Illinois § 46j

§ 46j.

Any church, congregation, society or corporation, heretofore or hereafter formed for religious purposes or for the purpose of religious worship under any of the provisions of this Act or under any law of this State incorporating or for the incorporation of religious corporations or societies, may receive land by gift, legacy or purchase and make, erect, and build thereon such houses, buildings, or other improvements as may be necessary for the convenience, comfort and welfare of such church, congregation, society or corporation, and may lay out and maintain thereon a cemetery or cemeteries, or a burying ground or grounds and may maintain and build thereon schools, orphan asylums, or such other improvements or buildings as may be necessary for the educational, eleemosynary, cemetery and religious purposes of such congregation, church, society or corporation; but no such property shall be used except in the manner expressed in the gift, grant or legacy. However, this limitation on the disposition of real property does not apply to the extent that a restriction imposed by a donor on the use of an institutional fund may be released by the governing board of an institution under the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act. Or if no use or trust is so expressed, no such property shall be used except for the benefit of the congregation, corporation, church or society, for which it was intended, or for such religious, educational or eleemosynary purpose as may be approved by such congregation, church, society or corporation or the ecclesiastical body having jurisdiction or patronage of or charge over such congregation, corporation, church or society. Any corporation, heretofore or hereafter formed for religious purposes under any of the provisions of this Act or under any other law of this State incorporating or for the incorporation of religious corporations or societies, which now or hereafter owns, operates, maintains or controls a cemetery or cemeteries, or a burial ground or grounds, is hereby authorized and empowered to accept by gift, grant, contribution, payment, or legacy, or pursuant to contract, any sum of money, funds, securities or property of any kind, or the income or avails thereof, and to hold the same in trust in perpetuity for the care of such cemetery or cemeteries, burial ground or grounds, or for the care of any lot, grave or crypt therein; or for the special care of any lot, grave or crypt or of any family mausoleum or memorial, marker, or monument in such cemetery or cemeteries, burial ground or grounds. No gift, grant, legacy, payment or other contribution shall be invalid by reason of any indefiniteness or uncertainty as to the beneficiary designated in the instrument creating the gift, grant, legacy, payment or other contribution. If any gift, grant, legacy, payment or other contribution consists of non-income producing property, such corporation is authorized and empowered to sell such property and to invest the funds obtained in accordance with the provisions of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, or the provisions of the next succeeding paragraph. The trust funds authorized by this Section shall be held intact and, unless otherwise restricted by the terms of the gift, grant, legacy, contribution, payment, contract or other payment shall be invested, from time to time reinvested, and kept invested by such corporation in such investments as are authorized by the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act and according to such standards as are prescribed for trustees under that Act and the Illinois Trust Code, and the net income only from such investments shall be allocated and used for the purposes set forth in the paragraph immediately preceding; but the trust funds authorized by this Section may be commingled and may also be commingled with any other trust funds received by such corporation for the care of the cemetery or cemeteries, or burial ground or grounds, or for the care or special care of any lot, grave, crypt, private mausoleum, memorial, marker, or monument whether received by gift, grant, legacy, contribution, payment, contract or other conveyance heretofore or hereafter made to such corporation. The trust funds authorized by this Section, and the income therefrom, shall be exempt from taxation and exempt from the operation of the laws against perpetuities and accumulations. (Source: P.A. 101-48, eff. 1-1-20.)