Individuals
Though financial support is distributed to religious communities, gifts to the Retirement Fund for Religious have a very real impact on the day-to-day lives of individual senior religious—providing funding for necessities such as prescription medications and nursing care.
Below, meet some of the senior religious who benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious. Click on a photo to read their stories.
Brother Jerome Sysko, 68
Midwest Augustinians
Growing up in Chicago, Augustinian Brother Jerome Sysko, 68, was taught by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. They had a great impact on his vocation. "They really lived up to their name and modeled the Holy Family," recalls Brother Jerome. "They were reverent and had a welcoming, loving spirit." Years later, Brother Jerome found that same feeling of family with the Augustinians and entered the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel in 1961.
From novice formation to campus ministry, much of Brother's Jerome's nearly 40 years of ministry has involved serving the young. In 2010, however, Brother Jerome took on a new ministry: elder care. Today, he serves as the prior of the Blessed Stephen Bellesini Friary, a unique canonical community located within a retirement and skilled-care facility. Financial and consultative support from the Retirement Fund for Religious enabled his province to establish the friary and to develop a comprehensive elder-care plan. "It is a privilege to accompany our members at this stage of their lives," says Brother Jerome.