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Superior's Message

Dear Friend and Benefactor,

Peace to you and I trust you are doing well. Here we are now in August - how the months have flown by. Already we are seeing slight changes in color in some trees and in the willows by the pond. And yellow wild flowers are showing there faces as we move toward the end of the summer season. Fall is such a colorful time of the year and I think my favorite season. It is still quite warm during the day but the nights are much cooler, and when I take Sophie out at 5:00 am it is still dark.

The guest houses have been busy with many groups. We are most grateful that we have had a full schedule of retreats again after three years of struggle during the Pandemic. We have had difficulty keeping a cook, so I have been cooking for groups as needed. The last group I cooked for was a Yoga group most of whom were vegans, so I had to be creative ever day with the menu. They seemed to be very happy - their favorite dish was the chickpea curry I made. Kitchen duty is a lot of work and I don't have the energy I once had, so it is challenging, but rewarding at the same time. I think cooking is very therapeutic - at least it is for me.

Maintenance work continues around the property and we are blessed to have hired a young man to help us with all that needs to be done - he works three days a week and is a local boy...as they say. He has lots of energy and keeps himself busy. Most new employees are not aware of how much there is to do here.

Scholastica has been here for most of the summer and leaves next week for the winter. It is always an adjustment after she leaves because she can do so much and she has a good monastic demeanor. She knows what to do, and she does it in true monastic fashion - thank you Scholastica.

We continue to pray for you and the needs of the world, especially the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, and the many other challenges our world is facing at this time. We ask Mary Mother of God to be with us.

Most sincerely,

Abbot Aidan, OSB






Planned Gift Giving:

To help us continue our monastic life and mission to be a beacon of light in the world, we value your ongoing help. We are a small community living a very simple life of prayer and work. We all know that prayer is very important, and we come together every day to pray for you and the needs of the world.


RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS/LIFE INSURANCE/ANNUITIES

Please consider naming the Pecos Benedictine Monastery as your primary or contingent (secondary) beneficiary on your retirement accounts, life insurance and any annuities you might have. Or you can name us as one of several beneficiaries by stating a percentage amount. Because these accounts have separate beneficiary forms, you will need to use the form provided by that institution, many of which allow you to make these adjustments on-line, or through your HR Department.

Here is the language you would use: "I designate the Pecos Benedictine Monastery to receive the sum of $____________ or ________% of my account/policy."

WILLS AND LIVING TRUSTS
Whether you use an attorney or a computer generated service like Legal Zoom to prepare your Will or Living Trust, by naming the Pecos Benedictine Monastery, your gift of any amount or percentage helps support our mission into the future.

Charitable gifts must be made from your estate or living trust with specific language - here is the suggested bequest language:

"I give and bequeath to the Pecos Benedictine Monastery $_______ or ________%."

GIFTS OF STOCK
You can give us stock directly, your financial advisor can help you with this. You can also contact our Investment Broker to assist you.

GIFTS OF REAL ESTATE
With a gift of real estate to the Pecos Benedictine Monastery, you can further our mission and lower taxes too.

GIFT ANNUITIES AND CHARITABLE TRUSTS
A Charitable Gift Annuity is a way to donate to the Pecos Benedictine Monastery at your death, receive a lifetime of income and get an income tax deduction. There are also special trusts called a Charitable Remainder Trust which works similar to a Gift Annuity but is more suitable for larger gifts.

TAX FREE GIFT FROM IRA
If you are currently required to take distributions from your IRA, you can donate up to $100,000 of those distributions from your IRA annually to the Pecos Benedictine Monastery as a Qualified Charitable Distribution.
It will satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution and allow your gift to support the Monastery. Your IRA administrator can send a check directly to the Pecos Benedictine Monastery.

Please be sure to notify us if this is a way you would like to support our ministry so that we can acknowledge you appropriately.

This information provided is for explanatory purposes only and is not intended to be used as tax advice. The Pecos Benedictine Monastery recommends that you contact a professional tax advisor who can provide you with additional information on how your participation in the what is provided above may affect your personal tax situation.


You are welcome to contact our Finance Office. Sherwin will be happy to assist you with any questions you might have. He can be reached Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday 9:00am - 4:00pm at ext: 104.

Other Office extensions:

Finance Office:
Sherwin Tarnoff ext. 104

Banking questions/Donor questions
Tracy Shutz ext. 103

Guest Office/Reservations:
Debbie Varela ext. 101

Marketing:
Debbie Varela ext. 101

Kitchen Manager:
Jeff Tarnoff ext. 106

Abbot Aidan: ext. 102

Thank you and God bless you.