Legacies and Wills

 

Hello,

The Lord be with you!

I’m Deacon Keith Fournier, Dean and Chaplain of Catholic Online School, and I want to thank you for coming to this page.

Our mission at Your Catholic Voice Foundation (YCVF) is to provide a free world-class Catholic education for anyone, anywhere. At the time of me writing this, we have over 25,000 students across X countries. Every day I receive messages from people saying thank you for our work in catechizing children around the world.

But… as Catholics, you and know that there is more to life than what is around us, correct? Yes, our family and friends are important to us, but as Saint Paul said, we are not made for this world.

Therefore, it’s important that we are prepared for all aspects of life… that means death, too. Yes, it’s a grim topic that not a lot of people want to discuss, but thankfully the Catholic Church provides wonderful resources to prepare us both physically and spiritually.

These resources surround what is normally called The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.

While the major of Catholic non-profits are only asking you to “Remember us in your will”... without even sharing with you the MORE important parts of your passing. I don’t want to do this.

Instead, I am asking that you be prepared for a Holy Death. If you do remember Your Catholic Voice Foundation in your will, great! (I have the details below on how to do so). But let’s stick with the more important topics.

 

[PHOTO/IMAGE - 4 LAST THINGS]

 

Death

 

[5-6 sentences explaining death] + [link to video or resource on topic]

 

Judgment

 

[5-6 sentences explaining Judgment] + [link to video or resource on topic]

 

Heaven

 

[5-6 sentences explaining Heaven] + [link to video or resource on topic]

 

Hell

 

[5-6 sentences explaining Hell] + [link to video or resource on topic]

 

How to remember Your Catholic Voice Foundation in your Legacy and Will

 

Now that you have all the resources to start learning on how to have a Holy Death, I do ask that you consider YCVF in your will.

How do you do this?

The easiest way is to call our office and ask for Sandy. Sandy is a wonderful Catholic woman who loves her faith. I’ve been working with her for decades. She’s the proud mother of 4 children and has been happily married to Michael for 45 years. On the weekends, she enjoys gardening, volunteering at her parish, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and spending time with her 13 grandkids.

 

[PHOTO OF SANDY]

 

You can contact Sandy by phone at +1 (661) 378-6199 or by email at sandy@catholiconline.email.

She will be happy to give you all the information you need.

If you simply want to know what bequests language to include in your will, review samples below. 

 

UNDERSTANDING THE WAYS TO GIVE

You can make a bequest to YCVF for a percentage of your estate or a specific dollar amount. You can designate your bequest for general use or you can restrict its use. Many individuals establish endowments that honor the memory of a family member or another loved one. These endowments live forever since only the income is used annually.

Residuary bequests are used to give all or a portion of the rest, residue, and remainder of your estate after payment of expenses and any specific amounts designated to other beneficiaries.

Specific bequests are used to make a gift of a specific dollar amount or specific assets, such as securities, real estate, or personal property.

 

MAKE YOUR YOUR CATHOLIC VOICE FOUNDATION LEGACY

The following includes several examples of suggested bequest wording to benefit the Your Catholic Voice Foundation. Each individual situation is unique and, therefore, these examples include only some of the possible gift opportunities. We encourage you to share your final will provision with the Your Catholic Voice Foundation to ensure that your wishes will be properly followed and recognized.

 

PERCENTAGE OF ESTATE FOR UNRESTRICTED PURPOSES

I give, devise, and bequeath to the Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a not-for-profit organization located in California, _____ percent (%) of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate as an unrestricted gift to be used at the discretion of the Board of Trustees of the Your Catholic Voice Foundation for the general purposes of the Your Catholic Voice Foundation, located in California.

 

PERCENTAGE OF ESTATE FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES WITH AN ENDOWMENT PROVISION

I give, devise, and bequeath to the Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a not-for-profit organization located in California, _____ percent (%) of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to establish the ________________________ ENDOWED FUND. The principal of this Fund shall be invested as part of the University of Notre Dame's permanent endowment and in accordance with its policies. The income therefrom is to be used by the Your Catholic Voice Foundation, located in California, for ___________________________________. Contributions may be added to the Fund at any time.

If changed circumstances should at some future time make it impractical to continue using the income from the Fund for the purpose designated, then the Your Catholic Voice Foundation Board of Trustees may redesignate the purpose for which the Fund's income may be distributed, provided that the Fund shall continue to bear the name __________________________ ENDOWED FUND, and that the amended terms shall adhere as closely as possible to my original intent.

 

SPECIFIC AMOUNT FOR UNRESTRICTED PURPOSES

I give, devise, and bequeath to the Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a not-for-profit organization located in California, the sum of $___________ in cash or in-kind (or ________ shares of ________ stock) to be used at the discretion of the Board of Trustees of the Your Catholic Voice Foundation for the general purposes of the Your Catholic Voice Foundation and its related entities.

 

SPECIFIC AMOUNT FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

I give, devise, and bequeath to the Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a not-for-profit organization located in California, the sum of $___________ in cash or in-kind (or ________ shares of ________ stock) to be used for __________________________________________ at the Your Catholic Voice Foundation. If changed circumstances should at some future time make it impractical to continue using the income from the Fund for the purpose designated, then the Your Catholic Voice Foundation Board of Trustees may re-designate the purpose to adhere as closely as possible to my original intent.NOTE: To assist you with your plans, the Office of Gift Planning at the Your Catholic Voice Foundation can provide sample language for the program or area you wish to support. This confidential service is available to you without obligation.

 

DESIGNATING THE PURPOSE OF A BEQUEST:

Unrestricted: The most useful type of bequest is unrestricted, allowing the funds to be allocated by the Your Catholic Voice Foundation wherever the need is greatest.

Restricted: You may designate your bequest to support a special program or purpose that reflects your personal or professional interest (for example: scholarships, faculty research and development, or library acquisitions).

If the bequest is restricted to a specific purpose, it is important that the following wording be added at the end of the provision. This will ensure that, in the remote possibility a field of study or specified purpose may cease to need funds in the future, an alternate use for the bequest may be determined.
"..... for so long as the Board of Trustees of the Your Catholic Voice Foundation determines that the need exists. Should the need no longer exist, said Board of Trustees may, in its sole discretion, direct the use of my bequest for a purpose related as closely as possible to that stated above."

Donors are encouraged to call the Office of Gift Planning at +1 (661) 378-6199 before writing a will that includes any type of restriction on a bequest.

 

THANK YOU AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY,

Deacon Keith

Dean and Chaplain, Catholic Online School

 

[PHOTO DEACON KEITH]

 

Your Catholic Voice Foundation is an educational institution and does not provide tax, legal or financial advice. Any document or information shared by our staff is intended to be educational. YCVF strongly encourages all of our benefactors to seek counsel from their own legal and financial advisors. Please know that any information or documents shared by YCVF cannot be used to avoid tax-related penalties.