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Superior's Message

Dear Friend and Benefactor,

Peace to you and I hope this finds you doing well as we move into the Advent Season. We had the first significant snow fall yesterday so today we have a winter wonderland to gaze upon and enjoy. Living here in the valley offers us so much to be grateful for, no matter what season we are in, each one has its own beauty.

As we know, the Advent Season is a joyful and grace filled season that helps us prepare for the celebration of Christmas. This year Christmas falls exactly four weeks from the 1st Sunday of Advent. It always seems to come too quickly, so much to do and not much time to do it all! But we know, ready or not, the mystery of that first Holy Night will unfold for us, and be revealed, when we place the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve.

We will have Posadas here on December 16th, we are always the first stop. After the traditional knocking on the front door by Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay,traditional local songs and scripture reading, we will have a wonderful traditional meal of posole,red chile, beans and Spanish rice,Tamales and biscochitos in the guest refectory.

Then we hang a pinata in the lobby, and the children bash it to pieces with a stick to get the candy to fall out - followed by a mad rush to see how much they can grab and put in their pockets! Br Joseph puts on the Santa Claus costume and is with them to guide them as they swing the stick to at the pinata to make sure there are no injuries. It's always an enjoyable evening.

You will be especially remembered in our daily prayers during Advent. And many thanks to those who have responded so generously to the winter appeal letter for the utilities. We are most grateful.

We appreciate all of you who support us in so many ways. As I often say - we could not do it without you.

We continue to pray for the needs of the world, especially the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, and the many other challenges are earth is facing at this time. We ask Mary Mother of God, to be with us and cover us with her mantle of love and grace.
Advent blessings,

God bless you all,

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
Annette Hernandez ext. 103

Guest Office/Reservations:
Debbie Varela ext. 112

Marketing:
Debbie Varela ext. 112

Kitchen Manager:
Jeff Tarnoff ext. 106

Abbot Aidan: ext. 102

Thank you and God bless you.