More On Retirement For Canadian Ordinariate Clergy

I was curious about the exact circumstances of how the few Canadian ordinariate priests who aren't already receiving retirement benefits can arrange for their eventual retirement. In a series of e-mails, my regular correspondent clarified the situation:

Canadian ordinariate communities supposedly must contribute $5000 or 10% of revenue, whichever is greater, to the clergy retirement fund. I can’t believe this is actually enforced, since a lot of communities barely take in $5000 total, but let’s leave that aside for the moment. In the US there is a formally established fund. But Canadians employed in Canada cannot participate. I think this is for reasons outside of the Ordinariate’s jurisdiction, but I will explore further. The possibility of setting up a Canadian fund was explored, but with only four clergy under age seventy-five it wasn’t deemed possible. I think the relevant parishes contribute to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan for their clergy, or assist him in doing so (it’s tax-deductible).

I think Canadian communities with active clergy (ie St John the Evangelist; St John Henry Newman, Victoria; and Annunciation, Ottawa) have to contribute at least $5000 to their priest(s)’ individual RRSP, not a central fund. I believe this is the type of retirement savings plan known as an IRA in the US. Presumably this comes out of general parish/community revenue for which contributing members have already been given receipts. Last year no material on the Ordinariate Retirement Fund second collection was sent to Canadian communities. However, this took several years to get sorted out, and in the meantime (some) money was donated to the Houston fund. Needless to say Fr Shane was pretty bummed when he found out that he will be living on government assistance in retirement, given the relatively few years he has to contribute to an RRSP.

My guess is that most of the Canadian communities other than St John the Evangelist Calgary will fold when their priests die or otherwise depart, and if they continue, it will be with the assistance of a diocesan priest or priests (as is already the case in Edmonton, and in Toronto to a great extent) or possibly with a Canadian such as Luke McDonald, should he eventually get ordained in six years, doing diocesan work in conjunction with his Ordinariate assignment. So pensions will not be much of an issue here.

In other words, the Canadian deanery basically doesn't function as an ongoing enterprise, and due to its small size and the lack of ongoing interest, it basically can't provide retirement benefits even equivalent to those available to ordinariate priests in the US.