The Knights of Columbus’ life insurance agency recently shared about the importance of being prepared for one’s death by outlining directives, burial wishes, and an organized financial plan to support bereaved family members.
“In our modern age, financial preparation is often misunderstood. It’s seen as something for the wealthy, or something to be done only when death feels imminent. But as Catholics, we are called to a deeper understanding — one that sees planning not as a luxury, but as a moral responsibility,” a guest contributor from the KOC Wheaton Agency wrote in a Nov. 12 article for Denver Catholic.
The author explained that it is not morbid, but rather “profoundly Christian,” to acknowledge that everyone will eventually die and that they should have a plan for when that happens.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church relates that everyone is a steward, not an owner, of their own life and material goods, and these are gifts entrusted from God, the author noted.
“Ensuring financial protection, especially for end-of-life, is an act of stewardship,” the author wrote. “It’s a way to care for our families, to relieve them of burdens and to ensure that our final act on earth is one of love and responsibility.”
The author reflected that when a loved one dies without leaving a will, directives, or insurance in place, it compounds family members’ grief with “confusion, debt and uncertainty.”
“Now imagine the same family, but with a clear plan: burial wishes known, finances secured, insurance in place,” the author wrote. “The difference is not just logistical — it’s spiritual.”
Providing such plans is an act of love for one’s family members, who can likewise love the deceased person by honoring his or her wishes at the time of their death, the author explained.
“This is the essence of our mission: to honor the person, body and soul, even in death,” the author wrote. “To plan is to love. To insure is to protect. To prepare is to serve.”
The Knights of Columbus mutual aid life insurance initiative was started by the ministry’s founder, Father Michael McGivney, in New Haven, Connecticut, as a way to support widows and their children. Every knight contributed to the fund, which ensured that when a knight died, his widow and children would have the support they needed, the author explained.
The Knights today hold more than $123 billion in life insurance, according to the author.
“But the principle,” the author wrote, “remains the same: to love one another as Christ loves us, even in death.”
The author argued that life insurance is more than a financial product, writing that “in the Catholic worldview, it is a tool of mercy” enabling the faithful “to live out the Gospel.”
The author offered four steps of advice for planning: Initiate conversation with family members and one’s parish about wishes, plans, and values in death; create a plan with directives, burial preferences, and consider life insurance; work with Catholic financial advisors who can offer guidance on the topic; and pray, remaining rooted in hope.
“In the end, financial preparation is not about money. It’s about love,” the author wrote. “It’s about ensuring that when we leave this world, we do so having cared for those we leave behind. It’s about living our Catholic faith not just in prayer, but in action.”