Three retired religious are seen in this promotional image.
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — More than 20,000 retired religious sisters, brothers and religious order priests dedicated their lives in service to the Church. Many worked for little to no pay and lacked retirement plans.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops established the Retirement Fund for Religious in 1988 to address the “significant lack of retirement funding,” said the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO).
With the success of the campaign each year, the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection continues and this year is Dec. 13-14.
In 2024, Catholics across the Diocese of Davenport contributed $108,295.32 to the collection, NRRO reported. Across the U.S., more than $28.1 million was collected in 2024 to help provide financial assistance for the retirement needs of 2,665 U.S. religious communities. Beyond financial aid, the collection also supports educational programs, empowering religious communities to plan for their long-term needs.
“The generosity of U.S. Catholics continues to make a profound difference in the lives of aging religious,” said John Knutsen, NRRO director. “This year, we invite all Catholics to help provide the care and dignity these women and men of faith so richly deserve.”
Rising health-care costs and the absence of traditional retirement plans have placed significant financial strain on many religious communities. The Retirement Fund for Religious helps address this need, 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.
Since its establishment in 1988, the collection has raised more than $1 billion, with nearly $900 million distributed for direct care and over $103.7 million allocated to retirement planning projects.
According to NRRO, only 4% of religious communities providing data said they are adequately funded for retirement; 45% have 25 or fewer members and many small communities struggle to care for elderly members due to lack of financial resources and personnel.
Today, religious past age 70 outnumber young ones by nearly 3:1, NRRO reported.
Also, the average annual Social Security benefit for religious is $9,090 compared to the average lay American’s $23,704.
For more information on the
Retirement Fund for Religious, visit https://retiredreligious.org/
