Record Staff Report
The annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection will be held Dec. 8-9 in the Archdiocese of Louisville. The appeal is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) and benefits approximately 31,000 elderly Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests.
The Archdiocese of Louisville donated $100,000 to the last collection.
“Donations to the Retirement Fund have a far-reaching impact,” said Presentation Sister Stephanie Still, the NRRO’s executive director. “Most importantly, they help communities care for aging members, but they also underwrite initiatives aimed at addressing the underlying causes of funding shortages.”
Traditionally women and men religious served for little to no pay. As a result, hundreds of orders lack sufficient retirement savings, according to an announcement from the NRRO. Of the 547 communities providing data to the office, only four percent are adequately funded for retirement, the announcement said. Compounding the financial crisis are the rising cost of care and the increasing number of those needing care, the office said.
Religious communities, including the 25-plus communities serving in the archdiocese, can apply annually for financial support from the national collection.
Almost 94 percent of donations aid senior religious and their communities, with the remaining funds used for administration and promotion of the national appeal, the office said.
