A member in Nebraska turned his insurance policy into a legacy for his family and parish.
“He loved Catholic Order of Foresters,” Lavine Pint said of her late husband, Gerald (Gerry). “This is a plus for him, that he could take his money and put it in something that will always be here,” she said, referring to the newly completed gathering space she sat in. “He was really big on Catholic Order of Foresters,” Dan, their son, emphasized. “I don’t know of any other insurance company that would do something like [this]. It’s a good reason to have insurance with them.”
Lavine and Dan, members of St. Joseph 1698, Pierce, Neb., are referring to the Fraternal Legacy Rider (FLR),1 a rider that is available on qualified Catholic Order of Foresters (COF) life insurance policies. Gerry’s local agent, Kelly Mauer of Plainview, Neb., introduced him to the FLR. “He called and asked about our annuity products, and I [explained that] we also have this other product that offers the Fraternal Legacy Rider,” Kelly said.
As a dedicated COF member, Gerry jumped at the opportunity to forward the mission of the organization he so loved. “He was really excited,” Kelly said. “Gerry might have been the first policy I wrote with that rider,” he said about how new the rider was at the time.
Shortly after the phone call with Kelly, Gerry informed his pastor, Fr. Marc. Lim, that he was naming St. Joseph Church as the beneficiary of his Fraternal Legacy Rider. “I thanked him,” Fr. Marc said. And even though details were scarce, he was grateful. “I didn’t know the amount, but I thanked him for remembering our parish.”
When Gerry passed away and COF paid 5% of the policy’s death benefit,2 a total of $36,000 in this case, the parish voted on which project to use the money for. Improving the church’s exterior handicap entrance was a project in progress, but it needed additional funds for completion. The exterior metal ramp was extremely dangerous in the winter, and parishioners supported the idea of completing the entrance imp
Fr. Marc spoke with the Pint family after Gerry’s passing and asked if they’d be okay using the money to improve the handicap entrance and create a gathering space. “One thing sparked another,” he said. “We were talking to parishioners because we wanted to do this ourselves to foster growth in the parish and get more parishioners involved in the parish. All the pieces of the puzzle came into place that way,” he said. “It couldn’t have worked out any better,” Dan agreed. “That money went to a good cause.” Fr. Marc involved the Pints from the beginning; he showed them mockup drawings and even recruited them to help anytime they’d stop by, as a labor of love.
Inspired by the generosity of the Pints and COF, Fr. Marc added the Fraternal Legacy Rider to his policy. “When I took an insurance policy with Catholic Order of Foresters just recently, one of the things I did was to earmark it to the parishes I’m in because I was encouraged by the same act of kindness as what Gerry did.”
As for what Gerry would think of the space, Fr. Marc said, laughing, “He would probably have great use for this place and he would benefit from it, but I think he would still be walking up the stairs out front.”
For fellow agents and members curious about the Fraternal Legacy Rider, Kelly has some advice. “It’s real!” He explains, “It definitely does what we promise we’re going to do.” He believes in the rider because he’s experienced the impact it can have, especially on a local parish. “When you look around right here you can see that it was a major undertaking, and hopefully we can do more good like this in the Catholic community.”
Knowing the space is something that’s going to be used forever caused Lavine to smile with unmatched joy. “It’s beautiful, more beautiful than ever!” she exclaimed. “This is something we’ll always remember,” Dan said, looking around the room.
“It all turned out okay,” Lavine said with a calmness in her voice and a smile on her face.
Click here for more information about the Fraternal Legacy Rider or contact your local agent today.
1A rider added to your life insurance policy allowing COF to pay one or more Catholic charities a death benefit on your behalf, in addition to your named beneficiary(ies) receiving their designated death benefit. Eligible death benefit face amount starts at $50,000. Charitable contribution death benefit paid to a Catholic charity(ies) not to exceed $250,000. Not available in all states. Fraternal Legacy Rider forms: ICC17-FLR-UL, FLR-UL17, ICC19-FLR-TRAD, FLR-TRAD-19, FLR-TRAD19-FL. Click here to see terms and conditions.