The Priests’ Retirement Foundation holds the Father’s Day appeal annually on the first Sunday of September, Father’s Day.  Funds raised from the appeal go towards the care of retired and sick priests by providing suitable accommodation, medical assistance and a comfortable standard of living for them.  Please give generously to this appeal.

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Fr Frank O’Loughlin retired this year and moved to the Presbytery at Surrey Hills Wattle Park Parish with the generous support of the Priests’ Retirement Foundation.

A Reflection on Retirement for Priests

by Fr Frank O’Loughlin

After nearly 24 years as Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Church in Sandringham, and having become close to the people there, it was difficult to leave.  But it was time.

As with the combination of parishes in this area, five parishes were to be combined in the Bayside area with two priests in charge of the combination.  I had reached the retirement age of 75 last March and had been noticing a decline in energy in myself over the last couple of years.

It was providential that as the time for my retirement came up the Parish of Surrey Hills Wattle Park was to join those of Camberwell, Balwyn and Deepdene under the leadership of Fr Brendan.  This made the Presbytery at Surrey Hills available; and it opened up for me a great place to go into semi-retirement. I say ‘semi-retirement’ because I still want to be involved here as part of the parish team.

In the process of retirement for me and for other priests, the Priests’ Retirement Foundation has been not only supportive but generous.  And this generosity is only possible because the people of the Archdiocese have been so generous for so long to the Fathers’ Day Appeal for the Priests’ Retirement Fund.

What was so significant in this transition into retirement was that I needed to have no financial concerns: no concerns about where to live, or how to manage the necessary expenses of day to day living, no concerns about purchasing a car and no concerns about all those expenses involved in shifting and setting up a new home.

Retirement involves a lot of change at many levels and can be traumatic as many of you would know from your own experience or that of those dear to you.  Being supported in that transition is really important and I have felt that support both from the parishes here and from the Priests’ Retirement Foundation.