Who We Help
The Retirement Fund for Religious benefits those women and men who, as vowed members of Catholic religious communities, have dedicated their lives to prayer and ministry. The Fund benefits both contemplative and active religious communities.
Today, more than 37,500 religious, mostly women, are past age 70. More than 4,900 need skilled nursing care.
Benedictine Sisters of Chicago
Congregation of Holy Cross, Eastern Province, New Rochelle, New York
Throughout history, many women and men have chosen to live lives of prayer and service. In the Catholic Church, those who entered religious communities believed they responded to a particular call from God. They generally took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. They lived together in convents or monasteries, assigning all their assets to the community, ministering to others, and caring for one another throughout their lives.
Until the Second Vatican Council, most religious women and men in western culture were easily identified by their mode of dress—the religious habit.
Religious communities today are often defined as active or contemplative, depending on whether they engage in ministry in the world or in the cloistered environment of a monastery dedicated primarily to contemplation and prayer.
In recent decades, many religious communities have built anew or renovated their convents and monasteries to more adequately care for aging members. Some have merged or collaborated with other communities to better provide adequate care for elder members, as well as continue their ministry. In many instances, the new eldercare facilities that are developed by religious communities welcome lay women and men and diocesan priests, as well as members of religious communities.
Contemplative Religious Life
The Monastery of St. Clare, Greenville, SC
A contemplative women's religious community that receives grants.
Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Cross, Berryville, VA
A contemplative men's religious community that receives grants.
Active Religious Life
Sisters of Saint Joseph, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
An active women's community that receives grants.
Congregation of Holy Cross, Eastern Province, New Rochelle, New York
An active men's community that receives grants.