The annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection will be held in parishes throughout the Diocese on Dec. 10-11.
Last year, parishioners in the Diocese donated $154,978.46 to the collection. In 2022, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Jesus and the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception received a combined total of $234,360.23 in financial support made possible by the Retirement Fund for Religious.
“The care of our aging religious presents an enormous financial responsibility. It is our privilege to care for those who gave a lifetime of tireless service, and I feel we are deeply blessed by all the U.S. Catholic donors who have steadfastly contributed to this fund,” said Sister Stephanie Still, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of San Francisco, and executive director of the National Religious Retirement Office. “This national collection is one way that we can honor the life-long work of the women and men in religious communities by caring for them in their retirement.”
Historically, Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests – known collectively as women and men religious – served for little to no pay. With rising healthcare expenses, hundreds of U.S. religious communities face a large gap between the needs of their older members and the funds available to support their care. As a result, many now lack adequate retirement savings.
For example, according to statistics gathered by the NRRO in 2022, only 7% of the religious communities that provided data reported being adequately funded for retirement. Since 2009, the annual cost to support senior women and men religious has exceeded $1 billion.
Nationally, the 2021 appeal raised nearly $28.5 million, and the NRRO distributed funding to 271 U.S. religious communities. Donations also underwrite resources that help religious communities improve elder care and plan for long-term retirement needs.
For more information on the work of the National Religious Retirement Office and how to support retired sisters, brothers and religious order priests, visit retiredreligious.org.
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