Dear Parishioners,
On the weekend of December 12-13, our parishes will conduct the Retirement Fund for Religious collection. This annual appeal benefits some 33,000 senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests - women and men who have consecrated their lives to serving God and the Church.
During this Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis calls on the faithful to recognize the special witness that consecrated women and men offer our Church and world. In a letter marking the inauguration of this special year, he asks that “the
whole Christian people be increasingly aware of the gift which is the presence of our many consecrated men and women.” He goes on to note the spiritual influence that religious continue to have on our Church and faith today.
As we reflect on saints of the past, many of us may recall women and men religious whom we would consider saints in our day. With gratitude, we remember the sister who patiently helped us learn our multiplication tables or the brother who coached our high school team, teaching us that faith must be lived out in the classroom – and even on the basketball court.
Today, many of these sisters, brothers, and religious order priests - saints in our midst - are elderly. While some continue in volunteer ministry, others are frail and need care. Most worked for years for small stipends, leaving their religious communities without adequate resources to meet growing retirement and eldercare needs.
I ask you to join with Pope Francis in acknowledging the gift of consecrated life, praying for God’s blessing on all religious and donate generously to the Retirement Fund for Religious.
Grateful for your prayers and generosity toward the retired religious throughout the United States, I am
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Very Reverend Mauricio W. West
Vicar General and Chancellor