Retirement problems of U.S. religious go back decades

Published: 2006-06-16

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The retirement problems of U.S. religious go back decades, to when most men and women religious -- especially women religious -- received small stipends for their work and the working members of communities supported their sick and elderly out of their own incomes. Retirement was not part of their vocabulary; most worked until failing health or other impairments forced them to quit or cut back. A sharp drop-off in religious vocations since the 1970s -- in stark contrast to the vocations boom of the 1930s through the 1950s -- has meant a steady increase in the age of those in religious life. Currently the average age of women religious is 69.4 years and the average age of men religious is 64.5, according to the retirement office. In 1988 the first Religious Retirement Fund national collection was begun to help U.S. religious orders of men and women meet their retirement needs. It was authorized by the U.S. bishops in 1987 for 10 years and later reauthorized for another 10 years.

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