Press Release on Feb 9, 2026

Area Catholic School Teachers, Church Employees Push Back on Dramatic Pension Cuts

Over 150 retired and current Catholic school teachers and church employees in the St. Cloud Diocese have organized to advocate for themselves and for nearly 1,400 others like them who anticipate a 42 percent cut to their pension benefits.

The St. Cloud Diocesan Pension Concerns group is asking the Saint Cloud Diocese to meet its contractual obligation in the wake of an announcement last fall that the diocesan defined pension program has a shortfall of nearly $35 million dollars.

The group has taken a position that the St. Cloud Diocese must meet its legal and moral obligation to fully fund its pension promises.

“If the church is called to be like a family, then it should take care of its family of workers,” said Jeffrey Kaster, a co-organizer of the group. Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C., rejected the group’s suggestion of a capital campaign as unfeasible.

Most of the workers affected by this pension reduction are women Catholic school teachers and parish staff. They worked for lower wages because they believed in the mission of the church. A 42% reduction in pension benefits will be catastrophic for those retired on a fixed income. It is especially difficult because their Social Security benefits are low because of their reduced lifetime earnings.

A single 73-year-old retiree from Cold Spring, Teri Krowka Ansberry, said, “If my pension is reduced by 42%, I will not be able to meet my monthly expenses and will most likely need to go back to work.” She worked for the church in some capacity since she was 22 years old.

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On December 8, 2025, the Diocesan Pension Concerns group made four requests to Bishop Neary:

• To be more transparent and communicate this problem to the public;
• To provide the group representation on the diocesan pension task force;
• To have listening sessions with pension plan participants who are deeply hurt by this situation;
• 4) start a capital campaign to fully meet its pension promises.

Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C. and the diocese have not met any of these requests.