“O God, be merciful to me a sinner”
(Luke 9:13)
“If I should fall, even a thousand times, I will not lose courage, I will not be troubled, but I will always say immediately, with peace, Nunc coepi [now I begin]. I will never think of God as if he were of our condition and grows weary of our wavering, weakness, and negligence. Rather, I will think of what is truly characteristic of him, that is, his goodness and mercy, knowing that he is a loving Father who understands our weakness, is patient with us, and forgives us.” – Venerable Bruno Lanteri, Founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary
I want to leave you with these words of our holy Founder, which are a fitting complement to the prayer of the tax collector. So many struggles in our world originate from distorted images of God and the underlying, often implicit mistrust that he is really the source of all wisdom, goodness, and mercy. Our Founder understood that helping people encounter God who has fully revealed himself in Christ is the remedy to the problems in our world, and that is what we Oblates strive to do. During my time with you, I hope that I have helped you grow in the confidence and trust that enable us to pray, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner,” with certainty that he forgives with merciful love, wills our healing, and accompanies us through all adversity. Let us continue on with the confidence to entrust ourselves more fully to God’s mercy and say with peace, Now I begin.
– Fr. Nate
Fr. Nate’s Oblate Community
St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church
519 East 4th Street | Alton, IL 62002
Cool facts:
- Est. 1858 to serve German immigrants
- Named in honor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception, defined in 1854
- Staffed by Oblates of the Virgin Mary since 1987
- Serves approximately 1,800 families in parish and schools
- Site of Fr. Nate’s priestly ordination in 2022
