Bookmarks WINTER 2013
THE LEGACY GIVING NEWSLETTER OF BOSTON COLLEGE
In Good Faith
P
eter Negri ’68 recalls how assured his late father, Frank, was by BC’s Jesuit, Catholic roots. “He never graduated from high school,” says Negri, himself a parent of three BC graduates. “But he knew the importance of education and the values that it instills, especially at Boston College.” Upon his father’s death, Negri discovered that his dad had left a bequest to establish an undergraduate scholarship so those in need could attend the University. “I had no idea he created a legacy commitment,” says Negri. “But it made perfect sense. My father loved BC and what it represents—and with his legacy gift he can forever share that with others.” Many like Frank Negri have been similarly inspired to give knowing that the Ignatian spirit is alive and well at BC. Undergraduates routinely clamor for seats in courses like Perspectives, which combines theology and philosophy studies, and
gary wayne gilbert
Creating Legacy Gifts That Touch the BC Mission The University’s Jesuit, Catholic heritage remains both visible and tangible at the Heights.
PULSE, which pairs social justice classwork with service learning placements. The growth of the Church in the 21st Century Center and the Lonergan Institute, which focuses on Jesuit scholarship, also heralds BC’s steadfast commitment to educate “men and women for others.” The University’s legacy giving donors have embraced this spirit since Joseph Coolidge Shaw, S.J., helped found BC with his bequest of books and the proceeds of his life insurance policy. Today’s Shaw Society members advance the BC mission through legacy gifts of all sizes. AN INSPIRED CHOICE Michelle ’79 and Ken Mostello ’79, MS’93, P’11, are among those who see value in legacy commitments that support the institution’s Jesuit, Catholic identity.
“My father loved BC and what it represents—and with his legacy gift he can forever share that with others.” —Peter Negri ’68, P’96, ’00, ’03 The couple felt compelled to bolster the School of Theology and Ministry, which was formed in 2008. “We wished to join the growing giving tradition at the new school,” says Ken Mostello. “We wanted to help establish a beneficial precedent.”
WWW.BC.EDU/LEGACYGIVING
The Mostellos created a financial aid fund that will help attract talented graduate students preparing for ordination or for lay ecclesiastical ministries. Legacy donors can also choose to underwrite student programming, including the academic journal Lumen et Vita, international immersion trips, and weekly prayer services. Meanwhile, across the University, legacy gifts have more broadly supported the Department of Theology and have funded volunteer service initiatives and spiritual retreats. “I think Fr. Monan expressed it well when he once said that by making a legacy gift, you accept that there is something more enduring than yourself,” says Michelle Mostello. “We all wish to stand for something meaningful. We can when we make a legacy gift.” n