Parish-by-parish initiative inspires Catholics to build lasting legacies through estate planning.
What if your generosity to the local Catholic Church could continue long after your lifetime?
What if the parish that nurtured your faith, the school that educated your children or the Catholic ministries closest to your heart could benefit from your generosity forever?
Those questions are at the heart of Legacy Sunday, an initiative piloted by the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania to inspire Catholics to consider the lasting impact they can make through thoughtful estate planning.
Legacy Sunday Pilot Inititative Throughout the Region
Unlike traditional Legacy Sunday programs, often celebrated on a single designated weekend throughout a diocese, the Catholic Foundation organized individual weekends tailored to participating parishes. Foundation representatives delivered brief messages following weekend Masses, inviting parishioners to reflect on their Catholic legacy and how they can help sustain the Church for generations.
Eight parishes across the Diocese of Allentown participated in the pilot: Assumption BVM and St. Anne in Bethlehem; Holy Guardian Angels in Reading; Sacred Heart in Palmerton; St. John the Baptist and St. Thomas More in Allentown; St. Joseph the Worker in Orefield; and All Saints in McAdoo.
Building on the Faith of Generations
“Think about the generations of Catholics who came before us,” said Pete Waldron, president of the Catholic Foundation. “They sacrificed their time, talent and treasure to build the parishes and schools we cherish today. They were thinking bigger than their lifetime. Now it’s our turn to ensure these Catholic communities continue to flourish for generations we’ll never meet.”
That message resonated at Assumption BVM Parish in Bethlehem, where Tony Luna, the Foundation’s Donor Impact Officer, addressed parishioners during weekend Masses.
“He challenged each of us in the congregation, ‘What will be our legacy?'” recalled Monsignor John McCann, Assumption’s pastor and a member of the Foundation’s board of directors. “What can we do to provide for the future, to keep the flame of faith alive in the heart of the next generation?”
Assumption already has two endowment funds with the Catholic Foundation, reflecting a commitment to sustaining its mission.
“We’re envisioning that those funds will provide income well into the future to provide for the ministries and services that our parish offers,” McCann said.
Turning Inspiration Into Action
Legacy Sunday was just the beginning.
Several weeks later, the Catholic Foundation followed up with free estate planning workshops featuring attorneys and financial planning professionals. Participants learned why everyone needs an estate plan, regardless of wealth; how to get started; the importance of wills, executors and powers of attorney; and why communicating end-of-life wishes and planning a Catholic funeral matter.
The workshops also introduced opportunities to create legacy gifts to parish and school endowments and establish family funds that sustain annual giving to favorite Catholic causes forever.
“Legacy planning is about much more than distributing assets,” Waldron said. “It’s an act of faithful stewardship that allows us to put God’s blessings to work long after we’re gone.”
The Catholic Foundation hopes to expand both initiatives to all its partner organizations as free benefits of its partnership.
Now It’s Our Turn to Think Bigger Than Our Lifetimes
For McCann, the Foundation is uniquely positioned to help parishes turn those intentions into lasting impact.
“I think the Catholic Foundation has the tools, the expertise and a focused mission to do precisely that,” he said.
Our Catholic ancestors invested in our future. Now it’s our turn to invest in forever.