Diocese to hold second collection to aid seminarians

By Mary Moore
The Catholic Sun

More men are entering the seminary to become priests and serve the Church, leading to additional educational costs.

Catholics throughout the Phoenix Diocese can chip-in during the second annual seminarian appeal at Masses June 3-4. The second collection will help pay for seminary education this coming school year.

Tuition, room and board for each seminarian is about $19,000 and is covered by the diocese, as is each seminarian’s health insurance. Seminarians must also take care of transportation expenses, medical deductibles and prescriptions, and personal necessities.

For many seminarians personal transportation is essential in their area. For example, seminarians at St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana must travel considerable distances to do ministry in adjacent towns.

Car maintenance and associated costs can quickly deplete their modest stipend. Books are also a great cost for each student, covered partly by a $300-$500 stipend from the Serra Club.

At present, seminarians rely on the generosity of the Knights of Columbus, the Serra Club, private donations as well as the Charity and Development Appeal and the annual seminarian appeal for the majority of their expenses. 

“We are currently trying to set up a priest burse or perpetual fund so that we will not have to have second collections,” said Fr. Don Kline, vocations director. “That is the goal.”

A priest burse is a fund that is set up with a college or seminary. The money is invested and the interest it accrues is applied toward the education of a student.

Each burse would be named after a priest following his death.

Seminarian graduate John Lankeit said the Adopt-a-Seminarian program sponsored by various parishes also provides some relief. Through this program, seminarians receive spiritual support and, occasionally, gift cards for gas or department stores.

“It’s funny. A Wal-Mart gift card is like gold to a seminarian,” he said, adding that many seminarians must rely on any savings they have earned before entering the seminary as well as student loans, which add extra stress on a new priest.

Last year’s seminarian appeal — which collected $300,000 — helped the 25 seminarians studying in the 2005-2006 school year. Fr. Kline is anticipating that as many as eight new seminarians will begin studies next year.