Diocese of Green Bay parishioners have the opportunity to support the needs of our retired religious and priests through the Retirement Collection on the weekend of December 9-10, 2023. Share in the Care, and please help our brothers, sisters and clergy who have given so much to the Church through the Retirement Collection. You can support our faith leaders by giving to the Retirement Collection at your parish Dec. 9-10 or by visiting www.catholicfoundationgb.org/give.
“Many of our lives have been impacted through the work of devoted and devout sisters, brothers, and priests through Catholic parishes, schools, and hospitals,” said Fr. Mark Vander Steeg, Vicar for Priests & Pastoral Leaders for the Diocese of Green Bay. “After serving with great dedication, but often with little financial compensation, we can now thank our faithful leaders for their lifelong service. Even in their later years, our retired religious continue to inspire us and show us what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Our support shows our care and appreciation for them and all they’ve done to support the mission of the Church.”
The needs of our retired religious are growing. Today, retired religious are projected to outnumber wage-earning religious by more than three to one. To help address the gap in retirement funding among U.S. religious orders, the Catholic bishops of the United States started the Retirement Fund for Religious collection in 1988. The Retirement Collection includes the Diocesan Priests’ Retirement and the National Retirement Fund for Religious.
Catholics around the country have been very generous in supporting this great effort to help our retired religious. Supporting this collection is a beautiful way for us to give back to those who have given so much through their ministries. The Diocese of Green Bay continues to be a national leader in contributions. Thank you very much for your support of our retired religious.