The 25th annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious will be taken up Dec. 8-9, in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

The parish-based appeal is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C., and offers financial support for the day-to-day care of over 34,000 senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests.

Last year, the Archdiocese of Atlanta contributed $259,200.42 to this collection. In 2012, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit received financial assistance made possible by the national appeal. Additionally, religious who serve or have served in the archdiocese but whose communities are based elsewhere may also benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious.

The collection was initiated in 1988 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and is one of a number of national collections. Proceeds are distributed to eligible religious communities to help underwrite retirement and health-care expenses. Nearly 95 percent of donations directly support senior religious and their communities.

Contributions to the 2011 appeal totaled $27.4 million and enabled the NRRO to distribute $23 million in financial assistance to 453 religious communities. Additionally, nearly

$2.9 million was disbursed to assist religious communities with the greatest needs and to support ongoing education in retirement and eldercare delivery.

Since the collection began, Catholics in the United States have donated over $671 million to support senior religious.

“Words cannot express our gratitude,” said NRRO executive director and Precious Blood Sister Janice Bader. “We are humbled by the generous and prayerful support that so many people share with our elder religious each year.”

Despite the unparalleled generosity to the collection, religious communities continue to face significant challenges in meeting the high costs of care. Last year’s distributions amounted to approximately $907 per eligible religious. Yet the average annual cost of care for a senior religious stands at $37,200 per person, while skilled care can exceed $56,000. In 2011 alone, the total cost of care for women and men religious was over $1.1 billion.

Religious communities are financially autonomous and thus responsible for the care and support of their elder members. Traditionally, senior religious worked for small stipends, and any surplus income was often reinvested in community ministries. As a result, many religious communities now lack adequate savings for retirement and elder care. Annual distributions from the Retirement Fund for Religious offer religious communities supplemental retirement funding and help to furnish various necessities, such as prescription medications and nursing care.

“Our goal is to help religious communities develop retirement strategies that will enable them to care for their senior members today and in the years to come,” said Sister Bader.