Madison Diocese launches campaign to raise $30 million for seminarian education


Also I saw Father Z has details.

MadCatHerald:
However, the cost of educating and forming men for a lifetime of priestly service adds up when such numbers are involved -- it will take approximately $1.4 million this year.

Considering the increased numbers of seminarians[33 men!] and growing cost, it became clear to the bishop and others that a new type of “vocations crisis” was brewing -- the Diocese of Madison would soon not have the funds necessary to educate the priests it so needs.

In response to this new vocations crisis, approximately one year ago, the diocese conducted a thorough feasibility study, with the assistance of one of the leading experts in Church funding (CCS).

That study, which included all of the priests and many lay faithful in the diocese, concluded that a capital campaign to endow seminary education is viewed as an urgent need in the Diocese of Madison, and that $30 million is a realistic target.
What a great problem to have!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Welcome to the greatest diocese in the US.

Terrence Berres said...

For comparison, there's this from John L. Allen Jr. at the National Catholic Reporter, April 5, 2013. "vocations to the priesthood have been falling in Buenos Aires on his watch, despite the fact they’re up in some other dioceses. Last year the archdiocese ordained just 12 new priests, as opposed to 40-50 per year when Bergoglio took over."