Fr. Joe West celebrates the Eucharist, pre-pandemic, with his parishioners at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Clarksville, IN
By Friar Joe West OFM Conv.
Parish Priest at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Clarksville , IN
We are in an era of anxiety and worry, with a virus and violence, societal unrest and racial upheaval with no legal, political or bureaucratic solutions in sight. We need God. We need a savior. Where is he?
Joseph Ratzinger wrote in 1970, after having been asked what the church of the year 2000 will look like, responded, “And so it seems certain to me that the Church is facing very hard times. The real crisis has scarcely begun. We will have to count on terrific upheavals. But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult, which is dead already, but the Church of faith. It may well no longer be the dominant social power to the extent that She was until recently; but it will enjoy a fresh blossoming and be seen as man’s home, where he will find life and hope beyond death.”1
Out of recent humiliations will come the grace of God with a saving power like we have never seen before. Where will we find this grace?
St. Paul says to the Athenians in the Acts of the Apostles, “He made from one the whole human race… so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us.” (17:26 & 27). Paul had an experience of God, through his Son Jesus Christ, that was so “up-close and personal”, so overpowering, that it knocked him to the ground.
As a parish priest for 28 years, I see the presence of God in his faithful people when we gather together for worship at Mass, the other sacraments, and in service. When Christians understand their Church, but no particular building, to be their home, then the faith, and it’s hope, is truly theirs, they own it. Now it cannot be easily taken away by any outside force. This is so beautiful to see. They don’t ‘attend’ Mass, they come back home and their service to others overflows as the most natural result.
Jesus Christ, the compassion of God, is the answer to any significant question we may raise. In Him we place our hope and he will not disappoint.
1 Faith and the Future 2009 Ignatius Press.
Thank you for considering a planned gift to the Conventual Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation.
We all worry about what will happen to our family and friends when we pass on to eternal life. We want to ensure our loved ones are cared for here on earth after we are gone. However, many people find thinking about estate plans to be an unpleasant or daunting endeavor. We hope the information we have available will ease the process and be a source of comfort to both you and your loved ones by allowing you to make certain your legacy will continue.
When you meet with an attorney who will assist in planning for the rest of your life and your estate, be sure to discuss frankly with your attorney important issues, such as your current situation, financial matters, family dynamics, charitable planning and health care. This will allow the attorney to craft an estate plan that most accurately satisfies your needs and those of your family.
There are different kinds of bequests. For each, you must use very specific language to indicate the precise direction of your assets, and to successfully carry out your final wishes. Here are samples of how to indicate a general or undesignated gift to the friars.
| Legal Entity for the friars | Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc |
| General Bequest | I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______ |
| Bequest language for specific amount: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath the sum of ________ dollars ($_________) to Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
| Bequest language for specific property: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath [100 shares of XYZ Corp. stock / my guitar collection / the real estate legally described as follows] to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
| Contingent bequest language: | If my spouse does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. [the sum of ________ dollars ($_________) / 100 shares of XYZ Corp. stock / my guitar collection]. |
| Residuary bequest language: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath [all -or- ___ percent (___%)] of the residue of my estate to Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
If you have included a bequest for the Friars in your estate plans, please call us at (812) 923-5250 or use this confidential form to let us know. We would like to thank you for your planned gift and invite you into the San Damiano Legacy Society.
Sharing your plans to include the friars in your estate plans allows for the friars to maximize the impact of your gift and honor your benefaction during your lifetime. Throughout your lifetime, you can change this gift arrangement if your needs change.Your loving gifts help us to form a community of fraternal love and equality by supporting and calling one another to on-going conversation in our vowed life. Prayer and Contemplation strengthen us on our journey of faith.
Our ministries arise from the needs of God’s people in an ever-changing world. As servants and heralds of the Kingdom, we strive to respond compassionately to those needs through a prayerful discernment of our gifts and resources as individuals and as community.
Gifts of any size are deeply appreciated and will be stewarded according to your wishes. In many cases, legacy gifts allow you to make larger and more impactful gifts than would have otherwise been possible
Contact Us to learn more about creating your legacy.
Working with Father John and Becki to find a donor story regarding including the friars in their estate plans and why it means so much to them.
As soon as a gift is received and matched to a donor, the Mission Advancement Office sends an acknowledgment letter stating the nature of the gift, the gift valuation date, and the gift valuation amount and a clarification statement indicating no goods or services were exchanged for the gift.
The Province of Our Lady of Consolation, is a tax exempt 501(c) organization (EIN # 35-6019627) and Its members and employees do not provide tax, legal, or financial advice. Any document or information shared by our staff is intended to be educational. We strongly encourage donors to seek counsel with tax expertise from their own legal and financial advisors.
Thank you for considering a planned gift to the Conventual Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation.
We all worry about what will happen to our family and friends when we pass on to eternal life. We want to ensure our loved ones are cared for here on earth after we are gone. However, many people find thinking about estate plans to be an unpleasant or daunting endeavor. We hope the information we have available will ease the process and be a source of comfort to both you and your loved ones by allowing you to make certain your legacy will continue.
When you meet with an attorney who will assist in planning for the rest of your life and your estate, be sure to discuss frankly with your attorney important issues, such as your current situation, financial matters, family dynamics, charitable planning and health care. This will allow the attorney to craft an estate plan that most accurately satisfies your needs and those of your family.
