Remembering Loved Ones with Lasting Love
Every year on All Souls Day, November 2, Catholics across the world pause to pray for those who have gone before us — parents, grandparents, children, spouses, and friends who shaped our lives and formed our faith. We light candles, offer Masses for them, and visit their final resting places in sacred Catholic cemeteries. These holy traditions remind us that love endures beyond death.
Every year on All Souls Day, November 2, Catholics across the world pause to pray for those who have gone before us — parents, grandparents, children, spouses, and friends who shaped our lives and formed our faith. We light candles, offer Masses for them, and visit their final resting places in sacred Catholic cemeteries. These holy traditions remind us that love endures beyond death.
For many families, another powerful way to honor a loved one’s memory is through a charitable gift made in their name, a gift that reflects what mattered most to them and continues their legacy of faith.
Whether it’s supporting a Catholic cemetery, parish, school, or ministry that they loved during their lifetime, a memorial gift becomes a living tribute. It can help maintain the sacred grounds where they rest, provide tuition for a child at a Catholic school, or fund parish outreach programs. In this way, their life continues to touch others.
At The Catholic Foundation, we are deeply honored to help families make these kinds of meaningful gifts. Some choose to create a named fund in their loved one’s memory. Others make a one-time donation around All Souls Day, or add the Church as a beneficiary in their estate plan in honor of someone dear. No matter the size or form, these gifts have deep spiritual significance — both for the giver and for the soul in whose name the gift is made.
Let us know
If you have included a Catholic parish, school, cemetery, or ministry in the Diocese of Lansing in your estate plan — especially in memory of a loved one — please let us know. Not only does this help us document your intention and ensure your gift is carried out according to your wishes, but it also allows us to welcome you into the Immaculate Conception Legacy Society. This special community of faithful Catholics receives spiritual benefits, prayers at our monthly Masses, a personal thank-you from Bishop Boyea, and invitations to special events throughout the year.
On this All Souls Day, consider how you might honor your loved ones through a gift that gives back. It’s a beautiful act of remembrance and a witness to the eternal life we are promised in Christ.
To learn more about memorial giving, support for Catholic cemeteries, or legacy planning, we’re here to help.
Contact The Catholic Foundation
(517) 253-8738
Lisa Brown is the Charitable Giving Advisor for The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Lansing.
