Annual US collection assists more than 20,000 elderly women and men religious

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- The faithful will have an opportunity the weekend of Dec. 7-8 to support the more than 20,000 elderly religious sisters, brothers and religious order priests who have devoted their lives to service in the Catholic Church through an annual collection benefiting retired religious across the United States.

Coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office, or NRRO, and taking place at weekend Masses in participating dioceses, this collection provides "crucial financial aid to qualified religious institutes, enabling them to address the growing needs of their retired members," according to a news release.

"These men and women religious who taught in schools, served in parish ministries and helped provide social services for the Church selflessly devoted their lives to serving others, often for little to no pay," said the release, issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Nov. 4. "As they age, many religious communities face a significant gap between the cost of care and available resources."

Exacerbating the challenge are the rising cost of health care and the fact that religious over age 70 outnumber those younger than 70 by nearly 3 to 1.

"In 2024, 71% of religious communities providing data to the NRRO reported a median age of 70 or higher," the news release stated.

The collection was launched in 1988 to address the lack of retirement funding for religious communities. In 2023, it raised $29.3 million, yet the annual cost to support retired religious men and women exceeds $1 billion, according to the NRRO.

The average annual cost of care for each religious is about $59,700, with skilled nursing care lifting that cost to an average of $90,700 per person. Meanwhile, a religious' average annual Social Security benefit is only $8,551, the NRRO said.

"The selfless dedication of these religious has enriched countless lives," said NRRO director John Knutsen. "Your generosity ensures they receive the care they deserve in their retirement. Supporting our aging religious is a shared responsibility and an opportunity to express our gratitude for their lifelong service. By contributing to the Retirement Fund for Religious collection we ensure they receive the care and dignity they deserve while also upholding the values of compassion and solidarity within our faith community."

The website for the Retirement Fund for Religious, retiredreligious.org, features the stories of religious helped by the collection, including Father Maury Smith, 87, a member of the Order of Friars Minor in St. Louis, and Sister M. Stephanie Belgeri, 72, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton, Illinois.

"Donations are needed to have the ordinary kinds of things many senior religious need in terms of food, clothing and housing," Father Smith said. "We owe it to them to take care of them. Maybe even more than we have in the past. … They need it."

The friar has served as a retreat director, college educator, pastor, provincial staff and a deanery coordinator of ministry in San Antonio, "enriching countless lives by integrating psychology and theology into contemporary spirituality."

He serves as a spiritual director and writes biweekly for Today's Catholic, the archdiocesan newspaper of the San Antonio Archdiocese.

"I think I am in my eighth career," he said. "I love doing it and am happy."

A fellow Franciscan who joined her community in 1970, Sister M. Stephanie has been a nurse and a teacher and been involved in pastoral care. She spent four-and-a-half years in Brazil, setting up a foundation for her order.

Upon returning to the United States, Sister M. Stephanie was the director of nursing and later administrator at the Mother of Good Counsel Home, a skilled nursing facility in St. Louis, until 2014.

Sister M. Stephanie's ministry continues in retirement as she manages her religious community's library and translates English documents into Portuguese for the sisters in the Brazilian mission.

"Thanks to your generosity, we can provide the very best care to the sisters in our community," said Sister M. Stephanie said about the Retirement Fund for Religious. "Your contributions enabled upgrades, including building an infirmary, ensuring our sisters' well-being."

Since 1988, the collection has distributed more than $973 million to support day-to-day care and self-help projects, as well as educational programs for long-term retirement planning.