There are different kinds of bequests. For each, you must use very specific language to indicate the precise direction of your assets, and to successfully carry out your final wishes. Here are samples of how to indicate a general or undesignated gift to the friars.
| Legal Entity for the friars | Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc |
| General Bequest | I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______ |
| Bequest language for specific amount: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath the sum of ________ dollars ($_________) to Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
| Bequest language for specific property: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath [100 shares of XYZ Corp. stock / my guitar collection / the real estate legally described as follows] to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
| Contingent bequest language: | If my spouse does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. [the sum of ________ dollars ($_________) / 100 shares of XYZ Corp. stock / my guitar collection]. |
| Residuary bequest language: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath [all -or- ___ percent (___%)] of the residue of my estate to Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
If you have included a bequest for the Friars in your estate plans, please call us at (812) 923-5250 or use this confidential form to let us know. We would like to thank you for your planned gift and invite you into the San Damiano Legacy Society.
Sharing your plans to include the friars in your estate plans allows for the friars to maximize the impact of your gift and honor your benefaction during your lifetime. Throughout your lifetime, you can change this gift arrangement if your needs change.Your loving gifts help us to form a community of fraternal love and equality by supporting and calling one another to on-going conversation in our vowed life. Prayer and Contemplation strengthen us on our journey of faith.
Our ministries arise from the needs of God’s people in an ever-changing world. As servants and heralds of the Kingdom, we strive to respond compassionately to those needs through a prayerful discernment of our gifts and resources as individuals and as community.
Gifts of any size are deeply appreciated and will be stewarded according to your wishes. In many cases, legacy gifts allow you to make larger and more impactful gifts than would have otherwise been possible
Contact Us to learn more about creating your legacy.
Working with Father John and Becki to find a donor story regarding including the friars in their estate plans and why it means so much to them.
As soon as a gift is received and matched to a donor, the Mission Advancement Office sends an acknowledgment letter stating the nature of the gift, the gift valuation date, and the gift valuation amount and a clarification statement indicating no goods or services were exchanged for the gift.
The Province of Our Lady of Consolation, is a tax exempt 501(c) organization (EIN # 35-6019627) and Its members and employees do not provide tax, legal, or financial advice. Any document or information shared by our staff is intended to be educational. We strongly encourage donors to seek counsel with tax expertise from their own legal and financial advisors.
Thank you for considering a planned gift to the Conventual Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation.
We all worry about what will happen to our family and friends when we pass on to eternal life. We want to ensure our loved ones are cared for here on earth after we are gone. However, many people find thinking about estate plans to be an unpleasant or daunting endeavor. We hope the information we have available will ease the process and be a source of comfort to both you and your loved ones by allowing you to make certain your legacy will continue.
When you meet with an attorney who will assist in planning for the rest of your life and your estate, be sure to discuss frankly with your attorney important issues, such as your current situation, financial matters, family dynamics, charitable planning and health care. This will allow the attorney to craft an estate plan that most accurately satisfies your needs and those of your family.
There are different kinds of bequests. For each, you must use very specific language to indicate the precise direction of your assets, and to successfully carry out your final wishes. Here are samples of how to indicate a general or undesignated gift to the friars.
| Legal Entity for the friars | Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc |
| General Bequest | I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______ |
| Bequest language for specific amount: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath the sum of ________ dollars ($_________) to Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
| Bequest language for specific property: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath [100 shares of XYZ Corp. stock / my guitar collection / the real estate legally described as follows] to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
| Contingent bequest language: | If my spouse does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. [the sum of ________ dollars ($_________) / 100 shares of XYZ Corp. stock / my guitar collection]. |
| Residuary bequest language: | I hereby give, devise and bequeath [all -or- ___ percent (___%)] of the residue of my estate to Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. |
If you have included a bequest for the Friars in your estate plans, please call us at (812) 923-5250 or use this confidential form to let us know. We would like to thank you for your planned gift and invite you into the San Damiano Legacy Society.
Sharing your plans to include the friars in your estate plans allows for the friars to maximize the impact of your gift and honor your benefaction during your lifetime. Throughout your lifetime, you can change this gift arrangement if your needs change.Your loving gifts help us to form a community of fraternal love and equality by supporting and calling one another to on-going conversation in our vowed life. Prayer and Contemplation strengthen us on our journey of faith.
Our ministries arise from the needs of God’s people in an ever-changing world. As servants and heralds of the Kingdom, we strive to respond compassionately to those needs through a prayerful discernment of our gifts and resources as individuals and as community.
Gifts of any size are deeply appreciated and will be stewarded according to your wishes. In many cases, legacy gifts allow you to make larger and more impactful gifts than would have otherwise been possible
Contact Us to learn more about creating your legacy.
Working with Father John and Becki to find a donor story regarding including the friars in their estate plans and why it means so much to them.
As soon as a gift is received and matched to a donor, the Mission Advancement Office sends an acknowledgment letter stating the nature of the gift, the gift valuation date, and the gift valuation amount and a clarification statement indicating no goods or services were exchanged for the gift.
The Province of Our Lady of Consolation, is a tax exempt 501(c) organization (EIN # 35-6019627) and Its members and employees do not provide tax, legal, or financial advice. Any document or information shared by our staff is intended to be educational. We strongly encourage donors to seek counsel with tax expertise from their own legal and financial advisors.
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