Abbey Foundation of Oregon

AFO Logo Reversed

Annual Report 2021

Dear friends,

You are reading this annual report for one simple reason – you are a friend of Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary! The Abbey Foundation of Oregon shares your care and affection for the monks and seminarians in an official capacity, existing as a separate nonprofit solely to support the Abbey.

The members of AFO are stewards of the long-term endowments and other assets that will ensure the sustainability of the monks and their ministries far into the future. We also serve as professional lay advisors to the Abbot and as ambassadors for the many blessings found on the Hilltop.

I have a feeling that you, too, know what a joy it is to serve and ever-more deeply understand the rich ways of Benedictine life and spirituality!

This report gives you a financial view into our audited fiscal year from July 2020 through June 2021, along with joyful tidings about the Hilltop experience through December 2021. Both the Abbey and the Foundation are committed to transparent communication with you, which we offer along with our profound gratitude for the many ways you support and encourage the mission of Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary.

I share your joy in belonging to a community of thousands who care about and pray for our holy Hilltop and for all who live, work, and learn there every day. The monks faithfully keep you in their prayers.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

John Meek Signature
John Meek, President
Abbey Foundation of Oregon

Hard copies of the annual report are available upon request. Simply call 503.845.3030.

John Meek

“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

– Philippians 1:6

Our Mission

The Abbey Foundation of Oregon promotes the financial vitality of Mount Angel Abbey by seeking funding for current projects and long-term endowments for the monastery, seminary, guesthouse, and library. The trustees of the Foundation work collaboratively with the Abbot of Mount Angel Abbey to implement the monastic community’s Benedictine vision of prayer and work in service to the Church in western Oregon and beyond.


The Abbey Foundation of Oregon is an independent 509(a)(3) nonprofit organization that exists solely as a supporting organization for the work of Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary.

WE HOPE YOU WILL STAY
CONNECTED WITH MOUNT ANGEL

Follow us for daily Mass, Midday Prayer and Vespers, live streamed on our website: mountangelabbey.org, or the Mount Angel Abbey YouTube channel.

Would you like to stay up-to-date on what’s happening at Mount Angel? Just send us a note or sign up online and your email address will be added to our list.

Join Our Email List

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
2021–2022

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT

John Meek
Managing Member,
Arcadia Consulting

VICE PRESIDENT

John Limb
Oregon Catholic Press (retired)

SECRETARY

Jim Zuiches ’61
Professor of Sociology &
University Administrator (retired)

PAST PRESIDENT

Brian Jackson
Owner, Brian C. Jackson,
Architect LLC

TREASURER

Rev. Martin Grassel, O.S.B.
Procurator, Mount Angel Abbey

ABBOT

Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B.
Mount Angel Abbey

TRUSTEES

Sr. Adele Marie Altenhofen, S.S.M.O.
President, SSMO Ministries Corporation

 

Mark Beckius

President, Reimers & Jolivette

 

Joanne DiBenedetto Burdick

Owner, DeBenedetto Design

 

Steve English ’66

Partner, Perkins Coie, LLP

 

Paulette Furness

General Counsel (retired),
Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

Lynn Cayanus Jones

Former AFO President

New Product Introduction Manager (retired),

Phillips Medical Systems/Ultrasound

 
Linda Keizer

Owner, Southern Oregon Storage

 

Sally Killgore

Chair, Eugene Seminary Benefit Dinner

 

Claire Schulte, C.P.A.

Chief Financial Officer (former), Bigleaf Networks

 

Rex Wardlaw

Senior Managing Director (retired),
First Republic Investment Management
 

Donald Williams

Chief Operating Officer (retired),
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt P.C.

 

Rev. Charles Wood ’00

Parish Priest, St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church

 

William Zuelke

Founder and Principal, Awakening to Holiness

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

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“The world needs hope. And with gratitude, with this habit of saying thank you, we transmit a bit of hope.”

