Meet Our Donors

We thank all our planned-gift donors for their generous support. Here are some of their stories.

A Legacy of Faith: Michael and Sarah’s story*

When Michael Reynolds first encountered the Congregation of Holy Cross, he wasn't looking for anything extraordinary. In 1965, as a young man discerning where he would attend college, he simply wanted a strong Catholic education in the field of business that would prepare him for a lifelong career.

His options: Marist College in New York, St. Leo’s College in Florida, Seton Hall University in New Jersey, or King’s College in Pennsylvania.

His visit to King’s College was instrumental in his decision to enroll. The meeting with Fr. Sheehy, C.S.C., director of Admissions, confirmed King’s College was the right choice and the subsequent four years proved an experience that nurtured Michael’s mind and heart in the tradition of Holy Cross.

Throughout his undergraduate years, Michael came to know many members of the Holy Cross community, men who had high expectations for every student and firmly, but lovingly, encouraged their success. These priests and brothers were intentional in creating a community that included Michael and his peers at King’s College. As a community, they celebrated milestones, offered wisdom during difficult seasons, and quietly demonstrated what it meant to live a life of faith, hope, and service.

After graduation, Michael pursued his career in business, fortified by his education and his formation with Holy Cross.

Some years later, as he was experiencing success in his career, Michael and his wife, Sarah, received an invitation to support the work of the priests and brothers of Holy Cross. Unsure as to how he and Sarah were included in the mailing list, he nonetheless responded with a gift, one that began a 25-year legacy of support.

Over the years, what began as an act of gratitude for all that the priests and brothers instilled in him, became something much deeper. Michael and Sarah were regular donors to the Congregation but added the work of Holy Cross in Peru among their giving priorities, based on the experience of their brother-in-law, Anibal, who was originally from Lima, Peru, and who had occasion to visit Holy Cross apostolates there. Anibal was deeply inspired by the ministries and impact of Holy Cross in his hometown and shared his enthusiasm with Michael and Sarah who were equally inspired and compelled to give.

Through the years, Michael and Sarah enjoyed their affiliation with Holy Cross as donors and as regular retreat participants at Fatima Retreat House at Notre Dame, Indiana. Among their cherished memories were visiting priests and brothers at Holy Cross House, also at Notre Dame, which is the long-term care home for infirmed and retired religious.

As retirement approached, Michael and Sarah found themselves reflecting on the many blessings that had shaped their lives. In discerning the question, What kind of legacy do we want to leave?

The answer became clear as they looked back over the years.

They realized that many of the people who had influenced them most profoundly had devoted their lives to the mission of Holy Cross. Their commitment had not only formed students but had strengthened marriages, and inspired countless acts of generosity and service.

Michael and Sarah wanted that mission to continue long after they were gone.

After prayerful reflection and prudent planning, they chose to include the Congregation of Holy Cross in their estate plan, designating both the work of Holy Cross in Peru and Holy Cross House as specific beneficiaries.

Their decision was not made out of obligation, but out of gratitude. Through a simple provision in their will, they will help ensure that future generations would encounter the same compassionate ministry, faithful witness, and transformative education and formation that is a part of their lives.

"This is simply our way of saying thank you. We won't see all the lives this gift will touch, but we trust God will use it to accomplish more than we can imagine."

Today, their planned gift stands as a testament to a lifetime of faith and gratitude. Their legacy will help sustain the Congregation's mission of making God known, loved, and served.

Like Michael and Sarah, every person has the opportunity to create a legacy that extends beyond a lifetime. A gift through your estate plan is more than a financial decision—it is a lasting expression of faith, gratitude, and hope for the generations who will follow.

*At the donors request, we changed their names to protect their privacy.

Justin

I bought a lot of life insurance when our family was young. Wanted to be sure that Bev and our children would be taken care of should anything unexpected happen to me.

Well, I’m still around, thank goodness. Our children are grown and settled, and Bev and I did a little better financially than we ever thought would be possible when we were starting out. Truth is, our family no longer needed all the life insurance coverage I was carrying for them.

That excess insurance was really an asset that was no longer productive for us. We talked about it with our accountant, and she said that we could donate some policies to our favorite charity – the Congregation of Holy Cross. We would receive an income tax deduction approximately equal to the cash surrender value of the policies, which would come in very handy at tax time.

The Congregation of Holy Cross could either cash in the policies and use the funds for current projects, or hold them for the death benefits they will pay when we die.

It was a win-win result: we were able to help the Congregation of Holy Cross out significantly, but we did it by using assets we had almost forgotten about, and in a way that didn’t affect our cash-flow or our family’s security.

Tom & Wilma

We wanted to make a gift to the Congregation of Holy Cross in addition to our annual support – a commitment that would make a lasting impact on the organization our whole family loves.

But how to do it? We can’t afford to give away large sums while we’re alive, and our children are counting on receiving most of our estate. Our financial advisor came up with the creative solution. He had been looking over the annual statements from Tom’s and my IRAs and retirement plans.

“There will be more than adequate distributions available from these plans after you retire to maintain your lifestyle and enjoy yourselves a little bit,” he told us. “In fact, I’ll probably be advising you to minimize your withdrawals and keep the accounts growing.

“But, did you know that any balance remaining in those plans when the second of you dies could be taxed twice if you leave the accounts to your children through your will? That’s right – the balances could be subject to both estate and income tax. Your children could wind up with a lot less than you’re expecting them to get.”

His plan? Designate the Congregation of Holy Cross as the recipient of all or a portion of the remaining balance in our retirement plans. That transfer will be subject to neither estate nor income tax, resulting in a substantial gift to the Congregation of Holy Cross. We were then able to allocate the other assets in our estate to our children, knowing that they can take them free of the double tax that applies to retirement accounts.

The result for us? We solved an estate-planning problem we didn’t even know we had, and found a way to provide long-term support for our favorite institution.

Kurt, with his favorite granddaughter, Emily

After my wife Karen died, I began to appreciate much more the organizations to which she had been so devoted. The Congregation of Holy Cross was always her favorite, and I began to look for ways that my giving could keep her commitment alive.

I decided to make a bequest to the Congregation of Holy Cross. Trouble was, I had just re-written my will, and I didn’t want to go the time and expense of having a new document drawn just to add a bequest to the Congregation of Holy Cross.

My lawyer told me that I could set up the gift through a codicil to my existing will. She told me that a codicil is a simple document that makes specific changes to a will – like adding a charitable bequest – but leaves everything else alone. It’s a great solution for making minor adjustments to an estate plan you’re otherwise happy with.

She had the codicil ready for me to sign in two days – and now I can rest easy knowing that the organization that meant so much to Karen will be hearing from her once again.