The restored, glorious, award-winning sanctuary of St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica distracts a little from the unfin-ished business underneath and tucked in back. Though the construction scaffold-ing is gone and the earth movers are no longer parked outside, there’s still work to do on Toronto’s Catholic cathedral, said St. Michael’s Rector Fr. Michael Busch.

“Come down right now and I’ll give you $1,500 an ounce for the gold. Pick up your cash!” said the gold dealer over the phone in an unusually direct manner. His voice reminded me of Danny DeVito from the 1970’s hit TV sitcom, Taxi.

Fr. Frank Portelli can attest that God works in mysterious ways. In his case, in the form of a 2007 Ford Focus.

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Planning for the orderly distribution of estate assets can be daunting at the best of times. Estate planning to provide for loved ones with a serious disability can present special challenges.

Coping with the loss of a loved one can be an isolating experience — but it’s not a road you have to walk alone, thanks to the support of bereavement ministries.

People over 50 are certainly into the second half of life, but that doesn’t mean they can’t continue to grow.

There are plenty of reasons for having a Will, especially when it comes to the role it plays in dealing with children and their future.

An estate plan should evolve and change as people age and family circumstances change. One goal should be to minimize and defer the tax on your death until the time your heirs sell the assets. Strategies can also be implemented during a person’s lifetime to minimize taxes.

For many people, dedicating a portion of their wealth to the Church after their death is a way of giving back to a community that has accompanied them through all stages of life.

Whether you are reviewing your current estate plan or considering a plan for the first time, there are several definite “must-haves.” Here are five of them:

So your reclusive Uncle Steve suddenly dies leaving no Will or documentation regarding his finances or estate. You always knew he had some money, but you have gone through his home looking for any documents that will help and have come up empty.

When the Christian community gathers to celebrate a Funeral Mass, it gathers as members of the Church on Earth to say farewell to a loved one and entrust their soul, through the mercy of God, to Heaven.

As the saying goes, words can hurt. That is especially true in a Will, where even the most minor of language mistakes can have a dramatic impact on how assets are split.

Before the death of Fr. Peter Rosettis in 2003, he drafted an estate plan to ensure three things happened after his funeral.