CHARLOTTE — During Masses Dec. 13-14, parishes are asked to take up a collection to support retired consecrated religious men and women.
The annual Retirement Fund for Religious Collection is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office, which then distributes the funds to eligible religious communities to help care for their aging members.
In 2024, Diocese of Charlotte parishioners contributed $281,917 to this collection.
John Knutsen, director of the NRRO, said, “The generosity of U.S. Catholics continues to make a profound difference in the lives of aging religious. This year, we invite all Catholics to help provide the care and dignity these women and men of faith so richly deserve.”
Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests – collectively known as men and women religious – have selflessly served for decades without significant financial compensation.
However, escalating healthcare costs mean that numerous religious communities face a substantial gap between their elderly members’ needs and the financial resources available for their care.
Compounding the problem, many religious orders currently experience insufficient retirement savings.
The U.S. bishops initiated the Retirement Fund for Religious Collection in 1988 to address this deficit in retirement funding among U.S. religious orders, supporting more than 21,000 religious over the age of 70. In 2024, the average annual cost of care was about $56,600 per person, with skilled nursing care averaging $96,000.
The 2024 appeal demonstrated Catholics’ tremendous generosity – raising $28.1 million nationwide to support the retirement needs for 266 U.S. religious communities.
The NRRO is sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
— Catholic News Herald