Helga Fallis: “I want as many young people as possible to have the opportunity to study in an environment like Christendom.”

Gift Plan: Annuity and Residual Bequest

Helga Fallis was born in post-World War II Germany. She remembers playing as a small child in the rubble left over from the war, but even more vivid in her memory is the beauty of Germany as it rebuilt and grew economically after the war. To rebuild a country—like renewing the Church and the culture—one must believe in the future of young people and their capacity to restore the beauty and heritage that has been destroyed.

Growing up in a family of musicians, music and beauty were central to Helga’s life. When she was thirteen, Helga was invited to sing in the Philharmonic Choir of Cologne, which provided her with a solid musical education over the next five years. After graduating from high school, she went on to continue her musical studies at a conservatory in Cologne.

As Helga worked hard to pay her way through the conservatory in Cologne, she was introduced to the business world. Ultimately, she decided to leave the conservatory to pursue business instead of music as her professional vocation. After working at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Helga started her own typesetting and graphic arts business. It was in Munich that she met Hugh Fallis, a Texan who worked for Radio Free Europe. In 1976, she moved to the United States where she married Hugh, her husband of 27 years.

When Helga was deciding what kind of legacy she wanted to leave, the answer quickly became obvious. She had seen for herself how Christendom College was forming faithful young Catholic leaders who have the capacity to restore the family and the culture, and she wanted to be a part of that work. As vicious attacks on the heritage of Western culture and the Catholic Faith continue, Christendom is working to turn the tide and evangelize others through a renewal of young people and the family.

Helga learned about Christendom through a variety of sources. She watched Dr. O’Donnell’s EWTN series about Rome’s hidden churches. Helga also started receiving Principles in the mail, and she loved reading the articles. The more she learned about Christendom, the more impressed she was with its mission. She started telling friends at her parish to send their children to Christendom—only to discover that they already had students at the college!

As Helga began to consider her legacy, she resolved to make a lasting gift to Christendom—in particular its students, whom she sees as a source of hope for the future. To achieve her goal, Helga completed an annuity with Christendom to provide income and left the residual of her estate to the college in her will.

“I want as many young people as possible to have the opportunity to study in an environment like Christendom, receive a liberal arts education, and then go out and evangelize the rest of the world,” she explains.

Helga has enjoyed visiting Christendom’s campus and becoming more involved in the life of the college community. “I’m just in awe of the whole thing,” she remarks about Christendom. “It’s so beautiful in every way—the people, the buildings, the landscape, not to mention the new Christ the King Chapel.” At Christendom, one can see beauty and the Faith being renewed in the world—from the steeples of the new Christ the King Chapel to the work of hundreds of alumni in every sphere of society.

Helga is not shy about sharing with her friends what a wonderful opportunity giving to Christendom is. “I couldn’t think of a better thing to do with my money than to support Christendom College,” she says. “As far as investments are concerned,” she continues, “I think it’s the greatest thing on planet earth.” Helga says she often tries to convince others to do just what she did. She sees it as the ultimate “win-win situation.”

Helga is happy that giving to Christendom through an annuity and her will is both a financially sound move and a wonderful opportunity to help provide an enriching Catholic liberal arts education for students—not just now, but for many years into the future. Her support is helping to renew the family and the Catholic Church amidst the ruble of cultural decay.