Priest Retirement Trust Fund

Our Priests. Our Turn.

The more than fifty diocesan priests supported by the Priests Retirement Fund have each given many years, often forty or more, in service to God and the Catholic communities of New Hampshire. The parish priest is a part of every Catholic family. They offer counsel and comfort, and they lead us in celebrating the sacraments.

The Need

Parish priests generally retire after 70 and often decide to live independently in retirement. Though retired, many senior priests continue to celebrate Mass and support parish life. In the 1960s, the diocese established a diocesan priest retirement program to provide financial support for priests who are retired. The Priests Retirement Trust Fund provides a monthly stipend and benefits. For some priests this is their only means of support. This fund has faced challenges similar to Social Security and most pension funds for several years now. Though the support parishioners have provided in the past has been remarkable, there is still a great need for your support.

Depending on Our Generosity

Last year was the third annual collection for this fund and, despite an ongoing difficult economy, parishioners gave generously, with total gifts of more than $333,000. The need continues this year. When you contribute to the Priests Retirement Fund, your gift will go toward helping current and future retired priests. We also ask you to prayerfully consider giving more than a one-time offering through pledged and/or planned giving.

A Chance to Give Back

September 24-25, 2011

Please use the envelope in this brochure or your parish envelope for the diocesan Priests Retirement Trust Fund collection. One easy way to contribute a continuing pledged gift is with your credit card. You can drop the envelope into the collection on September 24 and 25 or you can mail it directly to the Diocesan Priests Retirement Trust Fund, PO Box 310, Manchester, NH 03105-0310. Each parish will be notified of gifts made by its parishioners received directly by the Trust Fund.

For those interested in planned giving please contact Melanie English at 669-3100 or menglish@rcbm.org.

Fr. Charles DesRuisseaux

Fr. Charles DesRuisseaux says that, even after fifty-one years of publicly celebrating the Mass, he still gets a little nervous standing in front of a congregation and delivering his homily.

“Not as much as I was at the beginning,” he laughs, “But I’ve always been shy.” Fr. Charles considers himself a sacramental priest, and in celebrating the sacraments he feels his faith is at its strongest. “Communion is, we really believe, the Lord coming to us, strengthening us, and to be with us in

our journey each day.” Though he’s quiet in a crowd, Fr. Charles strongly believes in the power of a faith community. “I don’t like to say Mass alone,” he says. “Mass is a community service. We are ordained not for ourselves but for the community. So I go to Ste. Marie’s parish in Manchester, near my home, and participate with the people there. Without people, something is missing from our faith.” For Fr. Charles, Manchester has always been the center of his faith community. His mother and father grew up here, and Fr. Charles served as pastor in his childhood parish, St. Anthony of Padua, for twenty-two years. Despite retiring in 2009, he has remained active in celebrating the Mass and has also become involved in ecumenical work around New Hampshire, building relationships with Christians from other denominations.

“I think we have to go out and realize that everyone who is baptized, all Christian churches, we are part of God’s family.” Retirement was not something Fr. Charles embraced with enthusiasm. “I feared it,” he says, “because I love my work. I had done the same thing for forty-nine years, and then one day… though it wasn’t completely over, it was completely different. But I think retirement has given me the

opportunity to pray more deeply. I’ve found that the Lord is a little closer now that I have more time to think about him. And I like to walk to church now that I have more time. Ste. Marie’s is about a half hour away from me; I pray the rosary one way, and after Mass I’ve received Communion so I walk with Jesus coming back.”

The story is just beginning! Visit www.catholicnh.org/ourpriests to hear an audio interview with Fr. Charles DesRuisseaux, including reflections on his time in seminary, life in retirement, and his work with the sick.

Questions about the diocesan Priests Retirement Fund? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, or write to the diocesan offices by clicking here.

Listen in on the following audio clips.

Click on the title of the interview.