Joe Gennaro has long advocated that one of the reasons Canadian Catholics should donate to Catholic Missions In Canada (CMIC) is that 100 per cent of the funds are directed towards helping the faith flower in the remotest regions of the nation's north.

The stewardship officer for CMIC told The Catholic Register that “we’ve noticed there is a strong want to help our own, not just Catholics, but (also) Canadians.” Several donors have communicated “they will only donate to us if they can be sure that the funds raised remain in Canada, and that is indeed the case.”

CMIC’s website outlines that 68 per cent of funds directly sustain missionaries working across 24 dioceses. Eleven per cent aids the education of seminarians, nine per cent is earmarked for the repair and maintenance of mission parishes, another nine per cent funds religious education programs and three per cent is for lay leader formation programs.

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Gennaro characterized 2025 as a very good year, even though “it has been tricky negotiating because there have been postal strikes at two key periods of our fundraising season.” He expressed appreciation for how the loyal benefactors who typically contribute via mail adapted by submitting an online donation.

CMIC has also been supported during its 117-year existence — the organization was known as the Catholic Church Extension Society of Canada at its inception — by its planned giving options.

One of the most popular segments of the non-profit’s estate planning options is charitable gift annuities.

Anyone aged 70 years old or older can sign up with a minimum amount of $10,000. This program is described as the gift that gives back, as you get to make a meaningful gift that lasts, increases your annual income and reduces your taxes.

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Specifically, annuitants could receive a one-time charitable donation receipt for 20 per cent or more of their initial gift. Joint annuities are available with your spouse or with other family members. There are Canadians still earning interest on CMIC charitable gift annuities that date back to the early 1990s.

Another planned giving option is gifts in kind, such as publicly traded securities, real estate and other tangible assets.

“It is something we have given more focus to because of the advantages to both the donor and us,” said Gennaro. “(The advantage) to the donor, of course, is that they could donate, not subject to capital gains tax, and get full-valued receipts for the total donation. And for us, of course, is because it's not subject to capital gains tax, the donor can give us more money.”

Naming CMIC as a life insurance beneficiary is another potential estate planning pathway.

“If people cannot afford what they want to give right now, but can afford to give a little bit, putting money towards a life insurance policy, of which Catholic Missions In Canada is beneficiary and owner,” said Gennaro. “Premiums are 100-per-cent receiptable, so those funds will grow in the future. In essence, people will be giving more in the end.”

Gennaro previewed that CMIC intends to make a concerted public awareness push about its estate planning options in 2026.

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On Nov. 2, the charity is honouring patrons who have faithfully departed within the last year with a memorial Mass starting at 12:05 EST. The names of at least 40 donors will be read aloud during the livestreamed liturgical celebration celebrated by Fr. David Reilander, the president of CMIC.

Visit cmic.info/ for more info about CMIC’s planned giving options, the memorial Mass and other fundraising initiatives.