CNA Staff, Nov 17, 2023 / 16:50 pm
Religious communities in the U.S. lack the funds necessary to care for their elderly, the U.S. bishops said ahead of the annual collection for the religious retirement fund.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said in a statement this month that on the weekend of Dec. 9–10, “participating dioceses will take up the annual collection that benefits approximately 24,000 elderly religious sisters, brothers, and religious order priests across the United States.”
“Numerous religious communities in the United States are experiencing challenges with providing for their elderly members and are confronting a sizable disparity between available funds and the costs of care,” the bishops said.
The bishops said the Retirement Fund for Religious collection is “vital” for supporting thousands of elderly religious men and women around the country who have “insufficient” funds on which to retire.