Launched in 1988, the Retirement Fund for Religious assists retired women and men religious who gave generously in service to others but whose own needs went lacking.
While most religious communities use their own income and savings to continue to support their elderly members, increasing health-care costs mean many must rely on assistance from government programs, fund-raising initiatives and collaboration with other religious communities to make ends meet.
Annual allocations from the Retirement Fund for Religious supplement these funds and help underwrite costs for prescription drugs, medical equipment, nursing care, physical or occupational therapies and other needs. In fact, $23 million in direct care was distributed to 477 religious institutes as a result of the 2009 collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious, the National Religious Retirement Office states in its annual report.
Two religious communities in the Davenport Diocese that benefited from the national fundraising campaign in 2010 are the 132-member Congregation of the Humility of Mary in Davenport, which received $105,367.32, and the 10-member Queen of Heaven Carmelite Monastery in Eldridge, which received $5,367.
Last year, people of the Davenport Diocese contributed $71,288.29 to the annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious, according to the annual report. This year’s campaign takes place this weekend, Dec. 11-12, in parishes throughout the diocese.
Below are links to stories of two women religious – one from each of the benefiting communities — who are among the many who have enriched our diocese in service to the Church.
Praying, writing fulfill Carmelite Sister http://www.catholicmessenger.org/articles/2010/12/08/people/doc4cffd64d50c49386912443.txt
As child, Sister of Humility mulled vocation http://www.catholicmessenger.org/articles/2010/12/08/people/doc4cffd789418e5937025950.txt
