Retirement Fund for Religious helps those who gave a lifetime

The annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection, coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office, is scheduled in parishes throughout the Diocese the weekend of Dec. 9-10.

In 2022, parishioners from the Diocese of Metuchen contributed $275,933.88 to the collection. The Augustinian Recollect Sisters received a total of $10,643.74 in financial support.

Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests – collectively known as women and men religious – have selflessly served for decades without significant financial compensation. However, due to escalating health-care costs, numerous U.S. religious communities face a substantial gap between their elderly members’ needs and the financial resources available for their care. Many religious orders currently experience insufficient retirement savings.

The 2022 appeal demonstrated Catholics’ tremendous generosity by raising $27.6 million. These funds from the Retirement Fund for Religious collection provided financial assistance for retirement needs for 297 U.S. religious communities.

To address the deficit in retirement funding among U.S. religious orders, the Catholic bishops of the United States initiated the Retirement Fund for Religious collection in 1988. Since the first collection, US Catholics have donated more than $975 million with almost $842 million being distributed to support the day-to-day care of elderly sisters, brothers and religious order priests.

An additional $102.6 million has been allocated toward self-help projects initiated by religious communities, including collaborative health-care facilities. Proceeds from the annual collection also underwrite educational programming, services and resources that enable religious communities to evaluate and prepare for long-term retirement needs.

Support from the Retirement Fund for Religious helps religious communities care for senior members while continuing important ministries to the People of God.

For more information, visit retiredreligious.org, or contact Robin Cabral, Campaign Director, by phone at (508) 685-8899 or by email at [email protected].