A Catholic legacy is built over a lifetime

When it comes to estate planning, the idea of leaving behind a Catholic legacy encompasses more than a donation of mere money or former property.

As the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Development Office reminds us, it is the faith lived in life and carried forward after death through a Will, powers of attorney, funeral wishes and thoughtful gifts that will continue to bless both a person’s family and parish.

The topic is one of many being discussed during the office’s regular Catholic estate planning webinars. While the Archdiocese of Toronto looks to break open its official estate planning guide for attendees, including how to avoid problems in establishing Wills and various Catholic traditions around cremation, burials and funerals, the team also hopes to offer a deeper invitation toward legacy planning.

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“A Catholic legacy begins and is built over a lifetime, in how we pray, serve and give while we are alive, and it continues in what we leave behind. Our role is to help parishioners prepare for that second part, so that their wishes, their families and their faith are cared for when they are gone,” said Nicholas Chow, development coordinator for individual and planned gifts.

“As we are able, a gift to our parish is a way of returning to God a portion of what He has given us. A secular plan asks who gets what and how to pay the least tax. A Catholic plan asks those questions too, but starts with a deeper one — how can my plan carry my faith forward and bless the people and the parish I love?”  

As for some of the most meaningful ways Catholics can intentionally leave that very legacy behind, important practices such as praying with your family, bringing children and grandchildren to Mass and serving your parish stand as a precursor to physical goods that can be left behind. When it comes to planning, those inspired to leave a Catholic legacy are encouraged to write down their wishes for a Catholic funeral Mass and burial first. 

Chow noted that many keep such wishes in a separate letter or arrange them in advance with the Archdiocese's Catholic Cemeteries and Funeral Services. He also stressed the importance of choosing a power of attorney for personal care who shares their faith and will seek the sacraments if one becomes seriously ill, reflecting the Church’s teaching that every life is a gift from God from conception to natural death.

“Our guide offers suggested wording that reflects all of this,” he said. “Finally, the faithful (can) pass on their faith along with their belongings by naming a guardian who will raise their children in the faith, giving a Rosary or family Bible to a loved one and asking their parish about Masses for the repose of one's soul.” 

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Perhaps the most common misconception surrounding the idea of a Catholic legacy, the office revealed, is simply putting it off. Surveys suggest that many Canadians, sometimes close to half, do not have a proper Will, often because it is easy to delay and uncomfortable to think about mortality. As Catholics and people of hope, Chow said a proper Will should be seen as an act of love for those we leave behind.

“A life of faith is a powerful witness, but without a plan the wishes behind it can be lost, and a gift to the Church can follow naturally once loved ones are provided for. One priest of the Archdiocese, for example, divided his Will, with half going to family and half to the parish and schools that formed his faith,” he said. 

Others often assume a will looks after itself once it is signed, with the development coordinator sharing a real case from a past webinar in which people in a father’s Will named to inherit had died before him, and he had not named a backup. Ontario law then gave his estate to a daughter, against his wishes. 

Still, inspiring success stories of proper estate planning exist. The office’s “Your Catholic Legacy” newsletter shares the story of one Toronto parishioner who spent his retirement quietly serving his parish and encouraging vocations. When he died, he left his estate to the Church, with his pastor sharing how he gave himself to the Church in life and left his possessions to it in death. One anonymous donor even left $600,000 that helped renovate a university chapel, saying in a note that he was thankful his gift could go where he could not. 

“There are many other ways to remember the Church, through a bequest, shares, a retirement account or life insurance, and a gift can honour a loved one when it is made in their memory. As one Legacy Society member put it, an estate gift is a way of saying thank you for our faith,” Chow said. 

Nearly every aspect of Catholic estate planning can now be looked after as part of the office’s new, fillable PDF guide. The team is also working on a streamlined edition to make the guide even easier to use, hopeful to be offered in early 2027. 

In the meantime, the Development Office remains ready to help, reminding us that a Catholic legacy is possible no matter how grand or modest our circumstances may be.

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“Your legacy is not measured by the size of your estate. A life of prayer, service and generosity is already part of it, and the Gospel’s widow who gave two small coins (Mark 12:41-44) reminds us that God looks at the heart of the gift,” Chow said. 

Visit archtoronto.org for more.

A version of this article appeared in the November 08, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "A Catholic legacy is built over a lifetime".