Catholic Church and their treatment of retired priests

kellyn172

Hello,

My uncle is a retired catholic priest 62 years active service in Florida.

He has dementia and the diocese in Florida cannot find him a space in a home and said the family would have to rely on their own resources. Is there anything we can do about this? I am shocked to the bone after 62 years active service.

downburst

Does he not have a pension? Surely there is a pension or some money from the diocese. Not sure why the family would not have some responsibility like every other family of an elderly man with no children.

Hotblack Desiato

@downburst I don't think the situation is comparable really, given that the "job" required him to give up any possibility of having children who might support him in his old age. Diocesan priests are housed while they are serving so it seems only fair that they be looked after in retirement and if nursing home care is required.

@ OP is your uncle linked to an order, perhaps one with an Irish branch? Might they be able to assist? Could repatriation and care in Ireland be an option (presuming he was born here) ?

Jellybaby_1

I'm no expert on the RCC but I think there used to be a home for retired priests in Rathgar, Dublin, the land was sold and there's an apartment building there now. Don't know what happened to the home. I'd have thought the RCC would look after their older priests.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058364683/catholic-church-and-their-treatment-of-retired-priests

Are we talking about family in Ireland that the diocese expects to arrange accommodation ?

SVI40

62 years service, and the church are prepared to leave it to the family to look aster him?

Refuse to do this, the diocese will have to sort it out.

Manach

My understand in general, based on mass announcements, that part of the weekly collection is at times set aside for such retired Priests in the parish. So, this support would be at a diocesian level.

Jim_Hodge

OP sounds iffy or there's a breakdown in communication somewhere. Dioceses and orders invariably make provision for their retired Priests, Brothers and Nuns.

Tow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058364683/catholic-church-and-their-treatment-of-retired-priests

The Jesuits in Dublin have a modern(ised) retirement and nursing home for priests in Milltown. Their problem is not having enough priests to fill it, to they have just started to take in Jesuit Educated men as well.

It should be up to his Order to look after him.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515796#Comment_122515796

The same goes for the Columban's at Dalgan Park near Navan.

https://columbans.ie/resources/dalgan/

In fact all the orders in Ireland look after their retired members.

The different diocese also have a good record in this regard. In fact the more active retired priests often help out in parishes.

The op needs to contact the bishop in Florida and insist that their relative is looked after by the people he served for so long.

Peregrinus

It's up to each diocese (or religious order) to take care of its retired members. Arrangements vary from diocese to diocese/order to order but in general they're pretty good at it.

What the OP relates is unusual and I struggle to explain it. A couple of speculations occur to me.

• Although the OP's uncle ministered in Florida, on retirement he returned to Ireland. Thus he can't avail himself of the facilities the diocese maintains in Florida. His family want the diocese to find, and pay for, a place in a suitable home in Ireland, but the diocese can't or won't do this.
• The diocese is one of several US dioceses that have been bankrupt in recent years by the weight of sexual abuse claims, and resources which would otherwise have been available to maintaing retired priests have been taken to satisfy creditors.

I think for a fuller understanding of this, the OP needs to tell us (a) what the diocese is prepared to do for this man, and (b) the reason the diocese offers for not doing more.