Celebrating life: The Fr. James C. Cusack Fund

February 20, 2002, Father James C. Cusack died peacefully in his Grand Rapids home. As a Catholic priest in the Grand Rapids Diocese for almost 50 years, Fr. Jim enjoyed being active in retirement. He was a very busy man with many obligations, but as Chairman of the RLM Educational Endowment Fund, raising revenue to build the endowment fund was always a high priority.

As a man of vision and a loyal prolife friend, Fr. Jim would not want us to mourn his death, but to celebrate his life and the lives of those yet to be born. Your contribution to the newly established Fr. James C. Cusack Fund, through the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Endowment Fund, is a most fitting tribute to celebrate Fr. Jim's 72 yrs. of life and service. Please prayerfully consider our request as you read Fr. Jim's letter below - a letter he once wrote to his friends about the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Endowment Fund.

My Dear Friend,
Let me tell you about how I started the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Endowment Fund a few years ago. Like the other six foundations I've founded across the United States and Michigan, the endowment fund began with my personal gift of $1000 and we've been building the endowment ever since. I like to tell people "your gift to the Right to Life Educational Endowment Fund is the gift that gives forever." We use only a portion of the interest each year to support our work - the remainder is re-invested and the fund keeps growing.

Long after you and I are no longer on this earth, our gift to the endowment fund will help finance the priceless gift of life for an incredible number of people - people yet to be born. I am so very proud of Right to Life of Michigan - it is the most successful Right to Life organization in the entire country. Thanks be to God for blessing our amazing workers dedicated to life.

There's something I'd like you to consider. Let me share with you my five step plan for giving:

1. Pray
We begin by asking God for His help in deciding to make a gift to the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Endowment Fund ... in deciding to make a gift of life for all the unborn.

2. Listen
Be ready for God's recommendation in making your decision. If you ask, He will lead you.

3. Think
What are the possibilities? What can I do to help? Thinking things over can be one of the most difficult things we do.

You've probably seen a reproduction of Rodin's sculpture, The Thinker. As the subject brings all his power of thought into play, his body ripples with muscles under the strain of his deep contemplation.

4. Choose
What will it be? The decision is yours!

5. Act
With courage we engage in the act of giving - the act of helping someone else.

Now I ask for you to be a part of the most precious gift of all - the gift of human life. Pray, listen, think, choose and act in defense of precious human life. Please be a very generous part of this effort - life is priceless coming as it does from the hand of God.

And now ... one last favor: May I ask that you say a prayer for life for every day that God gives you? Many thanks in advance for your prayers and generous support.

May God bless and reward you!

Father Jim Cusack
December 2000

To make a contribution to Fr. James C. Cusack Fund, contact Right to Life of Michigan's Director of Gift Planning at (248) 552-3742.

Back to Table of Contents