DECEMBER – For Children Throughout the World

Last year approximately 535 million children were affected by humanitarian disasters; this represents one child out of four globally. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, let us pray for all children throughout the world, both born and unborn, for orphans, for the abandoned, for the suffering, and for those who care for them. May they know they are loved and may they grow up in a world that is free from hunger, violence, persecution and exploitation.

Support the Brothers

Thank you for your interest in supporting the mission and ministries of the Brothers of Holy Cross, Midwest Province. Our ability to proclaim the Kingdom of God, to serve His people, to witness His love, is enhanced by your generosity. There are many ways to support your Brothers, beginning first and foremost through your prayers which are always needed and greatly appreciated. Additionally, we invite you to support our annual appeal or to consider a planned gift.

•

To make a gift on line, please click on the word Donate below:

•

To mail a gift, please send a check (made payable to the Brothers of Holy Cross) or sending your credit card information along with a gift amount to:

Brother Roy Smith, CSC
Brothers of Holy Cross, Midwest Province
P.O. Box 460
Notre Dame, IN 46556-0460

•

Not receiving our annual appeal giving invitation? Please e-mail Brother Roy Smith at rsmith@brothersofholycross.com or give him a call at 574-631-2928 and Brother Roy will be honored to include you in the next opportunity.

•

The Brothers of Holy Cross invite you to consider including them in your planned or estate gifts as well.

Planned Giving through a Will, Life Insurance, or Retirement Plan:

1. Giving through your will by:

•

Designating a percentage of your estate as a charitable gift to the Brothers,

•

Designating a specific amount of money or a designated property/asset (real estate or stocks),

•

Gifting part or all of the estate that remains (residue or remainder) after other specific bequests have been satisfied,

•

Combining a percentage or specific amount from the estate with the residue.

Making a gift through a will to the Brothers can be most efficiently completed using our legal name and location: Brother of Holy Cross, Inc., Notre Dame, Indiana.

2.

Giving Through Retirement Plans

Many retirement plans are funded with pre-tax dollars and substantial income and estate taxes can be levied when these funds are left to family members or others. Often a simple change in the name of the beneficiary is all that’s required to make a gift through a retirement plan.

3.

Giving Through Life Insurance

•

If you own a life insurance policy that no longer meets your needs, you could name the Brothers of Holy Cross, Inc., Notre Dame, Indiana as a beneficiary or

•

Purchase a new life insurance policy naming Brothers of Holy Cross, Inc., Notre Dame, Indiana as beneficiary or

•

Allow the Brothers of Holy Cross to own a policy on your life. You can make an annual contribution to underwrite the insurance premium.

Again, Brother Roy would be happy to talk with you about these very special opportunities. We advise that you consult with your professional financial and/or legal adviser in all matters pertaining to your estate or planned gifts.

Recently we received this letter from a donor who was asked to share why and how he arrived at a decision to make a choice to help the Holy Cross Brothers. He replied:

Dear Friends of the Brothers,

I am a lifelong resident of South Bend, Indiana. I was educated by the Holy Cross Brothers at St. Joseph High School, at Holy Cross College ( a junior college in my day) and at the University of Notre Dame. Additionally, I lived and worked in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, at LeMans Academy, the Brothers’ former novitiate. In 2007, I began working for the Brothers at Holy Cross College in the development office.

So, as you can see, the Brothers of Holy Cross have had a profoundly positive impact on my life educationally, personally, professionally and spiritually. They are kind and humble men who seek to love and serve our Lord and to make him known to the world. I’m extremely blessed to have had so many Holy Cross Brothers in my life as teachers, professors, mentors, confidants, colleagues and friends.

Each year I respond to their annual appeal, as much as I can, considering my family responsibilities, three very young children and my spouse. This year, when I received their appeal I decided to include them as one of the beneficiaries in my 401-K. I am the product of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and I felt moved by the Holy Spirit to make this deferred gift commitment. I hope it will grow over time. It is a seed which needed to be planted. I may never see the fruits of that seed, yet our faith tells me that good seeds produce good fruit. So, I’m confident my deferred gift will be a blessing to the Brothers and to those they continue to serve.

Planned gifts, or deferred giving, remind me of a speech in 1962 that President John F. Kennedy made at Rice University. He said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

Thinking about the end of one’s life is a hard thing to do. Yet if we are to die well, it is also a necessary thing to do.

Please prayerfully choose to support the Brothers of Holy Cross with a planned gift this year.

The seeds you plant will bear good fruit for generations to come.

Mr. Craig Horvath
Associate Regional Director of Development
the University of Notre Dame