| Photo by Age Cymru on Unsplash
Part V of “Fourteen Letters to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV” Series
Dear Holy Father:
There is another compelling reason to address homelessness, especially in developing countries like the Philippines. No retirement system is fully funded or organized for retired priests and other church workers who do not belong to a religious order. Ergo, doing the ideal proposed projects of building tenement housing units for the homeless can also provide homes for retired servants of God.
Then there is the matter of “Super Agers”. These are the individuals, typically over 80, who exhibit cognitive abilities comparable to those of people decades younger. They are often characterized by strong memory, resilience to age-related brain changes, and the maintenance of high levels of cognitive function and physical health.
It is the educated guess of this writer and several of his peers that many retired priests, deacons, and nuns are probably “Super Agers.” Perhaps Catholic educational institutions that have schools of medicine, nursing, and other medical courses can start doing formal research on the “Super Agers” of the Catholic and other Christian churches. And verifying who among retired priests and other church workers can prolong their ministry, even with special assistance, if needed. In this modern age, dioceses, parishes, and convents are struggling to find priests. nuns and other religious workers.
This author (then 75) wrote on October 20, 2021, that Life Now Begins at 80. Interested “Super Agers” and their kin may read it at this link.
“Perhaps constructing low-income housing adjacent to clergy’s and church-workers’ retirement tenement buildings may reinvigorate the Catholic Church. For it is not our Christian mantra of helping, defending, and loving neighbors, as if they were our siblings?“
This journalist can participate in the said recommended studies on “Super Agers”, as he cured himself — with the assistance of his primary physician at Kaiser Permanente (KP) health-maintenance organization (HMO) — of Type-2 diabetes. He relied mainly on the so-called “Pacific-Islander Diet” and daily brisk walking exercise. He created a Facebook Group called “Pacific-Islander Diet” to help elders become “Super Agers”. And to persuade his kin and friends (especially his 5,000 Facebook friends, thousands of followers, and members of some 85 Facebook groups that he founded) to support this advocacy.
Perhaps constructing low-income housing adjacent to clergy’s and church-workers’ retirement tenement buildings may reinvigorate the Catholic Church. For it is not our Christian mantra of helping, defending, and loving neighbors, as if they were our siblings?
By this Sunday, Part VI will appeal to Your Holiness to push also what this writer coined as “Operation Knightingale,” which was an appeal to Knights of Columbus, Knights of Rizal, Knights of Malta, and other fraternal organizations to help in persuading and encouraging millions of young students to take up nursing. The various organizations of knights did not even reply.
The World Health Organization has predicted a shortage of 13 million nurses by 2030. It will also include a reference to this writer’s series of column articles that attempted to persuade California’s political leaders (to no avail) to assist in reviving Holy Names University (HNU) in the City of Oakland. The HNU, founded by Catholic nuns from Canada, offered a wide range of nursing courses. It closed its doors after nearly 16 decades of serving, educating, and graduating tens of thousands of college students.
Thank you, Your Holiness, for your attention and assistance.
Very respectfully yours in Jesus Christ,
Roberto (Bobby) M. Reyes
Journalist and Book Author
