Retirement Fund for Religious

On October 22, the School Sisters of St. Francis of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, celebrated the blessing of Sacred Heart, a continuing care center for their senior members. The new facility resulted from the renovation of an underutilized building owned by the community. Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki blessed the building and all its spaces, which provide care and housing for sisters who require assistance and nursing care as well as for those who can live independently.

As part of their efforts to bring the project to fruition, the School Sisters participated in the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) Planning and Implementation Assistance (P and I) program. P and I is a comprehensive process, made possible by donations to the Retirement Fund for Religious, that helps religious communities address their most pressing retirement-funding challenges. Through this program, the School Sisters received extensive consultative support and more than $1 million in financial assistance. NRRO Executive Director and Precious Blood Sister Janice Bader attended the blessing and was presented with a framed photo of the new chapel, signed by sisters living at Sacred Heart, as a token of the School Sisters’ appreciation for the NRRO’s support. (See photo below.)

“This project is a model of thoughtful, comprehensive, and prayerful planning,” said Sister Janice. “It allows the School Sisters to meet the immediate and ongoing care needs of their elder sisters and provides a contingency to open the facility to religious from other congregations and lay seniors in the future.”

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NRRO Executive Director Sister Janice Bader receives photo from the School Sisters of St. Francis’ U.S. Province leadership team. From left: Sister Marilyn Ketteler, OSF; Sister Janice Bader, CPPS; Sister Carol Rigali, OSF; Sister Deborah Fumagalli, OSF.