CHARLOTTE — During Masses Dec. 9-10, parishes are asked to take up a collection to support retired consecrated religious men and women.
The annual Retirement Fund for Religious Collection is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office, which then distributes the funds to eligible religious communities to help care for their aging members.
In 2022, Diocese of Charlotte parishioners contributed $278,867 to this collection.
John Knutsen, director of the NRRO, said, “We are privileged to support those who have dedicated their lives to tireless service, and we are immensely grateful for the continuing generosity of U.S. Catholic donors to this vital cause.”
Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests – collectively known as men and women religious – have selflessly served for decades without significant financial compensation. However, escalating healthcare costs mean that numerous religious communities face a substantial gap between their elderly members’ needs and the financial resources available for their care. Compounding the problem, many religious orders currently experience insufficient retirement savings.
The U.S. bishops initiated the Retirement Fund for Religious collection in 1988 to address this deficit in retirement funding among U.S. religious orders.
The 2022 appeal demonstrated Catholics’ tremendous generosity – raising $27.6 million nationwide to support the retirement needs for 297 U.S. religious communities.
The NRRO is sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
— Catholic News Herald
More online
At www.retiredreligious.org: Find out more information about this collection and how funds help religious communities across the United States
CHARLOTTE — As Advent quickly approaches, so does a day of great generosity. Reserve some money from shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to give to Catholic-related charitable efforts on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become known as “Giving Tuesday.” Catholics can focus their charitable giving on this day in numerous ways.
Campaigns such as #iGiveCatholic, originally launched in 2015 as a 24-hour fundraiser to benefit the Catholic Community Foundation of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, have grown into a broader social media movement that resonates with people who want to combat the commercialization and consumerism that have attempted to overtake the true meaning of Christmas.
This year the Diocese of Charlotte is highlighting 11 opportunities to give through the website www.igivecatholic.org: Asheville Catholic School, Charlotte Catholic High School, Christ the King High School in Huntersville, Holy Angels in Belmont, Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro, Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly, St. Mark Church in Huntersville, St. Michael Church in Gastonia, and Catholic Charities.
There are several other local Catholic-related charitable efforts you can consider giving to this season, too.
Provided rendering of the Marian grotto proposed at St. Joseph College Seminary.This year St. Joseph College Seminary is raising funds to build a Marian grotto near a creek on its Mount Holly property. Spearheaded by a volunteer group of Catholic students at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, the grotto would include a bench area and a statue. The volunteers are helping to design a grotto with a small environmental footprint, a drainage area along the footpaths, and a pond for water runoff. To donate to this project, visit www.stjcs.org/donation.
Also consider Holy Angels in Belmont, whose mission is to provide compassionate, dependable care and opportunities to people with intellectual developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions. This year Holy Angels is aiming to raise $50,000 to purchase a passenger van for its new Life Choices program. Find out more and donate at www.holyangelsnc.org/donate.
Another option is the Airport Chaplaincy at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. While the chaplaincy is non-denominational in its mission to serve airport travelers and employees, deacons of the diocese are closely involved in its work. Chaplains provide support and assistance to thousands of people who travel and work at the airport, one of the nation’s busiest. Consider donating to this ministry by going online to www.cltairportchapel.org.
— Kimberly Bender
Other options to “give Catholic” on Giving Tuesday include:
Catholic Masses are held at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Sundays. (Photo by Kimberly Bender)
- Catholic Campus Ministry
- Catholic Schools
- Catholic Conference Center improvements
- Charlotte Catholic High School’s capital campaign
- Christ the King High School’s capital campaign
- 2023 Diocesan Support Appeal (DSA)
- Eucharistic Congress
- Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection
- Seminarian Education
- Donate a one-time gift or set up a recurring gift to your parish
Find links to donate at: www.charlottediocese.org/giving