I would be entering seminary with debt. And I want to decrease it while being there since it will take me 6 years. So do they get paid? Paid internship? Or when ordained a deacon?
Is it student debt or something else? If student debt, you usually get a loan deferment while in seminary.
It depends on the Diocese as to whether seminarians get paid. Some pay a modest stipend. Mine did not. We got money for textbooks, a couple of travel reimbursements, and then support from Knights of Columbus, but no regular income.
Seminarians are usually supported in some way financially, depending on the diocese. Some dioceses give yearly stipends. Some allow you to make money by living/working at a summer parish assignment. Additionally, a Knights of Columbus council will often reach out to sponsor you and give you a yearly check. If you have debt, you should talk to your perspective diocese to see if/how they can help. Student loans can be deferred as long as you’re in seminary, and can be paid back once you’re a priest.
When I was in the seminary we received a very modest allowance as well as book/travel/medical reimbursements but let’s just say that on the amount we received you’d be more likely to increase your debt than increase it! Summer jobs were strongly encouraged but there is of course a limit to how much you can realistically earn in that time. You should discuss your financial situation with your vocation director since the approach taken to debt can and does vary by diocese/order and also by type of debt.
College seminarians don’t usually have parish assignments and work summer jobs. Sometimes they’ll go back to jobs they may have had before seminary, if they’ve got a connection with a boss who will take them back on. Sometimes they’ll get a sort of “unofficial parish assignment,” where they’ll help out around their home parish and the pastor will give them a modest stipend. Usually summer assignments don’t start until you begin Theological studies, the latter four years of your seminary training.
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