Bishop Larry Silva announced the creation of a new second parish collection, for the support and care of retired diocesan priests, which will debut next year on the Feast of the Good Shepherd, which is also the Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 2-3.
The diocesan priests’ pension fund is “seriously underfunded,” the bishop wrote in an Oct. 7 email letter to all priests in Hawaii.
“Unless something is done about funding it, it will not be adequate to meet the needs of our priests in the future,” he said.
The diocesan directory lists 25 retired diocesan priests, the most the diocese has ever had, approaching the number of active diocesan priests: 34.
Bishop Silva said that the diocese’s Priests’ Retirement Committee recommended a specific collection for this purpose, arguing that it would generate a “better response” than simply taking funds out of the general contribution a parish makes to the diocese.
The Presbyteral Council, the bishop’s advisory group of priests, endorsed the suggestion.
This new collection is not to be confused with national second collection for Retired Religious each December. Money from this appeal helps retired religious sisters, brothers and priests nation-wide including a few in Hawaii. None goes to Hawaii’s retired diocesan priests.
In his letter, Bishop Silva also urged Hawaii’s priests to “prayerfully consider your own personal contribution” to the retirement collection and also suggested leaving a donation to the pension fund in their wills.
“Several of our brother priests have done so in the past,” he said, “and the pension fund has benefitted greatly from their generosity.”