– POPE FRANCIS
AR 2021 Total Donors
AR 2021 Total Gifts Under 1K
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The Abbey Foundation of Oregon is audited annually by independent certified public accountants whose examination complies with generally accepted auditing standards. This annual report reflects the audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal year. The Foundation files its IRS Form 990 each fiscal year, available at our website, the Development Office, or upon request.

what you have made possible. . .

AR 2021 Card Monastery
AR 2021 Card Seminary
AR 2021 Card Library
AR 2021 Card Guesthouse

WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT CAN LAST FOREVER

ENDOWMENT FUNDS

Endowed gifts to Mount Angel provide annual financial support for generations to come and make a difference that is nothing short of eternal. Thanks to the individuals, families, and foundations listed below, the Abbey Foundation of Oregon was able to provide approximately $1 million to support the education and formation of seminarians and monks, the monks’ spiritual ministries, and the Hilltop facilities. Endowed funds are prudently invested by the Abbey Foundation, with 3-5 percent of the earned income provided to Mount Angel each year. Any remaining earnings are added to the original principal, which continues to grow and support Mount Angel’s mission in perpetuity.

OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH IN THE FUTURE

LEGACY SOCIETY

The Legacy Society includes the generous friends listed below. Legacy Society members have chosen to create a significant, lasting impact by including the Abbey Foundation of Oregon in their estate plan. They have told us that they have named the AFO in their will, living trust, retirement plan, life insurance policy, bank account, or as a remainder designation in a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust. Thank you!

Each of us leaves a legacy — through our faith, family, friendships, work and simple interactions with others every day. We offer prayers of thanksgiving for the hundreds of generous people who care deeply about Mount Angel’s mission and have taken special steps to include it in their legacies.

LEARN MORE
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A Year of Generosity, Impact, and Faith

2020-2021 Honor Roll of Donors

Thanks and blessings to each and every benefactor! The monks, seminarians, faculty, employees, alumni, oblates, volunteers, guests, and friends of Mount Angel offer prayers of gratitude for the joyful record of generosity shown below.

The Abbey Foundation of Oregon and Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary gratefully acknowledge in the list below the contributions of all benefactors who contributed $100 or more between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.

BENEFACTOR GIVING LEVELS

St. Benedict Benefactors – $50,000+

St. Scholastica Benefactors – $25,000-$49,999

St. Joseph Benefactors – $10,000-$24,999

St. Thomas Aquinas Benefactors – $5,000-$9,999

St. Anselm Benefactors – $2,500-$4,999

St. Therese Benefactors – $1,000-$2,499

St. Michael the Archangel Benefactors – $500-$999

St. Raphael the Archangel Benefactors – $100-$499

St. Gabriel the Archangel Benefactors – Gifts in Kind

Many donors in the past year have given gifts in honor of friends and people they admire, or in memory of those who have died.

Every effort has been made to achieve a complete and accurate report. If you have questions, please contact Melissa Eddings at 971.343.2702 or melissa.eddings@mtangel.edu.

The Guardian Angel Circle

Sustains Mount Angel

The Guardian Angel Circle honors our friends and benefactors who make regular donations in support of Mount Angel’s mission and ministries. We are blessed by their enduring friendship and generosity!

Our Guardian Angels show their loyalty in various ways, including:

Making gifts of any amount at least once a year for ten or more years in a row! Some are on a streak for more than 35!

Setting up sustaining gifts through automatic payments from a credit card or bank account at recurring intervals.

Would you like to join the ranks of our Guardian Angels? Want to learn more? Please call 503.845.3030 or email development@mtangel.edu.

Benedictine Brewery and St. Michael Taproom

The everyday visitor to Mount Angel Abbey can easily observe the care and respect we monks have for the Hilltop where we vow to spend our lives.

Our love for this place is on display at the Benedictine Brewery and St. Michael Taproom, where you can sit on the patio and gaze over fields of hops, the broader valley, and the jagged coast range. Fiery sunsets fill the mind with awe and lift one’s heart to God.

