Parishioners throughout the Diocese of Camden are being asked to support the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection the weekend of Dec. 6-7.
Coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office, the collection helps provide critical financial assistance to religious institutes caring for their retired members. In 2024, parishioners in the Diocese of Camden contributed $155,939.65 to the collection.
These communities of women and men religious, who have devoted their lives to service through countless Church ministries, often for little or no pay, currently face a severe gap between the rising cost of care and the limited resources available.
In 2024, religious older than 70 outnumbered younger religious by nearly three to one, and only 4% of communities reporting to the NRRO said they were adequately funded for retirement.
Since 1988, the Retirement Fund for Religious has been a lifeline for aging religious, but the need remains urgent. In 2024, the collection raised $28.1 million, while annual care costs for senior religious exceeded $1 billion. The average annual cost to care for senior religious, as reported by the NRRO, is $56,600 per person, with skilled nursing averaging $96,000.
In giving to the collection, Catholics can ensure religious women and men “are cared for with the dignity they so rightly deserve while also living out the values of compassion and solidarity that unite us as disciples of Jesus,” NRRO director John Knutsen said.
“Supporting our aging religious is a profound opportunity to show gratitude for their lifetime of service,” he added.
Since its inception, the collection has distributed more than $1 billion to religious institutes across the United States, supporting day-to-day care and helping religious communities build up their retirement funds. It also funds educational programs for eldercare and long-term retirement planning.
To date, there are more than 21,000 elderly sisters, brothers and religious order priests in the United States.
For more information, visit retiredreligious.org.
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