Stewards share gifts they receive

By Brian Kohls
Compass Correspondent

	Stewardship Stewardship: A Way of Life is the diocesan thrust. It invites Catholics to acknowledge that all of life is a gift of God and to respond through prayer, service and sharing. This series will look at ways to do that.

On June 18, 2006, Lyle Krueger, a member of St. Mary Parish, Oshkosh, died. But he wasn't through practicing stewardship. Two months later, the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Green Bay received two checks from Krueger's estate, totaling more than $48,000, for the Bishop's Appeal.

"Lyle (Krueger) was a big supporter of the Bishop's Appeal. He decided to remember the Bishop's Appeal in his will," said Josh Diedrich, diocesan director of the Bishop's Appeal and assistant director of the Catholic Foundation. "This gift of $48,000 was added to the Diocesan Needs Fund of the Catholic Foundation and now Lyle will be making a gift forever through this fund. The fund itself contains $139,670, including Lyle's donation, and the distribution this year to the Bishop's Appeal was almost $5,000 from that fund."

"Your will is a wonderful way to remember a charity, whether it is a Catholic parish, Catholic school, the diocese or the Bishop's Appeal, or a particular ministry that you are fond of," Diedrich said.

Last year, the Bishop's Appeal assisted more 300,000 people in the 16-county area that makes up the Diocese of Green Bay. "When you make a donation to the Bishop's Appeal, it makes a tremendous difference in the lives of a lot of people," Diedrich said.

For example, Catholic Charities, one of the ministries supported by the Bishop's Appeal, "served about 40,000 people (last year) in need of family, mental, or financial counseling, immigrant and refugee services, and adoption services," Diedrich said.

The Bishop's Appeal also helps fund consulting services for Catholic schools, religious education and adult education, and various services to parishes around the diocese, he said.

Krueger worked with Paul Juckem, financial services representative with Catholic Knights Insurance in Chilton, in setting up annuities.

"He was quite involved with his church," Juckem said. "Lyle ... made the diocese the beneficiaries of (some of) his annuities ... (and) some monies went to St. Mary Parish in Oshkosh."

The monies to the Bishop's Appeal from Krueger's annuities were given as a one-time, lump sum donation.

"It is a nice way of helping out the Catholic community," Juckem said of Krueger's donation. "It is a nice way of leaving something to the diocese."

Donations to help a community or organization, such as a Catholic school, are not just limited to Catholic elementary or high schools. St. Norbert College, a Catholic liberal arts college, in De Pere, has received many bequests.

"St. Norbert College has benefited significantly from bequests during its 108-year history," said Mark Jones, vice president for college advancement. "A walk through the ... campus will introduce visitors to several major facilities made possible ... by bequests, including, the Schuldes Sports Center, ... Sensenbrenner Memorial Union ... and Bergstrom residence hall," he said.

The most common way to leave money to a person or organization in a will is a bequest, whereby a donor sets aside in their will a certain amount for the charity or leaves the charity a percentage of their remaining estate, Jones said.

Depending on the type of donation - a trust, annuity, fund, or life insurance policy - the charity may receive monies over "a number of years (or) sometimes for generations," Jones said.

Many businesses and organizations can assist individuals and families with their estate and financial planning the way Catholic Knights Insurance did with Krueger.

"We can set up life insurance (policies) or annuities. We help people set it up so when they pass on, the money goes to where they (the deceased) wants it to go," said Juckem, who with his wife, Joanne, is a member of Good Shepherd Parish, Chilton. "That is part of our financial planning process."

For more information on the Bishop's Appeal, the Catholic Foundation, or how to make a charitable donation to the diocese or your parish through your will, contact Cindi Brawner, executive director of the Catholic Foundation, at 1-877-500-3580.