December 18, 2009 - Christmas Collection to Benefit Priests
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New Website Launched to Support Archdiocesan Priests
Video Christmas Message from Cardinal SeánBraintree, MA – The annual collection for the benefit of the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston will take place during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses. This is the only collection on these sacred days and is designed to provide for the retirement, medical and financial needs of the priests of the Archdiocese through the Clergy Funds.
The Archdiocese has also launched a new website to support this collection, www.CareForSeniorPriests.org, which includes a video Christmas message from Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley. The website focuses on the gift our priests have made to our Catholic community, and offers information about the funding needs for their care, what the Archdiocese is doing to stabilize the important trusts, guidance regarding ways to give and materials for parishes to assist in coordinating the annual collection.
Cardinal Seán said, “In the midst of challenging times we are blessed by our priests, who provide pastoral care for individuals and families in our parishes and the wider communities throughout the Archdiocese. Supporting the annual Christmas collection for the benefit of the medical and retirement needs of the priests is one of the most meaningful ways we can show our gratitude for their service. Please join me in contributing to the collection, and be assured of my deep appreciation for your generosity and your kindness.”
Mr. Joseph D’Arrigo, Executive Director of the Priest Pension and Healthcare Funds at the Archdiocese of Boston, said, “Just as we need our priests to help us better serve Christ, they need us to support them in their lifetime ministry. In many ways, as Catholics, we are extended members of each other’s families. In our commitment to serve the Church and in support of our priests, each year at Christmas we take up a collection that provides retirement and health care benefits for all the priests of the archdiocese.”Mr. D’Arrigo is leading the effort to stabilize the Clergy Funds which, like many other pension funds, currently have a significant unfunded liability. He added, “There has been a tremendous amount of work done over the last year to manage these funds and to ensure that these funds are stabilized for future generations of priests.”
Among the steps taken to date include, among others, affirming a new Advisory Board, instituting new policies to reduce expenses, implementing more cost efficiencies, and adding a special collection on the second Sunday in June to support the Clergy Fund.
Currently there are nearly 750 priests in the Archdiocese of Boston, 240 of whom are senior priests (age 75 or older). In the more than 200 year history of the Archdiocese there have been more than 3,000 diocesan priests serving the Catholic faithful.
About the Archdiocese of Boston: The Diocese of Boston was founded on April 8, 1808 and was elevated to Archdiocese in 1875. Currently serving the needs of nearly 2 million Catholics, the Archdiocese of Boston is an ethnically diverse and spiritually enriching faith community consisting of 291 parishes, across 144 communities, educating approximately 46,000 students in its Catholic schools and 156,000 in religious education classes each year, ministering to the needs of 200,000 individuals through its pastoral and social service outreach and in support of a health care ministry that meets the needs of some 1 million patients each year. Mass is celebrated in nearly twenty different languages each week. For more information, please visit www.BostonCatholic.org.