my name is Brenden Bell. I am from Hemet, California. I come from a Catholic/
Protestant mixed family, but I was raised Catholic. My mother has been the source of my faith and my
first teacher. As she worked to help form my brother and me in the Church, God led her to a rediscovery
of her own faith, and that has made all the difference in our lives.
My Faith As our mother started to take us to Mass and Sacrament classes, I was like many young
children: I did not understand why we had to get up so early on Sunday and go to boring Church. I did
not understand the meaning of what we were doing and just went through the motions. But one night as
we were getting ready for bed, our mother told us to say our prayers and something more. She told us
to get on our knees and truly pray to the God who made us and loves us. At that moment, God became
real in my life. He became a person that I could turn to and rely on. From there, I began to seek out more
knowledge about whom Jesus was. As I learned, I found that I had a gift to more easily understand the
lessons from the Bible and the teachings of the Church. I could see God working in my life.
Discerning a Call Because I found this faith at an early age and because I learned and understood it,
sometimes people would ask me, “Are you going to become a priest?” I never had an answer for them.
As I became involved in my parish youth group, my prayer life deepened, and I learned even more about
our faith. I felt like God was preparing me for something but for what I did not know. This steady walk
into the unknown filled me with anxiety.
I felt I needed to know -until I went to World Youth
Day. There, I realized I needed to trust God and
believe that he would lead me. In college, I felt God
person that I could turn to and rely on.”
was calling me to take a practical step, and I decided
–Brenden Bell
to find a spiritual director and began reflecting on
where God was leading. I was discerning between the
priesthood and matrimony. One day after reading about each sacrament in the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, I was struck by the overwhelming beauty of both ways of life, but I felt a stronger attraction to
the priesthood.
“God became real in my life. He became a
After a deep emotional prayer, I felt that God was calling me to the priesthood. I told my spiritual
director and my parents, and they were supportive of me pursuing this vocation. I was not sure what to
do next. I had been wrestling with that one question, “Are you going to be a priest?” for so long I never
thought of the follow up questions!
MIRACLES
1365 Corporate Center Curve • SuitE 104 • Eagan, MN 55121 • LaboureSociety.org • 651-452-1160
The Labouré Society is a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible. Gifts solicited by our aspirants belong to Labouré and are dispersed upon board
approved guidelines to ensure full compliance with IRS rulings. Aspirants who leave Labouré are not required to repay any funds disbursed but are strongly encouraged to support
Labouré however possible. Funds granted but not dispersed to a former aspirant are reallocated toward current or future aspirants according to the aforementioned guidelines.
LaboureSociety.org
BRIDGE
TO
MIRACLES
651-452-1160
Called to serve
The Winter Class of 2015
As I started looking at different dioceses and religious orders, nothing felt right, so
I started questioning if I really had a call. I wondered if I had made a mistake. I was
a little lost and unsure what to do next. I eventually decided to start my graduate
studies in theology and use that time to reflect on my vocation. It was then, while
studying in Boston, that I found the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. From the moment
I read about their charism, I felt drawn to their way of life. As I discerned with the
Oblates, I came to believe this was where God was calling me. I felt I had come home.
Called to Serve When I found the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, everything seemed to fit together, and all the
pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The charism of the Oblates did not only provide everything I needed, but it
seemed to provide all that the world needs. I was lost in my vocation search and the Oblates presented to me the
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola to help me discern my way. I want to help others find their way with
this great spiritual resource. The Oblate focus on the mercy of God – especially in the sacrament of confession –
placed a great joy in my heart, a joy I wish to share with a world in desperate need of mercy. Their devotion and
dedication to Our Blessed Mother and to the Church made me feel at home in God’s family, a family we are all
invited into. Finally, in a world filled with lies and where the
media is far too often used to attack the Church, the Oblates
“The Oblate focus on the mercy of God...placed
are committed to spreading the truth of the Gospel through
all forms of media. If I am indeed called to the priesthood,
a great joy in my heart, a joy I wish to share
then I am called to serve the Lord as an Oblate of the Virgin
with a world in desperate need of mercy.”
Mary, living out the Oblates motto: “Working for a rebirth of
Spirituality in Today’s world.”
Why I’m writing
I am not only an aspirant to religious life; I am also a fundraiser for these vocations. A recent study confirmed
that nearly 1 out of 2 aspirants have student loans and thus most communities and dioceses cannot accept them. It
is the only thing that prevents many -including me- from entering formation to become a priest, brother, or sister.
I am seeking to raise the average student loan amount of $45,000 before June 30 for a non-profit that helps
aspirants like me — The Labouré Society. I will need donations from $10 – $10,000 to meet my goal for vocations.
I am blessed to have this opportunity to share my love for God, my vocation story, and to ask hundreds of
individuals to support vocations like mine by sharing our stories, remembering us in prayer, and financially
investing in our future.
At the end of my class, Labouré will issue awards based on individual effort and the funds available to Labouré.
They will administer the award while I am in formation over a three year period (you can learn more about the
program on the back of this letter). If I leave formation for any reason, I will resume my own payments. Plus,
every aspirant in Labouré has been accepted by their diocese or community and is required to work and liquidate
their assets to make their own maximum payments.
At the beginning of our class, I met and participated in intensive 3-day training with my classmates on the ethics
and spirituality of fundraising. We are learning practical skills that will help us now and in our future
vocations. We have also developed as a team to learn from and support each other. You can see our picture below.
Will you join our vocation journeys? Please partner with us and be part of my vocation team so we can answer
God’s call!
Invitation & Prayer I am asking you to join me in my vocation. The oblates would like me to enter formation
for the priesthood soon but I am blocked by student loans. As Christ needed Simon on the path to Calvary, I
need your help to give my life to the Church. I am working with The Labouré Society to raise assistance for the
hundreds of vocations to priesthood and religious life like mine that are turned away because of student loans.
Please consider helping us with a tax deductible gift to The Labouré Society.
Winter 2015 Class
to the
and
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IRACLE
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Finally, please pray for me in my vocation and for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Call on the intercession of Blessed Mother Mary that she continues to watch over all her sons and daughters
called to serve her Son. Pray that we may have the courage and strength to follow her advice to, “Do whatever he
tells you” (John 2:5).
If you’d like to learn more, please contact me at [email protected].
Thank you for your time and God Bless.
—Brenden Bell
BRIDGE
TO
MIRACLES
Our vocations story videos are online at: www.LaboureSociety.org