The need to assist our Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land will continue for many years to come. Providing for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in your will or trust will carry forward your support for the Christian presence in the land of Christ’s Birth long after you can no longer make an annual contribution.
The Legacy Society recognizes and assists Members who include the Order in their Estate
The Equestrian Order cherishes every gift you make whether now or in the future. If you choose to include the Order in your will or trust, please let us know. We wish to express our appreciation and make others aware of your generosity and foresight.
All members who include the Order in their Estate will be recognized as follows:
• Recognition on their Annual Meeting Name Tag;
• Recognition at the Annual Business Meeting;
• Recognition at their Mid-Year Meeting;
• It will be noted next to their name in the Annual Roster;
• It will be noted in the Lieutenancy’s Year-in-Review document;
• Upon a member’s passing the Lieutenant will speak to the impact of the member’s gift.
Click here to download details of the Legacy Society Program.
Dame Helen Pekny, DHS, Pays Tribute to the Legacy Society
In November 2009, Dame Helen Pekny, DHS, joined the Order’s Super Pilgrimage to the Holy Land led by Cardinal Mahony. There she witnessed first-hand how the Order’s involvement and investments in various projects helped promote the general welfare of both Christians and Muslims. She was impressed and inspired. The following year, she was invested in the Order. She is a member of the the Legacy Society and generously made an annual contribution for life or ACFL. (For more information on ACFL, refer to the Giving Section of our Website).
At the LA Area’s mid-year meeting, held March 8th, 2020, Dame Helen delivered the following testimonial about why she joined the Legacy Society:
I visited the Holy Land on a pilgrimage with Cardinal Mahony, along with what I can only describe as a cast of thousands. We were eight busloads of wayfarers, identified by bus color. Mine was yellow. We all met for daily Mass, then continued separately for the rest of the day. I will never forget the inspiration of the con-celebrated Masses with the Cardinal and a goodly number of bishops, monsignors and priests all lined up behind the altar.
The journey itself was incredible. You fully enter into the Scripture the moment they become alive before your very eyes. I will never again see the Bible as static history because I walked where it all took place.
I was particularly interested in the plight of the remaining Christians in the Holy Land. Many suffer great hardships just to make it through the day. Prejudice against them is rampant. Huge walls and checkpoints are the norm in Bethlehem. Yet, somehow, they carry on.
One area of hope is the youth of the area. I learned that the Order supports a network of schools where Christians and Muslims study and learn to live together. Fifty nine percent of students in the Latin Patriarchate schools are Christian and 41 percent are Muslim.
But, here I am, preaching to the choir.
When I was invested as a Dame of the Order, I was glad to see that my contributions helped to support those schools. I recently decided to take advantage of the annual contribution for life. This is a great way to eliminate the hassle of writing the annual check and is extremely helpful for the Order to make plans with income based on the interest from my contribution. And the principal will eventually become my estate gift. I am so happy to know that my desire to help the Christians in the Holy Land is in place. Since I’m not getting any younger, it’s nice to have something I don’t have to worry about.
Thank you.
Click here to download details of the Legacy Society Program.