Harry Selken
We prayed for Harry Selken at Mass last weekend. Who’s that, you might ask?
Perhaps you recall seeing Harry’s name in a previous column of mine. I wrote about him last year. Harry died a couple of years ago, leaving St. Matt’s a bequest of roughly $570,000.
Despite our best efforts, we know little about Harry. He was 81 when he died, he had no known family, and no one could tell us what he did in life. We asked a lot of people, including long-time members of St. Matt’s.
We do know that he spent some time at Cerenity, across the street. Our hypothesis is that Fr. Steve and/or others from St. Matt’s ministered to him there.
At any rate, he remembered us by naming St. Matt’s a beneficiary of his brokerage account. We’ve benefited greatly, as we put the entire bequest into an agency account with the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF). That means we have access to the money, unlike an endowment fund.
In turn, that access enabled Catholic Finance Corporation (CFC) to provide us with the Line of Credit (LOC) that we used to replace three roofs on our campus last year. It’s doubtful that CFC would have been so helpful, had not Harry mysteriously named us as a beneficiary. (It’s important to note that your regular support for our operational and capital needs was also necessary for CFC to underwrite the LOC.)
I say “mysteriously” because Harry Selken remains a mystery. His story always brings to my mind the lovely words of the Letter to the Hebrews (13:1-2): “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”
Have a great week!
Leave a Comment