By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
Hundreds of religious communities in the United States face a financial gap to fund the needs of their older members. In 1988, the U.S. Catholic bishops launched the Retirement Fund for Religious to address the significant lack of retirement funding for Catholic sisters, brothers and priests in religious orders. This does not affect diocesan priests.
The National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C., coordinates the successful, annual collection that will take place Dec. 11-12 in parishes. Last year, the Diocese of Davenport donated $56,668.20 to the national collection, which totaled $20.7 million. Funds were distributed to 321 religious communities in 2021, including Queen of Heaven Carmelite Monastery in Clinton, which received a $5,604.56 grant.
Sister JonFe DeTorres of the Carmelites said, “Our community is very appreciative of the grant from NRRO. We are grateful for the generosity of the donors. The grant we received from NRRO helped us with our daily, ordinary and sometimes unexpected needs. Again, we thank all who generously gave to religious retirement collections nationwide.”
NRRO Executive Director Sister Stephanie Still, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of San Francisco, said, “I am continually heartened by the generosity of U.S. Catholics. Even in difficult times, they find a way to give back to those who have tirelessly served our Church and our world.”
For more information on this collection, visit retiredreligious.org
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