Investing with Faith / Fr. Thomas Clegg

Endowments allow for a family’s legacy to provide for generations to come

I grew up in a large family. It was Mom and Dad and 10 of us kids.

When I was little, it seemed like every other year or so, my siblings and I would get new bikes for Christmas. Perhaps, in and of itself, that was not so unusual. What was unusual (and inspiring) is what I learned about how it happened after I was an adult.

Dad was a city firefighter and worked a second job on his day off. Mom was an amazing homemaker, in the very best sense of that word. While we never seemed to want for anything, I’m sure for them, money was tight.

At a family gathering one day, we were talking about how special Christmas was to us as children. We mentioned the new bikes every other year and my Dad laughed and said, “You didn’t get new bikes every other year; you got new tires and painted bikes every other year!”

Sure enough, Dad would take our bikes out of the garage every other November, load them into the station wagon, take them to the firehouse, strip off the old paint, put on a new coat, slap on some fresh tires, and under the tree they would go for Christmas.

Stories like that are part of the legacy of love and stewardship my parents, John and Rosie Clegg, shared with my siblings and me throughout our lives.

And so, when Mom and Dad died 61 days apart in 2005, we naturally wanted to honor them. We did so by creating the John, Rosie and Zac Clegg Scholarship at their home parish, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) Parish in Indianapolis, for a student heading to Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School, also in Indianapolis. (Zac was my nephew, who died in 2011; we added his name to the scholarship at that time.)

In our Catholic faith, the month of November is set aside to honor all those who have gone before us “marked with the signs of faith.” Often times, as our family did, we want to honor those who touched our lives in a special way. Our family, knowing how important Catholic education was to our parents chose the scholarship fund, but there are many other ways you can choose to do this. Here are a few.

At the time of the death of a loved one, consider making memorial gifts to the parish or Catholic charity that they supported in their lifetime. As a pastor, I know how much receiving such gifts help us honor the legacy of a loved one.

If your loved one is buried in a Catholic cemetery, make a gift to that cemetery’s endowment for its future upkeep.

One can easily establish an endowment fund or support an existing endowment fund through the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) for a lasting legacy. My parish has funds set up for our parish, our Catholic school and our parish cemetery. I love endowment funds because they are a gift that keeps on giving for generations to come.

Finally, I invite you to consider making a gift this month to any Catholic charity (parish, school, social service agency, mission) that your loved one supported or whose mission matched their lives on Earth.

Even though my parents have been gone for 20 years now, I know that the legacy they created is a lasting one as my siblings and I continue to live the stewardship lessons they taught us.
 

(Father Thomas Clegg is pastor of St. John Paul II Parish in Sellersburg. 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. For more information on the Catholic Community Foundation, visit www.archindy.org/CCF, e-mail ccf@archindy.org, or call 317-236-1482.) †