Trio named to assist retired priests

Eighty-eight of the Albany Diocese's approximately 240 priests are retired. In the next five years, another 60 will join them. As retirees start to outnumber active priests, caring for senior clergy is becoming more and more crucial.

"Priests, for the most part, retire at an older age than most people do. All of a sudden, you're on your own -- and that's a challenge at 70 or 75," remarked Rev. John Provost, head of the diocesan Priests' Retirement Committee and pastor of St. Henry's Church in Averill Park.

To meet that challenge, the Diocese has named Revs. J. Barry Lonergan, Paul Cox and George St. John as ministers solely to retired priests. They themselves are retired.

New paradigm

Father Lonergan believes the Albany Diocese is "way ahead" of other U.S. dioceses in addressing this need now.

He noted that the "traditional" rule for older priests was that they never really retired but continued to live in rectories as they aged, turning their duties over to a younger priest who could both run the parish and watch over his older peer.

But now, he said, there aren't enough active priests to make that practice feasible. (The Albany Diocese currently has 118 priests active in parishes.) Most retired clergy live alone in family homes they have inherited, in apartments, or, in a few cases, in assisted-living communities or nursing homes.

Big change

The three ministers to retired priests have split up the list of retirees, each taking responsibility for about 30.

"Our most important function is to let folks know they're not forgotten," Father Lonergan stated.

To that end, he sends his group a newsletter periodically, letting them know about information that wasn't included in diocesan mailings. He also sends birthday and ordination-anniversary cards.

Decision time

Ministers to retired priests also help the senior clergy make financial decisions. Father Provost pointed out that, with more retired priests living in private housing, their cost of living has increased just as their income has decreased.

Retired priests usually have four sources of income, said Father Lonergan: diocesan pensions (or other pensions if they were military chaplains and the like), Social Security, stipends for helping out in parishes and any personal investments they made over the years.

The latter, he said, can often "make the difference between just getting by or getting by quite nicely." But many priests don't think about financial planning until retirement approaches, and they suddenly need to worry more about them.

Staying well

Just as crucial as meeting emotional and financial needs is keeping track of the priests' physical health.

"Some of our priests are in wonderful shape, but a lot have not taken care of themselves," Father Lonergan explained. "They're overweight; they have diabetes or high blood pressure."

A diabetic himself, he noted that he has to leave the cap for his insulin shot on the kitchen counter every night so he remembers in the morning that he took it. He said it's not unusual for senior priests to deal with similar issues around medication -- and even around remembering to buy groceries and eat well.

Hospital link

The Diocese is working with the Choices program, based at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany. Choices helps older adults remain in their homes for as long as possible, providing everything from health services to housekeeping on a sliding fee scale.

A caseworker is assigned to each retiree to keep track of his health.

The Diocese is providing Choices services as a benefit for older priests. "We're encouraging them all to look into it," said Father Provost.

Key question

To cover all of the areas where retired priests might have questions, the Diocese is creating a manual titled, "Transitioning from Active Service in the Diocese to Retirement."

Father Lonergan, who's been working on the 200-page guide, said that it includes everything from dealing with forgetfulness to deciding when it's time to stop driving.

It's "a delicate issue," he said, to confront a retiree about giving up his car keys.

Issues

Since most retired priests choose to help out in parishes, it's also important to educate parishes about working around the retirees' limitations.

For example, "if a priest has eye problems and can't see at night, you don't schedule him [to celebrate] a Mass at 6 p.m. in January!" Father Lonergan remarked.

The manual will help priests "confront questions up front, rather than be retired and say, 'Oh, my God, what have I done?'"

'Privilege'

As a priest still in active ministry, Father Provost called his role on the retirement committee "a privilege," because he feels he's honoring the priests who have gone before him by making sure they're supported in their golden years.

Retirement "is a total change in the way [priests have] been living their lives," Father Provost said. In the bustle of parish life, "moment to moment, you're usually with people -- and then that stops."

(Contact the Choices program at 525-1364, or visit www.stpetershealthcare.org.)

(3/30/06) [[In-content Ad]]