We provide this information to our parishioners and brother Knights to help explain where our fundraising money goes and why it is so important! If you or someone you know is discerning a call to a religious vocation, this article maybe helpful. Please don't be put off by the costs involved, as there are many sources of funding from: scholarships, financial aid, Knights of Columbus, family, friends, etc. to help you. Have faith, God will provide! This information was written by Jim Kennedy and Jeff Allan in early 2011. Photography by Jim Kennedy. (Updated 8-4-11, 4-27-11.)

One of the goals of the Knights of Columbus is to support men and women who are called to a religious vocation (i.e. diocesan, religious orders). Men to: priesthood, brother, monk, friar, etc.. Women to sister or nun. As a local council, we try to find those in our parish or nearby to help support. Beyond that, we may support those outside our parish boundaries.

It is recommended that the candidate pray, discern, perhaps discern different dioceses/orders, and talk to his family as well as mentors including other priests before applying and being accepted into the seminary. A spiritual director may also be of help in the discernment process. The time spent studying at the seminary is typically between six to eight years (six for college graduates and seven to eight years for non-college graduates).

While the seminarian is receiving his education at the seminary, he is very limited in the amount of work he may do considering the full-time demands of the academic life though he may be able to participate in a part-time work study program by working a few hours per week (i.e. bookstore or library). In addition, a seminarian will have more flexibility in the summer to work during the earlier years of his seminary formation versus the summers in the theology program before ordination, which is primarily, spent working at the parish. There are many opportunities for financial aid and scholarships available for a seminarian particularly when he is in the college/undergraduate/philosophy program.

Seminarians have bills to pay. At the college or undergrad level (towards a Bachelor of Philosophy degree), the seminarian must cover expenses like tuition, room and board, books, as well as personal expenses. The cost of tuition & room/board is approx. $23,500 per year, according to SHMS web site for 2010/2011 and approx. $26,000/yr. including books & fees.

At the graduate level of theology, a seminarian’s tuition and room and board are covered thanks to the generosity of parishioners through the archdiocesan CSA program. Expenses not covered include car insurance, books, and other personal expenses. Finally, seminarians are grateful to receive financial assistance from the Knights of Columbus to help defray the cost of remaining expenses not covered by the seminary.

Those interested in a religious order, have a number of stages to go through before being accepted permanently. The candidate will typically visit one or more orders before deciding which to apply at. If accepted, the person may live in community at the order for about six months. They may leave for a period, then return and stay for several years. If both parties accept each other, the person may stay for a longer period, until they can join permanently. Orders vary in the lengths of time and stages. Both men and women are accepted into religious orders, though only men can be priests.

Update from Jeff (Feb., 2011):
Hope you, your family, and the Knights have had a blessed, first month of the new year. I met your new pastor Fr. Theo over Christmas break for the first time. He seems like a wonderful shepherd and struck me as an excellent preacher. Things are well here at the seminary. My class and I just got back from the March for Life. It was great to see all the youth witness out there. Classes are good and busy as we have much to prepare with readings, presentations, and papers. This semester I have five classes: Bioethics, Pastoral Leadership and Administration (i.e. Accounting 101), Holy Orders, Evangelization and Spirituality, and finally, Psalms and Wisdom.

The entire period of time a seminarian is studying for the priesthood, is a period of discernment. Right up until ordination, he is still in discernment over his call. Approx. 30% of SHMS seminarians will leave while at the seminary for a different call (i.e. married life, religious order, single life). As Knights we understand this, and feel it is important to support men in listening to the potential call and enter training. In our secular world there are a lot of distractions and offers of position. Many faiths, not just Catholics are hurting for the lack of religious vocations.

Religious vocations are not restricted to just young men & women. Older men and and women may also follow a call to religious life, even after decades of work and family. Some dioceses and religious orders accept men as old as 60 yrs. into the seminary to become priests. The church has seminaries designed for these older candidates. The drop out rate of older men entering the seminary is much lower than younger men. While some religious orders accept older men & women, as well. Some mid-aged women for instance, feel the call after raising a family and enter an order to become a sister or nun. People are living much longer, and the church is utilizing these older vocations who follow the call.

Prayer Request:
Please pray that all men and women listen for the call and take action in pursuing it. Continue to pray for them while in training and for our priests and religious, to give them spiritual strength against the devil.

It is very important to pray for these men & women, as they discern, the devil will try his hardest to stop them from following a religious call. For men considering the priesthood especially, it's like having a bulls-eye on your back that the devil tries to hit. The devil will try to discourage all vocations, by putting doubt, fear, and other worries into a person. "I'm not good enough", "I'm not perfect" (you don't need to be perfect), "They won't want me, why even try", "Is this the right path for me?", and many other thoughts will cross a person discerning.

Once a person is a priest, deacon, or religious, we need to comtinue to pray for them. The devil won't stop troubling them. He does not want these people to continue doing God's work!

Thank You.

For more information on vocations, please see the following:

Office of Priestly Vocations, Archdioces of Detroit (www.detroitpriest.com) - site launched in early 2011 to help answer questions about discernment and following your call in life.
Sacred Heart Major Seminary (SHMS) (Detroit, MI) (www.aodonline.org/SHMS/) - a seminary is a special college that trains men for priesthood, deaconate and offers programs for lay ministry (i.e. men, women).
Vocations Placement - (www.vocationsplacement.org) information for those discerning a call. Free online questionnaire.
Vision: Catholic Religious Vocation Network - (vocation-network.org) publishes free, annual printed (or online) directory. Free online questionnaire. Our St. Priscilla KofC Council provides the printed directory in the church breezeway.
Institute on Religious Life (IRL) - (www.religiouslife.com) - additional information on religious life.
FAQ- common questions & answers related to vocations.
Scripture information relating to the priesthood - provided by seminarian, Jeff Allan (5-24-11).