Stories & News
Meet some of the women and men who benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious.
Proactive Planning
Proceeds from the annual collection help young religious communities plan for the future.
A New Approach to Community Life
Faced with costs that threatened the ongoing viability of their community, the Ursuline Sisters of the Central Province made the difficult decision to sell their motherhouse.
Sister Mary Cornille, SLW
“It was just God,” said Sister Mary Cornille in explaining what drew her to religious life.
Brother Anselm Allen, 76, Benedictines of Subiaco Abbey
Born in November 1938, Brother Anselm Allen has been a member of the Benedictines of Subiaco Abbey in Subiaco, Arkansas, since 1959. Like his fellow monks, he starts each day with Morning Prayer at 5:45 a.m., followed by Mass. During the day, he will return to the chapel three more times for communal prayer, while also making time for private prayer and sacred reading.
Underneath his habit, Brother Anselm is likely to be wearing overalls and a work shirt. At 76, he has ministered in religious life for more than 50 years, using his hands to serve God and his religious community. Following his first profession, Brother Anselm worked for a time in the community’s print shop before moving on to the maintenance department, where he continues to serve. Since 1965, he has helped to oversee the treatment of the water supply that provides water for both the monastery and the local town. As part of this work, he has tracked weather temperatures and precipitation for the National Weather Service for the last 45 years. In his “spare” time, he serves as a volunteer firefighter, an amateur radio operator, and can often be found exercising in the monastery’s health center.
From fixing the boilers to harvesting grapes and making the abbey’s Communion wine, Brother Anselm is happy to be able to serve in big ways and small. “I enjoy doing things to contribute to community life,” he says.
Sister Barbara Hawken, SLW
Born September 5, 1934, Sister Barbara Hawken—a member of the Sisters of the Living Word in Arlington Heights, Illinois—vividly remembers her first teaching assignment. The year was 1955, and she was given a class of fifty-six first graders.
Father George Reynolds, OP
“For the first ten minutes of teaching, I was terrified. I thought this was God’s revenge,” said Dominican Father George Reynolds, laughing. “Then I loved it!”
National Catholic Sisters Week, March 8-14
Join us in giving thanks for Catholic sisters, past and present!
Volunteer Consultants Aid Retirement Planning
Volunteer consultants help donations to the Retirement Fund for Religious (RFR) have a greater impact on religious communities.
The National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO), sponsor of the RFR, trains and coordinates a network of roughly eighty volunteer consultants who are experts in eldercare, financial planning, and community leadership. In conjunction with the NRRO staff, they provide personal, hands-on support for religious communities in assessing and addressing specific retirement issues. In addition to offering their professional services at no charge, the consultants share their unique understanding of planning for retirement within the context of religious life.