Diocese to participate in National Religious Retirement Collection

By Sister Katie Eiffe

Contributing writer

In 1988, the United States Bishops established a yearly collection for the National Religious Retirement Fund in order to aid both men’s and women’s religious congregations to care for their retired, elderly and infirm members. The collection has been held annually ever since.

In the Diocese of Syracuse, Bishop Frank Harrison established a religious retirement collection in the late 1970s. That one-time collection and the funds received were expected to provide funding for the religious communities who served in the diocese, for about three years. However, due to the generosity of the people of God in the Diocese of Syracuse, and the wise stewardship of the funds, it served us until 2020! Since then, our diocese has participated in the National Collection, and will do so again this year on the weekend of Aug. 13.

Many of us have grateful memories of men and women religious who have served us as teachers, in parish religious education programs, in pastoral care, as nurses and in many other ministries.

My life has been blessed by many religious men and women — primarily the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, of whom I am now a member, but also Sisters of St. Francis, Daughters of Charity, Dominican Sisters of Hope, Franciscan Friars and Jesuit Priests. It was my friendship with a particular Sister of St. Joseph, Sister Mary Agnes Kehoe, which led me to discern that I might be called to religious life and to that community.  Forty-six years later, I am still filled with wonder and joy at that gift of vocation.

The Religious Retirement Fund benefits men and women who have dedicated themselves to religious life.

Our community, like all others, strives to provide our sisters with care and support throughout our lives, but especially for our retired sisters who have given their lives in service to God and to the Church. It is of the highest priority to provide them with care until God calls them home.

You may know that today, most religious communities have many more retired members than those of us who are able to actively serve in remunerative ministry. Though we do steward our resources carefully, we need assistance to provide the care that our retired and infirm members need and deserve. We depend on the continued generosity of the people of God.

As mentioned earlier, our diocesan collection will be held on the weekend of Aug. 13 (though individual parishes may choose another weekend.) If you receive envelopes, there should be an envelope for the Religious Retirement Collection in your packet.

Or, if you prefer, you may donate directly to the National Religious Retirement Fund at the following address:

Retirement Fund for Religious

PO Box 96988

Washington, DC 20090-6988

Please note: If you intend to donate in your parish, the check should be made out to your parish (with RFR on the memo line) and placed in the collection.  If you donate directly to the National Office, the check should be made payable to

Retirement Fund for Religious.

I invite you to spend a few moments in a prayer of gratitude for those religious women and men who have served our diocese so well for so long, and I ask you to be as generous as you are able. I thank you in advance for your care and generosity.

NOTE: Sr. Katie is the diocesan Vicar for Religious and Director of Synodal Planning.