Make A Will, Make A Difference

 

As Lay Mission-Helpers celebrates our 70th Anniversary this year, we are filled with deep gratitude—for the lives changed through mission and for you, whose generosity makes it all possible.

You’ve been part of our story, and we hope you’ll continue to be part of our future.

August is Make-A-Will Month, a perfect moment to reflect not only on the legacy you’ve helped build, but also the one you wish to leave behind. One simple and powerful way to do that is by including Lay Mission-Helpers Association in your will or estate plans.

This kind of gift costs you nothing now and ensures that future missionaries will continue to bring education, health care, and pastoral support to those who need it most. It’s a way to extend your faith and compassion to generations yet to come—while also protecting your family and your values.

There are many ways to include LMH in your legacy:

Bequests – Leave Lay Mission-Helpers Association a specific dollar amount, percentage, or the remainder of your estate (personal property, stocks or real estate).

Beneficiary Designations – Name Lay Mission-Helpers Association as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, IRA, life insurance policy, or donor-advised fund (DAF).

Payable on Death (POD) / Transfer on Death (TOD) Accounts – Easily name Lay Mission-Helpers Association as a beneficiary on bank or investment accounts.

Charitable Remainder Trusts – Provide income for loved ones now, with a future gift to Lay Mission-Helpers Association.

Each of these is a meaningful way to express your faith and ensure your resources serve causes that reflect your values. Without a will, your estate may be distributed according to state law, potentially supporting causes you would never choose to support.

We understand that providing for loved ones comes first. With thoughtful planning, you can care for your family and support the mission you’ve championed in your lifetime.

If you are considering a legacy gift—or have already made one—we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at 213.368.1874 or director@laymissionhelpers.org. Our legal name is Lay Mission-Helpers Association, and our Tax ID is 52-2407129.

Thank you for walking with us on this journey of faith and mission. The mission continues because of YOU!

A Missionary Pope for a Missionary Church

 

The recent election of Pope Leo XIV marks a historic and deeply symbolic moment for the Catholic Church. As the first American pope and a former missionary, Pope Leo brings to the papacy not only a global perspective but also a heart formed by service on the margins—walking with the poor and accompanying vulnerable communities in the developing world.

His election offers hope for a renewed emphasis on the Church’s missionary identity. Pope Leo XIV has already expressed his desire for “a Church that goes out,” echoing the words of Pope Francis, but with a unique urgency and pastoral clarity drawn from his own lived missionary experience in Peru. In his first public address, he stated:

“We have to look together at how to be a missionary Church, building bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone (…) open to all, to all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.”

These words affirm the vital role of missionaries, whose witness—in pastoral ministry, health care, education, development, and beyond—brings Christ’s compassion to life where it is most needed.

For the Lay Mission-Helpers Association, the election of a missionary pope is both a profound encouragement and a call to renewed commitment. As we celebrate 70 years of missionary service, we are heartened by this affirmation of our charism to share our gifts and witness the faith as laity in mission. We’ve witnessed firsthand that the professional and spiritual gifts of a few can transform the lives of many. Since our founding, more than 750 lay men and women, married couples, and families have served in 37 countries—and counting.

Yet Pope Leo’s election also challenges us. It urges us not to rest on the legacy of the past, but to look forward—to continue our Gospel witness and to support a new generation of missionaries.

We, as Lay Mission-Helpers, embrace this new chapter in the Church under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV, with hope that his papacy will re-center missionary discipleship at the heart of Catholic life and ecclesial culture around the world.

As we mark this milestone year, we pray that his election will not only be a symbol of hope, but also a summons: a call for all Catholics—ordained, religious, and lay—to go forth, to cross borders both physical and spiritual, and to encounter Christ anew in the face of every neighbor, especially the poorest and most forgotten.

May the Holy Spirit, who guided the cardinals in the Conclave, inspire many—single men and women, married couples, and families—to share their gifts and witness their faith as Lay Mission-Helpers. May many others be moved to support them—through prayer, encouragement, and financial partnership—for the sake of the Gospel and the Church’s missionary mandate, which belongs to all the baptized.