Individuals
Though financial support is distributed to religious communities, gifts to the Retirement Fund for Religious have a very real impact on the day-to-day lives of individual senior religious—providing funding for necessities such as prescription medications and nursing care.
Below, meet some of the senior religious who benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious. Click on a photo to read their stories.
Sister Magdalene Lovrich, 90
School Sisters of St. Francis
For Sister Magdalene Lovrich, 90, a School Sister of St. Francis from Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, the call to serve God as a religious sister came gradually and
increasingly as she kept active in all that concerned her parish church. "It was
the Lord who led me to this community," says Sister Magdalene, "because I had no
previous contact with the sisters. My pastor referred me here, and the sisters
responded immediately to my letter. My pastor drove me to the convent in time
for the opening of the school year, and I entered as an aspirant at the age of 16."
Sister Magdalene professed first vows in 1940 and ministered for 45 years in Catholic education, both as a teacher and a principal. She also served several terms on the provincial council and as a delegate to general chapter meetings in Rome. In 1993, she became the community archivist, a position she continues on a part-time basis today. "I enjoyed my years of ministry," she says, "but I feel that focus on God is primary if one wants the peace and contentment sought for in religious life."