Investing with Faith / Jolinda Moore

Bequests are a great way to leave a legacy and remember the Church

Life is short. That’s why most of us strive to be good and godly people throughout our lives. We try to do what’s right, admit when we are wrong, treat everyone with respect, and love others selflessly—especially those God has entrusted to our care.

But as Catholics, we also understand that sharing what we’ve been given to further the Church’s mission and show compassion to those in need isn’t just a good thing to do—it’s an essential part of living our faith.

The saints are our role models.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux is known and loved for her simple approach to growing in holiness: doing small things with great love. But she also offers inspiration for those of us who hope to leave more than just the memory of our generosity behind.

Not long before her death at the age of 24, the “Little Flower” made a stunning promise: “I wish to spend my heaven doing good on Earth.”

While we won’t be able to watch the grandkids or volunteer at the parish after we’re gone, giving to the Church we’ve supported during our lives is one of the few things that can continue when we’ve passed from this life into the next. By making a bequest to the Church, we, too, can do precisely what St. Thérèse promised. We can spend at least some of our heaven supporting the mission of Jesus Christ here in central and southern Indiana.

Bequests are gifts made as part of a will or trust. One of the most popular and flexible ways to support the causes that are important to you and your family, bequests can be made to a person, a trust or to a nonprofit organization such as your parish, school, ministry or the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

Making a bequest is easy, but there are some important things to keep in mind:

• Bequests come in a variety of types and vehicles, each of which sustains the mission of the Catholic Church. Donors may wish to consider an unrestricted gift that enables archdiocesan leaders to allocate funds where they are most needed. Or donors may choose to restrict their gift to a particular cause or ministry. Whether restricted or unrestricted, bequests come in different forms, such as a donor-advised fund or charitable gift annuity.

• Gifts come in different forms. A bequest can be made in cash, securities, real estate or other property. After providing for heirs, a donor should specify the amount, specific asset or percentage of the estate that the Church is to receive.

• Bequests are deductible for federal estate and gift tax purposes, but a person’s desire to leave a legacy gift is what matters most. In their 1992 pastoral letter, “Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response—A Pastoral Letter of Stewardship,’ the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops acknowledge that we demonstrate good stewardship of the many blessings God gives to each of us by sharing them in love and justice with others by our weekly offering to God through our parish and legacy gifts as well as our ministry and volunteer activities.

• For your final wishes to be honored, a valid will must be in place. For this reason, it is very important that you arrange to have a valid will created by an attorney. This document will direct your gift intent when the time comes. The Catholic Community Foundation can provide sample bequest language that you and/or your estate attorney can use in preparing a charitable bequest to the Church in your will.

• Lastly, informing the beneficiary of your bequest of the impending gift allows us to better steward your gift when the time comes, as well as ensure that we follow your intent. To make this process easier, we have created a form that we ask you to complete if you are leaving a bequest to the archdiocese or any of its entities. Please visit: lnkiy.in/CCFform. Need more information? Contact us at ccf@archindy.org or 317-236-1482. We’re happy to help!
 

(Jolinda Moore is executive director of the archdiocesan Office of Stewardship and Development and the Catholic Community Foundation [CCF]. Tax or legal information provided herein is not intended as tax or legal advice. Always consult with your legal, tax or financial advisors before implementing any gift plan. If you would like to learn more about including your parish in your estate plans, please contact us any time. We exist to exclusively serve you and your parish in planned giving.) †