“Healing in His Wings” - Conventual Franciscan Friars

By Friar Ken Bartsch OFM Conv.
Chaplain at the VA Hospital in Louisville, KY

An elderly doctor at the VA, a veteran of Vietnam, remarking about the COVID epidemic, told me he still worked there because, “We lost that war, I’m not going to lose this one.”

Then he asked why I am still there. “I’m atoning for protesting the Vietnam War,” I said.

“You did the right thing!” he replied.

I suppose I am still protesting the war.

The Vietnam War has never ended in the VA. Some Veterans complain they were not allowed to win the war; some are still angry at Jane Fonda and Muhammad Ali. But I have not met many Veterans who thought that the war was worth fighting.

Occasionally a Veteran agonizes with me over what he did, saw, or suffered in the war zone. If it made sense at the time and in that place, it doesn’t anymore. Wars justify themselves while they last, but they don’t last long. The most hardened soldier, surviving, must return to the world of civility.

Does it help when I say, “You did what you were trained to do?” We chose these young men and women to represent us in a conflict. We trained them, armed them, and commissioned them, knowing full-well they were young, immature, and would do foolish things. Very often, they don’t want to tell us what happened, nor do we want to hear it.
One of our chaplains, a scholar who has researched moral injury, told me some Native American peoples created ritual ceremonies for reintegrating their warriors into village life. They not only welcomed and affirmed their braves, but they also accepted full responsibility for the butchery. But some American soldiers serving in Vietnam were back home a week after leaving the jungle.

A chaplain in a Veterans Affairs hospital meets Original Sin every day. There’s no point in protesting war, the military, or national defense. Members of a healing team recognize that their illness didn’t begin when they joined the military. Many were addicted to drugs, alcohol, and violence before they finished high school; many had suffered the divorce and estrangement of their parents; many already acclimated to a racist society. The oldest Veterans were given cigarettes and told to smoke if they expected to take a break. Why would you want a break if you don’t smoke?

The VA chaplain, representing no particular religion, offers spirituality to Veterans. The Catholic chaplain invokes the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. Because Catholics have a First Amendment right to the sacraments, the VA hires priest chaplains. In the rites of Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick, we encounter the dark mystery of Original Sin face to face — within COVID range — and the atoning mercy of grace. There is healing in His wings.

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Wills & Bequests

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

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

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.

Wills & Bequests

Thank you for considering a planned gift to the Conventual Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation.

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.

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

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.

Wills & Bequests

Thank you for considering a planned gift to the Conventual Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation.

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.

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

General Bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to: Province of Our Lady of Consolation, Inc. the following ______

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.

Symposium - Seeing the Face of God

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“Remember when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received – only what you have given.”

-St. Francis of Assisi

Since the time of St. Francis and his first followers, our ministries, our ability to serve those in need, the education of new Friars, the care of our senior men all are possible with the partnership of our benefactors. Your generosity makes these stories possible.

Wills & Bequests

General Bequest:

General Bequest:

General Bequest:

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.

Wills & Bequests

General Bequest:

General Bequest:

General Bequest:

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.

Wills & Bequests

General Bequest:

General Bequest:

General Bequest:

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.

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