Honoring a friend and hero

On May 11, 2017, I lost a friend and hero mine when John (Jack) Donahue passed away at his home in Naples, FL. Many of you may remember him as the founder of Federated Investors or as the patriarch of the Donahue family, which includes 13 children, 84 grandchildren and 109 great grandchildren.

Tom Monaghan

There is much I could say about my profound respect and admiration for Jack because he was everything I aspired to be: (1) a strong Catholic, (2) a great family man – all his grandchildren still attend Sunday Mass, and (3) an incredibly successful businessman. To give you a glimpse of this great man, I would like to share with you something that he penned for his family back in 1996 on the occasion of his and his wife, Rhodora’s, 50th wedding anniversary… entitled Thoughts for a Lifetime.

In the realm of the spiritual, there are important thoughts on which to reflect. Always remember that your goal in life is to go to Heaven and to help others in every way possible to get there. You cannot repeat this thought often enough; it should be a part of your very being.

To achieve this goal:

1) Be determined to accept the will of God in everything that happens to you. Make every effort to discern the will of God for you, and make even a greater effort to follow wherever it leads.

2) Pray… Pray constantly. Nothing is more important than daily prayer for the preservation of the precious gift of faith you have received. Do not stop praying; for the day you stop praying is the day you will begin to lose your faith. This applies to everyone… even bishops, cardinals and the pope.

3) The Eucharist stands at the center of the Church’s life. The Church and Pope John Paul II have encouraged us to receive the Eucharist frequently; daily, if at all possible. There would be no Catholic Church without the Eucharist.

4) The Lord commanded us to “ love one another.” There are no qualifications in this command. It is not complicated nor subject to interpretation or rationalization. So, pray that you will always find it in your heart to “ love one another.”

In Summary… Seek Heaven as your primary goal in life. Seek to know and do the will of God. Pray so that you keep your faith. Receive the Eucharist as often as possible. Love one another.

TOM MONAGHAN is Legatus’ founder, chairman and CEO.