22nd Annual Appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious

Parishes to Conduct Annual ‘Share in the Care’ Collection for Elderly Nuns, Brothers, Priests in Religious Orders

Changing demographics of religious institutes leave retirement plans underfunded
Steady generosity of people in the pew heartening.

Catholic parishes in the Diocese of San Jose will conduct the 22nd annual appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious on 12/13/2009. The collection theme is “Share in the Care.”

In 2008, the Diocese of San Jose contributed $171,633.65 to this collection. The Eucharistic Missionaries of the Most Holy Trinity and Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters received financial assistance made possible by the Retirement Fund. In addition, religious who serve or have served in the diocese but whose institutes are headquartered elsewhere may also benefit from this fund.

The collection is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C., and benefits thousands of elderly women and men religious whose communities lack adequate funding for retirement.

“The collection has been the most successful campaign in the history of the Church in the United States, which is testimony to the gratitude many feel for the services they have received from religious orders,” said Sister Janice Bader, a Sister of the Most Precious Blood of O’Fallon, Missouri, and NRRO executive director.

“I am continually heartened by the overwhelming generosity of Catholics to this fund each year,” she said. “Even in these difficult financial times, Catholics across the nation find a way to give back to the women and men religious who sacrificed so much for our Church and our world.” 

The 2008 collection drew over $28.2 million. Since 1988, Catholics have donated nearly $589 million to the annual appeal. Approximately 95 percent of these donations are distributed almost immediately to support the care of senior religious.

The 2008 appeal, for example, enabled the National Religious Retirement Office to distribute over $23 million to 483 religious institutes. These funds supplemented the day-to-day care of elder religious and helped religious institutes implement long-range retirement strategies. The NRRO also distributed close to $3 million in targeted financial assistance to support self-help projects, such as collaborative health care facilities, initiated by religious institutes.

The retirement crisis developed as demographics of religious institutes changed so that now there are more elderly than younger members. The problem has been compounded by skyrocketing health care costs.  Today, there are more than 35,000 women and men religious over age 70, and more than 5,500 religious require skilled care.

Historically, older religious worked for years for small stipends, with surplus income reinvested in their ministries, such as schools and social service agencies. Retirement was not a priority in the past when there were enough younger members to care for older ones.