Patrick & Frances Keogh

“I am very proud to say that Frances and I have remembered the Christian Brothers in our estate plans. After all, they played an extremely important part in making me and my brothers the persons we are today. I would go so far as to say their influence was second only to that of my loving parents.

My family history with the Brothers may not sound totally unfamiliar to some of you. I was the second of three sons—Mike, Pat, and John—of Irish immigrants who were working as supers in an apartment building in the South Bronx. My parents found a way to put all of us through sixteen years in Christian Brothers schools: Sacred Heart Elementary School, Manhattan Prep, then Manhattan College. All three went on to excel in their graduate work at prestigious institutions, have wonderful families and successful careers, and become strong members of their communities. All this was because of two parents with grade school educations and the extraordinary education, skills, and discipline acquired from the Christian Brothers through their schools.

Personally, I attended night school at Georgetown University to earn my law degree and had a great career with the government, then private practice, and now as a pension specialist and author. My work has taught me the importance of wills and estate planning, and made me think about all those who have been important in my life. That is how I came to include the Christian Brothers. Our parents and Mike are gone now, but generations of this family will owe a debt to the Brothers for what they have given us.”