Paying for Seminary

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andy120

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How do seminarians pay for tuition/room & board for seminary (to become a diocesan priest)?

I know (or at least I’m pretty sure) you have to be free of debt before you can attend seminary, but must one have the funds to pay for seminary or does the diocese pay for that?

Thanks for the help!

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Andy
 
I don’t know either, but I’m really curious to find out…I have always wondered about that.
 
Find benefactors. The Knights of Columbus are great contributors to seminarians. Depending on the size of the Council, the number of seminarians they sponsor, etc, will dictate how much they can contribute.

There are usually a few well to do parishioners that are also willing to become benefactors. Getting a parish priest to ask for financial help is usually pretty easy!
 
Most major diocesan seminaries are free as far as I know.

God Bless
 
Some dioceses and orders have the funds to pay for their seminarians all the way through. It helps if they have their own seminary.

Others will loan the money, forgiving the debt upon ordination or final vows.

Others you will have to either have the money or find benefactors. The Labore Society may be able to help you with fine-tuning a letter writing campaign, and you may be able to find a sponsor from your home parish (every parish wants to see a native son make it, often enough to help out a little).
 
In my diocese, you pay for your undergraduate degree and the diocese pays for your seminary, room and board, and gives you a monthly stipend to cover personal expenses.

In addition, several of the Knight of Columbus chapters in the diocese have begun hosting Seminarian Appreciation banguets. My parish had the first one 10 years ago. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet the seminarians and the money raised is divided among them to help with expenses.
 
When I was a collegiate seminarian for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, I was responsible for tuition at Duquesne U. However, room and board were free at the seminary. The diocese would give us a stipend to cover books and a pre-paid lunch card. After you completed your B.A. the diocese would cover everything for major seminary. God willing, when ordained, whatever debt you had from Duquesne the diocese would pay it off. This system was put into place after it became apparent that some men would forsake a girlfriend for a free B.A. at Duquesne:blush:

However, if you entered with a degree and just needed the Philosophy credits, they would cover everything-

If you are interested in diocesan priesthood, I would highly suggest that you get in touch with either the vocation director or rector as each diocese, I’m sure, has a different method of handling the things of Caesar…

I seriously doubt, though, that any diocese is going to turn you away based soley on the fact that you couldn’t swing tuition on your own.

As far as being debt free, I do remember on my application the question being asked if I had any financial obligations and how I was going to take care of them while at seminary. So, in the case of my diocese, being debt free wasn’t necessarily a requirement. HOWEVER… I would highly suggest that if you do have credit card debt, vehicle loan, or basically any type of debt that doesn’t defer until six months after you leave school, to pay them off before entering seminary unless you’ve built up a hefty savings account- the reason being is that I was not allowed to have an “outside job” during school. Just my two cents…
 
If you join a religious order, the order pays for everything (assuming you stay with them).

As far as I know, around in these parts, the family contributes what it can. After that, they use the K of C and/or a local parish (each seminarian “adopts” a parish) to raise funds. We also have the C.S.A., the Serra Club, and an annual Benefit Dinner.

If someone still needs help, I was told that the Diocese gives them a low-interest student loan that they pay back from their eventual salary.
 
It all depends on the diocese/religious order/community that you are joining.

Some have laid out what some diocese/religious groups do.

Others are different. A couple of dioceses I know of require you to pay for your bachelors degree (usually though student loans so you do not start paying them back till after you finish the seminary) and they cover the cost of the seminary while you are in it but then require you to pay back half of the cost of the seminary from your pay after ordination.

Religious orders/congregations will usually cover the cost of the seminary (not all do though) but many require you to have a bachelors degree and be debt free (including student loans) while others will cover the payments of your student loans while you are in simple vows and pay them off when you make solemn vows or at ordination.

It really varies widely out there so this is something that should be discussed with a vocations director early in the discernment process.
 
ByzCath said:
It all depends on the diocese/religious order/community that you are joining.

Some have laid out what some diocese/religious groups do.

Others are different. A couple of dioceses I know of require you to pay for your bachelors degree (usually though student loans so you do not start paying them back till after you finish the seminary) and they cover the cost of the seminary while you are in it but then require you to pay back half of the cost of the seminary from your pay after ordination.

Religious orders/congregations will usually cover the cost of the seminary (not all do though) but many require you to have a bachelors degree and be debt free (including student loans) while others will cover the payments of your student loans while you are in simple vows and pay them off when you make solemn vows or at ordination.

It really varies widely out there so this is something that should be discussed with a vocations director early in the discernment process.
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Ok. Let’s say a man senses a call to the priesthood. One diocese, the one in which the man lives (diocese A) says that his student loans must be paid off before he goes to seminary. Another diocese (outside of the one where he lives-diocese B) does not require such and could work with the man. Would diocese A direct the man to diocese B if they felt his vocation was genuine?
 
JohnnyReb said:
Ok. Let’s say a man senses a call to the priesthood. One diocese, the one in which the man lives (diocese A) says that his student loans must be paid off before he goes to seminary. Another diocese (outside of the one where he lives-diocese B) does not require such and could work with the man. Would diocese A direct the man to diocese B if they felt his vocation was genuine?
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Most likely not. I do not think that dioceses talk with each other about their requirements.

I know of a couple of dioceses that will not accept a man who has an anullment and they will not direct them else where either. It is up to that man to do so.

Bishops are very reluctant to even talk with men who are out side of their dioceses. I had this issue in my vocational discernment.

I also do not think that there are many dioceses that require student loans to be paid off as their payments will be differed while the candidate is in school. Also the debt free thing might not be there as secular priests do not take the vow of poverty (really they take no vows at all, they only make the promises of obedience and chastity).
 
ByzCath said:
Most likely not. I do not think that dioceses talk with each other about their requirements.

I also do not think that there are many dioceses that require student loans to be paid off as their payments will be differed while the candidate is in school. Also the debt free thing might not be there as secular priests do not take the vow of poverty (really they take no vows at all, they only make the promises of obedience and chastity).
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So “debt free” might be something required of say, religious priests. That makes sense. Thanks
 
Thank you all very much for your answers. As I continue to discern what vocation God is calling me to, I like to learn all I can about vocations in the Church.

God Bless!
 
I am a Catholic seminarian from the Philippines.Next year I will be proceeding to theological studies and I really wanted to pursue it at UST. The problem is, I would have to pay for the whole expenses, another problem is that I don’t have the means. Students are required 4,000php/month for the board and lodging, academic fee will be catered by the seminary.
For those with generous hearts, I’m humbly asking for your help. I cannot do it alone, I need your financial support as much as I need your prayers. I don’t have the intention to defraud anyone, I only want to be a priest. You can contact my vocation director, or seminary rector for verification.
My email add: quinzosj@ovi.com
You can also follow my blog: www.quinzo.wordpress.com
Thanks and GOD bless!
 
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