Priests' fund allows us to say 'Thank you'

St. Joseph's Priests' Retirement Fund annual collection set for April 29

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

If you value what your parish priest does, you will have an opportunity to show it on Sunday, April 29.

That's when the annual collection to support the St. Joseph's Priests' Retirement Fund will be held throughout the archdiocese.

"The priests have supported the Catholic people in their journey of faith and now the people have an opportunity to acknowledge and thank them for their leadership," Msgr. John Hamilton, the archdiocese's administrator and chair of the retirement fund, says in a letter to all pastors in the archdiocese.

"The goal of the campaign is to fully fund the actuary needs of the Priests' Retirement Fund. Last year's Gala was a great success and with an extra effort we can achieve our goal."

Need $500,000

In 2001 the pension fund had more than $2 million in unfounded liability. But thanks to the annual parish collection, which has brought in more than $1 million over the past five years, and last September's big gala dinner at the Rexall Centre, which brought in another $520,000, the pension fund is "getting closer and closer to being fully funded," noted Father Josef Wroblewski, the retirement fund's secretary.

"But we still need over a half a million bucks."

The goal is to raise between $250,000 to $300,000 during the upcoming parish collection, know as the Good Shepherd Campaign.

"And if we have a successful collection again this year and next year, we'll be fully funded," Wroblewski said.

"The collection is certainly a big help to us and every year people have just responded marvelously," Hamilton said. "So we are not pushing the fact that we want them to dig deeper; we are so grateful for whatever we get. We are so appreciative that people value what we do for them and that they want to help us in our retirement years."

There are 41 priests currently drawing from the retirement fund. While most are getting a full pension of $1,550 a month, some, those who are over 65 but are still active in ministry, get a partial pension of $500 a month from the fund. Hamilton is 68, but since he is still active as pastor at Sherwood Park, he receives $500 a month from the fund on top of his pastor's salary.

Ongoing needs

Hamilton and Wroblewski think it's still too early to say whether the annual collection will be discontinued once the liability is paid down. "I'm not too sure I can answer that, but you know income tax was just a temporary measure," Hamilton laughed. "We may draw that deficit down to zero but other considerations may come into play at that time so we don't know for sure."

Wroblewski agreed. "(After the fund is stabilized) it may not be necessary to continue holding the collection but as more and more priests retire we are going to need housing for them," he warned. "And Villa Vianney can only hold nine priests so we may have to look at other means."

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