Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Raleigh will conduct the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection Dec. 9-10. The collection, coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C., helps religious communities care for senior members. In 2022, parishioners in the Raleigh diocese contributed $163,563.72 to the collection.
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.
Bishop Luis Zarama encouraged support for the collection in a letter to the faithful of the diocese (PDF).
"I ask that you please join me in praying for God's protection for all our elderly religious, and that you please support the Retirement Fund for Religious collection as you are able," he said. "Be assured that women and men religious across the country hold you and your loved ones in grateful prayer."
The 2022 appeal demonstrated the tremendous generosity of Catholics across the country by raising $27.6 million. These funds provided financial assistance for the retirement needs of 297 U.S. religious communities.
“We are privileged to support those who have dedicated their lives to tireless service, and we are immensely grateful for the continuing generosity of U.S. Catholic donors to this vital cause,” said John Knutsen, director of the NRRO.
Learn more about the need and how donations help (PDF).
About the NRRO
The NRRO coordinates the annual national appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious and distributes financial assistance to eligible religious communities to help care for their aging members.
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.
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.
For more information, visit retiredreligious.org.