The Retirement Fund for Religious helps religious communities care for senior members—today and tomorrow.
The Need
Across the United States, hundreds of religious communities lack financial resources sufficient to meet the retirement and health-care needs of aging members.
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Lack of Funds
Many elder religious worked for years for small stipends, leaving a large gap in retirement savings. At the same time, fewer religious are able to serve in compensated ministry.
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Rising Costs
Like many Americans, religious communities face the monumental challenge of funding eldercare.
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Changing Demographics
By 2028, retired religious are projected to outnumber wage-earners by more than three to one.
Donations at Work
Roughly 94 percent of donations to the Retirement Fund for Religious
directly aid senior religious and their communities.
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$803
millionhas been distributed since 1989. -
360religious communities received funding in 2018.
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31,023religious past age 70 benefit from the RFR.
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Financial Assistance
80 to 90 percent of donations to the Retirement Fund for Religious are allocated to assist with the direct care of senior religious. Learn More.
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Consultation
Volunteer consultants provide hands-on support for retirement planning and maximize the impact of donations. Learn More.
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Education
Proceeds from the Retirement Fund for Religious underwrite educational programs and resources that promote comprehensive retirement planning and enhanced quality of life for aging members. Learn More.
Ways to give
Your tax-deductible donation offers vital support for elderly Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests.
Stories & News
Meet some of the men and women who benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious.
“I loved those little children,” says Sister Clare Vandecoevering, 88, of the students in her first teaching assignment. “They were precious.” A member of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, she spent more than five decades in the classroom. Yet in all those years, her love for students never wavered—a devotion flowing from her… Read More »
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Sister Charlene Herinckx, superior general of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, understands that each religious community’s retirement circumstances are unique. As a volunteer consultant for the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) Planning and Implementation Assistance program, she tries to help communities find strategies that are right for them.
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