The Valley Catholic April 2, 2019 | Page 8

8 COMMUNITY April 2, 2019 | The Valley Catholic Life Insurance - A Simple Way to Leave a Legacy By Carolina Scipioni It is commonly understood that life insurance provides for the financial well-being of loved ones upon death. Perhaps less obvious is the fact that this same principle can be used to benefit those organizations that we support during our lives and that we would like to continue to support in the future. For Terry and Rick Giorgetti, using a life insurance policy to support their dearest organizations made all kinds of sense. Terry and Rick met in 1968 when they were both students at Santa Clara University. A few years later, they were married and beginning what would become a lifetime of service. The strong values of a Jesuit education had helped solidify what they were always taught in their early years, “Our time, talents and treasure,” Terry says, “are a gift from God and we must find ways to share them with others.” With this guiding principle, the Giorgettis ac- tively participated in the life of each community that they have touched, including Holy Family Parish. Terry and Rick Giorgetti. A few years ago, Terry and Rick decided to go one step further in their support of their parish by gifting a life insurance policy to the Holy Family Parish Endowment, held at The Catho- lic Community Foundation. “Many of us make donations of cash to the organizations that we care about each year,” Rick explains. “And, like Terry and I, many of us wish that we could do even more for them.” By naming the Foundation as both owner and beneficiary of Rick’s life insurance policy, the Giorgettis will be able to make a significant future gift to the Holy Family Parish Endowment. This act of generosity makes them a member of the Society of Saint Joseph, which is how the Diocese of San Jose CCH153_CarDonateAd2_4.937x6in_PressQuality.pdf 1 8/10/15 and the Foundation recognize people who leave a legacy to the Church. Life insurance can be gifted to any parish, school or Catholic organization in several different ways: 1. Give a New Policy. Make the charity owner and beneficiary of a new life insurance policy. You can take a charitable deduction for ongoing premium payments as you make them. 2. Give an Existing Policy. If you have an existing life insurance policy you no longer need, you can change the owner and beneficiary to a charity. You will receive a charitable tax deduction for the value of the policy, plus a charitable deduction for any additional premiums you pay. 3. Name a Charity as a Beneficiary. Simply name the charity as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy that you continue to own and pay for. While you can’t take a charitable deduction for premiums you pay, the proceeds directed to charity can provide an estate tax deduction. Gifting a life insurance policy is very simple. “It doesn’t take an enor- mous fortune to do what we did,” Rick says. “In fact, when people start to understand the simplicity and afford- ability of this kind of planned gift, they realize that almost anyone can do it.” We thank Terry and Rick Giorgetti and all the Society of Saint Joseph Found- ing Members for their existing and future contributions to our local Church. If you want to learn more about how you can use life insurance and other assets to benefit a Catholic organiza- tion, or have already made provisions for the Church in your estate plans and would like to become a member of the Society of Saint Joseph, contact Carolina Scipioni at (408) 995-5219 or [email protected]. Learn more at cfoscc.org/SocietyofSaintJoseph. Carolina Scipioni, Endowment & Planned Giving Program Manager for the Catholic Com- munity Foundation of Santa Clara County. 7:41 PM Pope Explains Reluctant Ring Kiss: Fear of Spreading Germs Courtesy of Crux Magazine C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Donating Your Vehicle Rebuilds Hope Vehicle Donations Support Catholic Charities’ Refugee & Immigrant Programs Free Towing  •  Fast & Easy  •  100% Tax Deductible Contact Us Today at CarDonationCC.org or 1 (866) 565-5912 ROME – Pope Francis has set the record straight about why he pulled his hand away when throngs of people lined up this week to kiss his ring: for fear of spreading germs. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Thursday that Francis was concerned about hygiene when, after greeting dozens of well-wishers in a lengthy receiving line Monday in Lo- reto, he began pulling his hand away to discourage people from kissing his ring. Video of the incident went viral, with conservative critics blasting what they said was Francis’s “graceless” disrespect for the tradition and the faithful who wanted to honor it. Gisotti said Thursday he had just spoken to the pope about it, and Francis replied that it was nothing of the sort. “The Holy Father told me that the motivation was very simple: hygiene,” Gisotti told reporters. “He wants to avoid the risk of contagion for the people, not for him.” The tradition of kissing the ring of a bishop or pope goes back centuries, as a sign of respect and obedience. Sister Maria Concetta Esu, a Daughter of St. Joseph, kisses the hand of Pope Francis after the pontiff awarded her the Pro Eccle- sia et Pontifice Cross on March 27. (CNS photo/Vatican Media via Reuters) Gisotti noted that Francis is more than happy to receive the ring-kiss in small groups, where the spread of germs is more contained, as he did Wednesday when a handful of people were lined up at the end of his general audience to greet him. Several bent down to kiss his ring, and Francis patiently allowed it. “You all know that he has a great joy in meeting and embracing people, and being embraced by them,” Gisotti said. Francis is known for gleefully em- bracing babies given to him to kiss and - germs be damned - sipping from mate gourds offered to him by strangers when he’s out and about on his popemobile.