Helping our religious

Richard A. Sokerka

The Beacon recently published the obituary of Dominican Sister of Hope Lorraine Gallagher, who served for 35 years as the principal of the former St. Christopher School in Parsippany (now part of All Saints Academy). But long before that assignment, she was my seventh-grade teacher at the former St. Mary School in Passaic where she was then known as Sister James Helene. She, along with my eighth-grade teacher and the principal of the school, Sister Mary Clare, both helped form me in my faith and in my educational pursuits, so much so that I fondly recall my time spent in their classes to this day.

And that points to the impactful role that all religious have had in the Catholic Church in a variety of ministries including education.

For all that they gave to us, Catholics have an opportunity to give back to the religious who have touched their lives in some way when the 30th appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious is taken up at weekend Masses Dec. 9-10 in the Diocese of Paterson. The annual, parish-based collection is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) and benefits some 32,000 aging Catholic sisters, brothers and priests in religious orders. Proceeds are distributed to eligible congregations to help underwrite retirement and health-care expenses.

The 2016 appeal raised more than $30 million nationally. Last year, the parishioners in the Diocese of Paterson contributed $298,009.94 of that total amount. In 2017, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Missionary Sisters of Immaculate Conception, the Monastery of Discalced Carmelite Nuns, the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth and Xaverian Missionary Fathers received a combined total of $598,873.14 in financial assistance made possible by the Retirement Fund for Religious appeal in 2016.

While support from the Retirement Fund for Religious has helped many religious communities to stabilize retirement accounts, hundreds of others continue to lack sufficient resources to fully provide for older members. Last year, the average annual cost of care for senior religious was $42,000 per person, while skilled care averaged more than $63,000, according to NRRO data. In 2016, the total cost of care for women and men religious past age 70 exceeded $1.2 billion.

So remember a religious who has been an important part of your life, and give as your means allow to the Retirement for Religious.