St. Benedict envisioned monasteries as self-sufficient communities. In the Middle Ages, the Benedictines brewed in their own facilities using ingredients grown on their land. In the complex world of the twenty-first century, the monks of Mount Angel strive for the same.

• We monks do the brewing.

• The water comes from our own well.

• The hops come from our own land, upon which hops have grown since the 1880’s.

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A YEAR OF GROWTH

By the end of 2021, the brewery and taproom’s third year of business was the best yet, with gross sales over $551,000. That equates to a lot of beer! And while beer is by far the biggest interest, a breakdown of sales shows that other items also add up by percentage of sales.

In addition to offering a small-plate food menu in the taproom, this summer we invited a rotating group of local nonprofit food trucks to park at the brewery on weekends. The nonprofits increased their revenue and our patrons enjoyed the expanded food options.

PRODUCTION
Production for Benedictine Brewery is now performed exclusively by monks of Mount Angel Abbey. There is currently a team of three monks who work in the brewery, including Fr. Martin Grassel, Br. Jesse Ochoa, and Br. David Norstedt. Many more monks are involved in the taproom, greeting and talking with guests, providing live music on special occasions, and being generally available to help serve and provide a monastic welcome to all who come.
BY THE BARREL

2019 – 146.36

2020 – 178.32

2021 – 216.8

44 BATCHES WERE MADE IN 2021

Hairshirt IPA – New!
Canticle Oktoberfest
Margery Dunkel – New!
Saint Benedict Farmhouse Ale
Hemina Pale Ale
Dark Night Special Dark Ale
Saint Gabriel Dubbel
Tyrant Cascadian Dark
Haustus Pale Ale
Saint Raphael Tripel
Saint Michael Helles
Black Habit Dark Ale

GET TO KNOW THE BEER

Hemina Pale Ale

In his rule for monks, St. Benedict declares that monks should not drink wine at all. Because he prefers beer? No. Because he condemns drunkenness! But while advocating abstinence, he wisely settles for moderation, allowing a hemina of wine per day (about 10 ounces). And for beer? Twice that much would become the norm. So, taste moderately – and believe abundantly!

Saint Benedict Farmhouse Ale
Saint Benedict was a monk of both simplicity and depth: simplicity in work and lifestyle, which allowed depth in prayer and contemplation. The combination made him a saint. This ale bears his name because it first strikes with simplicity, then opens to depths worth contemplating. It was also first brewed on March 21, the day of Saint Benedict’s death.

Haustus Pale Ale
The monks of Mount Angel don’t throw keggers. But on Easter, Christmas, and other solemn feasts, they do hold a haustus, an evening celebration with talking, appetizers, and beer. With cloistered decorum, they joyfully thank God for creation and salvation. Join the feast. Raise your glass of Haustus to the Glory of the Lord.

Tyrant Cascadian Dark Ale
In the monastic tradition, the novice monk must learn to uproot the eight principal vices – gluttony, avarice, lust, anger, acedia, sadness, vainglory, and pride. From these evil inclinations, all vices flow; hence they are called “tyrants of the soul.” This Cascadia ale reflects the darkness and bitterness of that tyranny, but also the satisfaction of overthrowing it.

CONTACT US

JODI KILCUP

Director of Development
and Communications

jodi.kilcup@mtangel.edu

503.845.3030

MELISSA EDDINGS

Development Manager

melissa.eddings@mtangel.edu

971.343.2702

PATRICK J. REGAN

Senior Philanthropic Advisor

patrick.regan@mtangel.edu

503.593.8124

SUSAN GALLAGHER

Planned Giving Manager

susan.gallagher@mtangel.edu

503.312.5425

If you have questions regarding your 2020–2021 fiscal year donations, please contact the Development Office at 503.845.3030 or development@mtangel.edu.

Thank you for considering a contribution to Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary! The monks offer prayers of gratitude every day for you and all our generous benefactors.

DONATE

Box 497, Saint Benedict, OR 97373-0497

MOUNTANGELABBEY.ORG
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