Priests' Pension Plan

What retirement benefits do senior priests receive through the Priests’ Pension Plan?

At age 70 and with 20 years of service, our diocesan priests in the Detroit Archdiocese receive a full retirement package including a monthly cash distribution of up to $1,575 and a supplemental quarterly expense allowance of up to $455 as well as medical and dental insurance, Medicare Part B costs, auto insurance, and reimbursement of up to $1,500 per year for professional expenses. Senior priests use this money for basic needs such as food, housing and transportation. The Plan is not an endowment; rather it supports a defined benefit plan.

Retired priests with an interest in furthering their education through classes or symposia at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, in Detroit, or elsewhere have, through their lifetime of priestly service in the Detroit Archdiocese, earned the privilege of expanding their knowledge, theologically or otherwise. While this is a retirement benefit that not all qualified priests avail themselves of, it is an option that most value.

Regarding auto insurance, archdiocesan priests provide a lifetime of labor in Christ's name and in service to parishioners in many ways and places over countless hours. In circumstances where a senior priest has a vehicle, the Priests’ Pension Plan covers his auto insurance. Retirement for a priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit rarely involves a complete withdrawal from sacramental or other responsibilities. Many priests continue to celebrate Mass and engage in the sacramental life of the Church when and where needed. By providing auto insurance, the Priests' Pension Plan helps facilitate their ongoing assistance in ministry. Senior priests can be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses such as travel involved in providing ministerial services at parishes other than where they reside.

A priest of the Detroit Archdiocese assigned to fulltime service with an institution that has a retirement plan from which the priest will receive a pension (such as a military chaplain), is eligible to receive financial support from the archdiocesan Priests’ Pension Plan to the extent that the pension from the outside institution is less than the amount he would receive from the archdiocesan plan had he remained in full-time service to the Archdiocese. The same applies to disability benefits earned through institutions outside the Detroit Archdiocese. Retirement and disability benefits through the archdiocesan Priests’ Pension Plan are adjusted based on benefits received from other institutions.