Ways to give
Your Giving Commitment to Saint Mary’s is an important part of what it means to be a good Christian steward.
We ask you to prayerfully consider making a giving commitment to Saint Mary’s. Your giving commitment could include time, financial, or talent. We need your support to allow the good work of Saint Mary’s to continue to grow.
We are most grateful for what ever you choose give!
Click here to give.
Please email our parish Operations Director, Geoff Pautsch or call 773-280-7700 x411 for assistance in setting up an account.
This online giving system makes it easier for our parishioners to support the parish and fulfill their pledges to the Sunday Giving Commitment.
Make regular contributions supports the operation of the church and our ministries. Please consider switch from cash or envelope giving to online giving.
Simply follow these steps:
- Open your banking app
- Select “Send Money” using Zelle
- Enter donate@saintmarys.org
- Specify the amount to donate
- Write in the “Memo” where your gift should be directed
- Submit!
Note you may receive a note saying, “You are trying to send money to Saint Mary of Lake at donate@saintmarys.org, but they’re registered as: THE CATHOLIC BISHOP OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, IL.” Please mark the message as correct to complete your donation.
Please contact email our parish Operations Director, Geoff Pautsch or call 773-280-7700 x411 for assistance in setting up an account.
You can honor our parish, and give thanks for all the services you have received, by including our parish in your Will. Please contact your professional advisor.
If you would like more information on including our parish in your will please contact our parish Operations Director, Geoff Pautsch.
Giving with the Head and the Heart
As we approach the end of the calendar/tax year, it is a time when many think about their year-end charitable giving. Here are a few ways to maximize your charitable donations while minimizing your tax liability and saving yourself time and money in the process.
Donor Advised Fund (DAF): A DAF is a type of charitable giving account: you make a donation to your DAF account, receive a tax deduction for the current tax year, and have the flexibility to direct your DAF balance as gifts to the parish at any time in the future. It’s simple, flexible and tax efficient.
Stocks and Mutual Funds: Giving stocks, bonds, mutual funds or ETFs to the parish rather than cash could increase the value of your gifts, cost you less money, and lower your tax bill. Donating publicly traded securities allows you to avoid capital gains taxes (which can be as high as 20% on long-term holdings) and you are still able to claim a charitable deduction for the full fair-market value of the donated securities. That stretches your dollar further than just selling the stock and giving cash.
Gifts from Your Individual Retirement Account (IRA): Are you taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) from an IRA? You can avoid income taxes on your RMD by making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA and avoid paying taxes on the distribution. That’s a huge tax advantage that satisfies part or all of your required minimum distribution. Thank you for considering St. Mary of the Lake-Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in your charitable giving plans.
Remember to leave the parish in your estate plans: The parish sometimes learns that former or current parishioners, who recently passed away, left the parish in their will or named the parish as a beneficiary of some of their remaining assets. This is a remarkable way to memorialize your own legacy. With such gifts, the parish invests and uses these funds for long-term planning and investment of the parish or as the donor intends.
Thank you for your generous giving and faithful sharing with the parish. The parish administration strives to be the best stewards of your gifts. If you are in need of any information or have questions, please contact our Operations Director, Geoff Pautsch, in the Parish Office.