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A Financial Appeal

Dear friend in Christ,

               Peace be with you.  When the Son of God entered into his public ministry, he called to himself the Twelve Apostles, upon whom he entrusted his own power and authority to cast out demons, cure diseases, and to preach the kingdom of God and to heal (c.f. Lk. 9:1-2).  Yet our Lord and his Apostles were not without support in their ministry.  Certain women, some who were acknowledged by name, and many other people who were acknowledged only anonymously, provided for them out of their means (cf. Lk. 8:1-3).  To this day, our Lord continues to call certain men to himself for the sake of priestly ministry, and the need for provision crucially remains, especially during the time of a man’s formal academic formation within the seminary system.

Not including the overhead and operational expenses typically associated with managing an Office of Vocations, the education costs alone (tuition, room and board) per each seminarian total approximately $320,000 over the course of his four years of undergraduate studies in philosophy, four years of graduate studies in Theology, and one year of pastoral formation within a parish community.  Because of these costs, and despite the generosity of so many of the faithful, the Office of Vocations operates, on average, annually at a deficit of over $200,000.

I humbly ask you to please prayerfully consider making a financial donation towards priestly vocations.  Your gift would directly contribute to the education of our seminarians and is much needed and greatly appreciated.

Seminary Education Fund

Unless given specific instruction otherwise, your contribution will go towards our "Seminary Education Fund".  All gifts in this category are tax-deductible and will be used towards paying expenses of tuition, room, and board (totaling approximately $45,000 per theologian/pre-theologian, annually) for those seminarians enrolled in Theology or Pre-Theology programs.

 

Donate ONLINE to Seminarian Education Fund

 

College Tuition Fund (for a specific Seminarian)

While the Diocese of Honolulu pays the full tuition amount, including room and board, for seminarians enrolled in Theology or Pre-Theology, seminarians who are enrolled in the college program are required to pay for the full cost of their undergraduate education, totaling approximately $32,000 annually per each collegian.

Recognizing the financial burden personally placed upon each collegian, often there are family members, friends, benefactors, and anonymous donors who would like to support a particular seminarian.  Our current list of seminarians for the Diocese of Honolulu is available HERE.  With regard to any contribution towards seminary education that you would like to make in behalf of a particular collegian (or theologian with outstanding debt from college seminary), for the sake of financial oversight and transparency, I ask that you work directly with the Office of Vocations in lieu of giving your donation directly to a certain collegian.

Because these donations directly benefit a specific person, financial contributions made in this category are NOT tax-deductible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at your convenience.  Our Lord Jesus Christ lives and reigns forever and ever.

With heartfelt gratitude, and warmest personal regards, I remain,

Yours most sincerely in Christ,

Father Joseph Diaz

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