Catholic congregations pledge shared elder care as members age

ZAMBOANGA City — Catholic religious congregations in the Philippines pledged Saturday to develop shared elder-care programs after a survey highlighted growing pressure to care for aging members.

The 233 consecrated women and men representing 159 congregations said the findings underscored the need for closer cooperation as members age and resources decline.

In a statement issued at the close of the second convention of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines, the religious leaders pledged to care for aging members “with dignity through sustainable care, caregiver formation, shared resources, and inter-congregational initiatives.”

The survey found that about 70% of members in 45 women’s congregations are 50 or older, while nearly 48% are over 60. About 24% are at least 70.

Sister Thu Do of the Congregation of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hanoi presented the findings Thursday during the convention in Zamboanga City.

“Today, elder care and other issues in consecrated life are no longer an isolated congregational issue,” Do said. “They are collective challenges facing every congregation.”

Nearly 40% of the congregations surveyed spend more than half their budgets on elder care, while 79% identified financial assistance as their top need.

Do proposed an inter-congregational care facility for smaller institutes that lack the resources to provide adequate elder care on their own.

The elder-care commitment was part of a broader statement identifying safeguarding, leadership, declining resources and the formation of younger members as continuing challenges for religious communities.

The CMSP said it would strengthen cooperation by sharing personnel, expertise, facilities and other resources to address challenges facing congregations. (CBCP News)

This article was originally published by CBCP News.