They spent a lifetime teaching in schools, mentoring students and working for little to no pay. Years have passed...now thousands of these Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests are elderly and retired. The problem is many don't have enough funds to foot the price tag that comes with retirement.
'Back then we didn't earn much. But seeing a child learn was really priceless.â?
Rising health-care costs, declining income and insufficient retirement savings have contributed to this reality. That's where the Retirement Fund for Religious comes in. Through donations it helps religious communities care for their senior members. It's a way to give to those who gave for years.
'One year I had a classroom of 68 children.â?
'I was chaplain for the ice hockey team and loved it, even the 6.30 am practices.â?
In 2013, out of 590 religious communities in the U.S, only 45 were equipped with enough retirement funding. Furthermore, the yearly cost of health care for 35,000 women and men religious over the age of 70, rose to 1.2 billion dollars. By the year 2024, it's estimated that in the U.S, religious over the age of 70, will outnumber those younger than 70, four to one.
National collections will be held in most American Catholic parishes on December 13th and 14th.
For more information, visit www.retiredreligious.org
KLH
Retirement Fund for Religious
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-PR
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