Father Brian Bashista always makes sure his seminarians write
their “thank you” cards.
The 32 men have a lot to be thankful for, after all, seeing
as how their time of studying and discernment in the seminary
is funded nearly completely by the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal
(BLA) – in other words, you.
To be exact, the education of 24 men (nine at the
pre-theology level and 14 at theology), is 100 percent
BLA-funded; the education of the six at the college level is
only 50 percent subsidized.
Father Bashista, the director of the Vocations Office, said
the money donated to the BLA by the people of the Arlington
Diocese is an “expression of their love and affection” for
those studying for the priesthood.
“There’s a reciprocal offering and receiving,” Father
Bashista said. “It’s an expression of the people of God
saying, ‘We want to enter this kind of spiritual courtship
with you, and we want to support you with our prayers and our
financial resources.'”
The BLA, the main source of funding for programs, ministries
and offices coordinated by the Arlington Diocese, collected
more than $11.4 million in pledges in 2008, according to
diocesan financial reports. According to Timothy Cotnoir,
diocesan finance officer, the Vocations Office receives the
single largest chunk allotted for one department – 12 percent
– of that $11.4 million. That money pays for the
approximately $30,000 annual cost for educating each
seminarian, including tuition, room and board, health
insurance and a $750 stipend for books and travel to and from
the seminary. Multiply that by 32 seminarians and things add
up quickly.
The men studying for the priesthood are responsible for all
personal expenses, such as food, clothing, cell phone bills,
car insurance and entertainment – and must tighten their
purse strings to live on their meager allotted income.
“We have to be good stewards of our own personal resources,
and they need to learn that in the seminary,” Father Bashista
said. “Sometimes their wants are postponed, but that’s not
unlike what will await them as a parish priest.”
Not allowed to work due to the demands of school and
discernment, all seminarians receive an income of at least
$1,000 each year from diocesan Knights of Columbus councils
to defray personal expenses, and summer assignments pay
approximately $2,400. The Knights of Columbus aid their cause
by offering individual seminarians financial support via the
Refund Support Vocations Program. Since 1981, the Knights
have donated more than $34 million to offset the personal
expenses of those studying for the priesthood.
“This program allows seminarians to use their own good
judgment and decide how best the money can be applied to
support themselves personally as well as their educational
needs,” said Peter Sonski, director of public relations for
the Knights.
Arlington seminarians attend St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in
Wynnewood, Pa.; Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus,
Ohio; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.; St. John
Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colo.; Pontifical
North American College in Rome; and Blessed John XXIII
National Seminary in Weston, Mass. If a man determines that
he is not called to the priesthood during his time at the
seminary, he is not obligated to pay back any of the cost.
“Guys are afforded an incredibly generous opportunity to
discern their vocation,” Father Bashista said. “I’ve seen the
guys respond to that and I think that it motivates them to be
the best seminarian they can be. They’re not going to slack
off on a class because they know the money is coming from
someone else.”
Of course money isn’t the only thing given to seminarians by
the people of Arlington, Father Bashista said. Support is
manifested in the Christmas cards sent and, most importantly,
the prayers offered up.
“The people of God are sacrificing their financial resources
and also their time in prayer,” Father Bashista said. “It
really is a mutual sacrificial, loving relationship.”
Gretchen R. Crowe can be reached at
[email protected].
