Incredible India. This is both a statement and an explanation for all things that one might encounter while visiting the beautiful state of Kerala, India. Kerala is full of life, simplicity, contradictions, complexity, and yet somehow, it all works. It all makes sense.
India is a wholly new experience for most westerners. Going to Europe is like visiting a cousin while going to India is like visiting a stranger. Exploration of unfamiliar experiences begins with the first day on the road while driving on the opposite side of the road during heavy traffic. It can be a scary experience on that first day. I say to my students, “Relax; our drivers know what they are doing.” As the days pass, they learn that there is an order to all the disordered driving. The lines on the road are for fun because no one keeps the line and automobile horns, a never-ending symphony. When the vehicles come too close to each other, I remind them there is a space only Indian drivers can see. They all giggle.
The smell of spices, women in sarees, men in dhoti, crowded pathways, animals, and humans are crossing the highways, spicy food. All these experiences are unfamiliar. At the end of the day, this incredible India invites you to create poems, engage questions, open hearts wide, and be at peace.
The goal of the Bellarmine India trip is to encounter new religions and cultures not usually encountered in America. Trip participants have ten days to explore Hindu, Islam, and Eastern Christian religions, health, education, culture, beauty (Kerala is lovely), and shopping. In the past ten years, friars have taken more than two hundred students and staff to India for life-changing experiences. Dr. Susan Donovan, President of Bellarmine University, wrote to Fr. John Pozhathuparambil, “I am impressed with the program you provide to our students and partnerships that you have made.”
Bellarmine was impressed enough for the annual trip to become part of it’s IDC 400 level course, which Fr. John teaches, making the class a truly unique and immersive experience.
Each day in India is a new day exploring the unknown, the experiences life-transforming. For some, this transformation happens from sharing cultures and shared experiences that transcend culture while finding new friends at Union Christian College. For others, this occurs when experiencing Assisi Snehalaya, a home for those with AIDS, or while visiting Indian churches, mosques, and temples.
Each evening the group gathers to evaluate the day, with each student taking turns to discuss the day’s events. The sharing time makes me proud, witnessing what the students learn from the trip and how it changes their lives and views. People ask me, “What is the best part of the trip for you?” I say this is it. When lives and opinions change because of the India trip, that is the moment for me.
At the end of the trip, it is difficult to leave. One student writes, “I’m finally home, but I’ve left a piece of my heart in India. Thank you, Friar John, for this amazing opportunity and for all the kindness that you’ve shown me over the past 12 days. I’ve walked away from this experience with an understanding of a different culture, a newfound sense of who I am, and a beautiful
group of friends.”
In March, Fr. John and the friars will host a reunion of people who have participated in the India trip. It will be a beautiful occasion for former India trip participants to meet and share experiences, wear Indian clothing, enjoy Indian music, dance, and taste delicious Indian food. As always, this is open to everyone; all are welcome!
More from this issue …
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
