Investing in our Catholic faith community

Many of us spend our lives creating a legacy for our children. We develop our farmland, our businesses, our careers. We save money and invest for our retirement. We build, maintain and renovate our homes. We work hard to build a better future for our children and grandchildren.

What makes us different from other Canadians is our commitment to building our spiritual home, the church.

As responsible Catholics, we are called to consider our faith community in our personal and financial planning. This can include the time that we spend attending mass on Sunday, our prayers, our volunteer activities in the parish and our financial support for the church.

The end of the calendar year is a time when many of us begin to take account of our investments and finances and it is also a time when we should consider our role as good stewards of the church. Because the Catholic Church in Saskatchewan is 100 per cent funded by your gifts to the parish offertory and your local Annual Appeal, your support is crucial. And, when you consider that so many of life's big moments - baptism, first communion, weddings and burials - happen in our home with God, our financial support of our parishes and our dioceses is an investment that pays huge returns.

One way that support can go even further is to consider donating publicly traded securities like stocks, bonds and mutual funds this fall. Your church benefits by receiving the full market value of your gift. You benefit by receiving a donation receipt for the gift as well as a 100 per cent exemption from capital gains tax on those securities. It's a win-win strategy!

The process is easy. Your local diocesan fundraising and/or stewardship office can provide you with the appropriate transfer document to forward to your broker or financial institution. One thing to keep in mind is that the securities must be transferred in-kind in order to receive the capital gains tax exemption. You can choose to direct your support to your parish, your diocesan Annual Appeal or to one of the Catholic charities operating in your area.

Donate your shares directly to church
Fair market value of gift $4,000
Purchase cost of shares $2,000
Taxable portion of capital gain $1,000
Church receives $4,000

Charitable tax credit to donor $1,760*
Tax due on capital gain $0

Net cost of gift to donor $240

*Assumes other charitable giving of $200 in the year

For more information, please contact Christina Attard, Development Director for the Archdiocese of Regina, cattard@archregina.sk.ca (306 352 1651 x220).

Jocelyne Hamoline, Planned Giving Officer for the Diocese of Saskatoon Catholic Foundation, jhamoline@dscatholicfoundation.ca (306 659-5849).

Lawrent Fournier, Stewardship Development & Bishop's Annual Appeal for the Diocese of Prince Albert, stewardship@padiocese.ca (306 922-4747 x234).

The information contained in this article is meant to be illustrative in nature and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with your own trusted advisers to understand the factors that may apply to your personal situation.