People in hospitals, schools and other settings might have experienced the love and care of a priest, brother or sister in consecrated life. Donating to the annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious is one way to say thank you, said School Sister of Notre Dame Lynore Girmscheid.
“When you think of the influence of the Catholic men and women religious on the Catholic school system, it’s expansive and continues,” Sister Lynore said in an interview for the “Practicing Catholic” show debuting at 9 p.m. Dec. 2 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. “This is really a way that many people express their gratitude for the many blessings that they’ve received in the past.”
That kind of giving can be even more meaningful during the Advent season, as people prepare their hearts for celebrating the birth of Christ through generosity to others, suggested Patrick Conley, host of “Practicing Catholic.” The retired religious collection takes place this year in parishes Dec. 10-11 in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Sister Lynore — who coordinates the Retirement Fund for Religious in the archdiocese — agreed with Conley. Holding the collection during Advent provides an opportunity for people, in the words of a poster advertising the fund, “to give back to those who have given a lifetime,” she said.
People who wish to donate to the fund online can do so at religiousreligious.org.
U.S. Catholic bishops started the national fund in 1988 due to a significant lack of retirement funding for Catholic sisters, brothers and priests in religious orders. Today, only 7% of religious communities providing data to the National Religious Retirement Office reported adequate funding for retirement.
One reason retirement funding for religious is inadequate is that many religious did not have much in the way of Social Security or any retirement plans, Sister Lynore said.
To learn more about the Retirement Fund for Religious, tune into the “Practicing Catholic” show, which repeats on Relevant Radio 1330 AM at 1 p.m. Dec. 3 and 2 p.m. Dec. 4.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes Mike Rios-Keating, social justice education manager at Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discusses the nonprofit organization’s annual Giving Tree celebration at the Mall of America in Bloomington. The gathering that began 30 years ago — the year the mall first opened — includes opportunities to give to those in need.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
