Our elder religious brothers, sisters and priests need our help!
The national collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious is coming up Jan. 4 and 5. Established in 1988 by the Catholic bishops of the United States, the collection and fund aim “to address the significant lack of retirement funding for Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests,” according to a fact sheet provided the Denver Catholic.
The lack is indeed significant across the United States.
According to the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO), the sponsor of the Retirement Fund for Religious, religious older than 70 outnumber those younger than 70 “by nearly three to one,” and “71 percent of the religious communities providing data to the National Religious Retirement Office had a median age of 70 or higher,” according to the same fact sheet.
With an average cost of $59,700 per person to care for aging religious — $90,700 if the religious is in need of skilled nursing care — the financial burden on those who have served and their religious communities is serious.
It is worth noting, too, NRRO says, that “religious communities are financially responsible for the support and care of all members. Income, earnings and expenses are managed separately from the parish and diocesan structures of the Catholic Church.”
Thanks to your generosity, in 2023, archdiocesan parishioners raised $114,532 to support the retired members of the Capuchin Franciscans and Capuchin Poor Clares who have served devotedly in our parishes, schools and communities. The two Denver communities were among 286 communities who benefitted from the $29.3 million raised through the annual collection in 2023.
John Knutsen, director of NRRO, shared his gratitude for the “profound generosity” of U.S. Catholics, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the “comfort and dignity” of those who have served tirelessly.
“As we prepare for this collection, we invite all Catholics to join us in honoring the legacy of these dedicated women and men by contributing to their well-deserved care.”
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Faithful across the archdiocese are encouraged to support our beloved religious through the annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious during the weekend of Jan. 4 and 5. Checks may be made out to your parish, with a note in the memo line directing the donation to retired religious. Once received, donations will be routed accordingly.
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