The Diocese of Providence is presently training and supporting 21 seminarians to be the priests and pastors of tomorrow. Thanks to the intercession of the Holy Spirit and a solid vocations program, the number of seminarians has been on the rise over the past few years. In fact, our vocation effort over the past several years has provided the largest number of young men in our seminary programs in the past decade. There is no reason to believe that this success will not continue, and we, as a Diocese, must be prepared to address the cost of educating our future priests and pastors with the same zeal as the early Apostles
Presently, the cost of a Pre-Theology Seminary student is $38,075 per year, and the cost of a Major Seminarian is $32,772. Annually, the Diocese of Providence budgets over $1,200,000 to cover the costs related to seminary education and formation. These funds have come from various sources, including the Diocesan General Fund and the Catholic Charity Fund. Additionally, various restricted and unrestricted endowments have been established by donors who support the seminary. Currently these endowments have a market value of over $2.5 million, which supply an annual distribution of approximately $112,500 towards the seminary budget. Even with all of these various sources of funding, the needs of the seminary today far outweigh these historic means of support. It is vital to the health of our religious community and the future of our Diocese that we meet the obligation to support our seminarians.
To supplement the already existing endowments, the Diocese has established the Most Reverend Robert E. Mulvee Seminary Education and Formation Endowment Fund. Our goal is to raise a minimum of $2.5 million to supplement our existing resources and to provide the greater revenue needed for the ongoing support of our seminary education and formation efforts. You may feel like you are only one person and wonder what difference your gift or prayer can make. Please be assured that working together, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can make a tremendous difference.
The Most Reverend Robert E. Mulvee Seminary Education and Formation Endowment Fund will be a perpetual gift to our Diocese which, once established, can be added to by future generations of the faithful. Contributors to the Most Reverend Robert E. Mulvee Seminary Education and Formation Endowment Fund will have their names placed on a scroll that will be placed at Our Lady of Providence Seminary.
We all know the joy that comes from sharing our gifts with others. Think about the joy that will be yours knowing you created a legacy that will provide priests for this Diocese forever. You will share in the blessings of all the lives they touch because you made it possible.
