Meet some of the women and men who benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious collection.
“What I know about religion comes primarily from my parents and the parish priest,” says Sister Rita Polchin, 87, a member of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Danville, Pennsylvania.
Originally from Galway, Ireland, Father Thomas Greaney entered the Order of Friar Servants of Mary (Servites) when he was 24 years old. At the time, he’d already been working for a few years, but, as he says, “I was looking for something to get more involved.”
“My birthday is 2-4, 2-4,” explains Sister Anne Mika, a member of the Discalced Carmelites of Danville, Pennsylvania, who was born February 4, 1924.
“I thought of being a sister in 10th grade,” says Sister Susan Polchin, a member of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Danville, Pennsylvania.
Sister Cyrilline Biel, 86, entered the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius in 1950. The community’s motherhouse in Danville, Pennsylvania, was a long way from her childhood home of Whiting, Indiana. “I’d never seen any mountains until I came here,” she remembers.
“There’s not much to say about me,” asserts 89-year-old Sister Margaret Kob, with the kind of gentle humility born from a life of contemplation.
The stage brought Sister Donna Marie Ivanko, 81, to religious life, and now she uses the stage to minister in that life.
“I loved what they were doing for the Lord,” explains Sister Paulette Lendacky, 89, of her decision to join the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius of Danville, Pennsylvania.
Recently, the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) distributed $25 million in financial assistance to 401 religious communities to aid in the care of senior members.
Read More about Religious Communities Receive $25 Million Toward Care of Elderly Members »
On March 14-15, the National Religious Retirement Office hosted a property-planning workshop in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of its Tending the Vineyard initiative.
Read More about New Property Planning Workshop for Religious Communities »