FrMaes

CONGRATULATIONS, FR. ALLEN MAES!

Congratulations to native son Fr. Allen Maes, OMI on the occasion of his 40th Sacerdotal Jubilee. Fr. Allen
was ordained a priest for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate on September 7, 1968 at the Church of the
Assumption in Richfield, Minnesota; he celebrated his First Mass here at Mary Help of Christians on
September 13, 1968. We also extend our congratulations to Fr. Allen's mother Martha, and to his sisters
Mary Brown and Jean Hunter.

Fr. Allen celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving with his fellow Oblate Jubilarians and their families on
September 8, 2008.

If you would like to send greetings to Fr. Allen, his address is St. Henry's Oblates Residence, 200 North
60th Street, Belleville, IL 62223-3951.

Fr. Maes' Auto-Biography:

The natural development of a vocation, I realize more and more, is the good experience and
inspiration of the faith one witnesses growing up. In my case St. Mary Help of Christians with Fr.
Lehmen, the sisters, the parishioners, my family. They all provided, no doubt at some sacrifice, a
setting to learn about Jesus and see his teaching put into practice. It seemed such a worthwhile
opportunity. After high school and junior college at St. Henry's (Belleville, IL) the Missionary Oblates
of Mary Immaculate have a novitiate year of intense prayer and community living. I got to begin
philosophy studies in Rome but decided to step aside for a couple of years during which I attended
SIU and Fr. Lehmen offered me to "try" teaching for a year. After that I returned to the seminary
program, finished philosophy and theology, and was ordained in St. Paul, MN in 1968.

Much of my ministry has been connected with the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. I did a foreign
mission experience in Cameroon where the Oblates ran a school. After that I took care of the Oblate
house of Studies in St. Louis for men preparing to enter religious life. Since the merger of our five
provinces into one about 9 years ago, I've had the role of Councillor for the Midwest part of the
Province.

Fr. Allen Maes

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