Eugene Retka can look outside his business window and see Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Little Falls. But the church’s proximity wasn’t the only reason he designated the funds from winning the Richard Tobin Benevolence award to the parish.
The Richard Tobin Benevolence award is given annually by Catholic Order of Foresters to its top 20 agents based on production. Along with the recognition, COF provides a financial gift of $500 to the church, school, or community organization of the recipients choosing.
Based on the 2024 production year, Retka and his team won the recognition.
Retka and his wife Janet have been parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes for 44 years and supporting the parish is important to them.
“This [$500 award] can be used to foster better Catholic faith formation, which is important to me,” Retka said.
The Haven of Mercy Area Catholic Community supports a family-based formation program where each session begins with a meal and moves into formation for both children and parents.
“We are being very intentional about bringing families together for a meal and providing opportunities for the parents,” said Father Ben Kociemba, pastor for the Haven of Mercy parishes of Holy Family in Belle Prairie, Our Lady of Lourdes in Little Falls, Sacred Heart in Flensburg, St. James in Randall, St. Mary’s in Little Falls and St. Stanislaus in Sobieski.
“We believe [the faith formation program] provides the stepping stones for families to see they belong in our parish community and [the gift from Catholic Order of Foresters] can help toward food or materials for our program.”
Established in 1883, Catholic Order of Foresters is a Catholic fraternal benefit life insurance society helping members achieve financial security while supporting the Catholic community through spiritual, social and charitable growth opportunities.
“The order is trying to encourage people to think about the Church very intentionally when it comes to their finances and their will,” Father Kociemba said. “We are very grateful that people are remember the Church in their plans. It’s a gift to God that can be used for the mission of the Church.”
Catholic Order of Foresters is headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, and has nearly 87,000 members nationwide. For more information, visit catholicforester.org, or connect with COF on social media.