“Retirement home for elderly priests in the works”
Source: The Catholic Sun, 2010.
Plans are in the works to build a home for elderly priests who have faithfully served the Diocese of Phoenix for years.
Currently, retired priests own or rent homes. Three others reside at Mount Claret Retreat Center. A few, such as Fr. Clemens Hut, who recently turned 99, live in nursing homes.
In other, older dioceses—the Diocese of Phoenix was established just 40 years ago—existing buildings have been converted in to retirement homes or new facilities have been built. The Archdiocese of Newark has two homes for retired priests and the Archdiocese of New York has three.
Of the 126 diocesan priests in the Phoenix Diocese, 54 of them are age 65 or older. With nearly half of the diocesan priests nearing retirement age, the growing need for a place where they may reside with brother priests is apparent.