Seminarian Scholarship

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Written by Men of Christ | 06 November 2009

- "Our vision is to create a conference that will evangelize, catechize, and unify Catholic men. The mission is to honor our Lord Jesus Christ by bringing Christian men together; forming a brotherhood that will empower each man to boldly live his Catholic faith." (Vision / Mission)

The Men of Christ conference hopes to build this vision is by financially supporting the young men in Milwaukee's seminary through an annual 'Men of Christ Scholarship'.  The first annual Men of Christ Scholarships were awarded this past year. Six seminarians from Saint Francis Seminary who are working towards the priesthood were awarded the scholarships, which totaled $8,000. Father Sean O’Connell and Father Luke Strand received $3,000 scholarships towards their field of study. Four other seminarians received scholarships of $500 each. The money for the scholarship was donated by the men attending the most recent Men of Christ conference, January 10, 2009. The donations were part of the collections gathered and offered during the Mass.

In a letter to the Men of Christ, Father (then Deacon) Strand wrote, “I wish I could fully express how humbled I was to receive such a generous scholarship from the Men of Christ. Your dedication to the Lord and our Church, manifested through your profound gift of alms, is something for which I give praise and thanks to God for on a daily basis.” Father Don Hying, the director of the seminary said “we are truly blessed to have such dedicated and loving men” who made this scholarship possible.

This year, the Men of Christ scholarship hopes to award a larger and greater amount of scholarships. The seminary is enjoying a revival in the numbers of men answering the call to serve their vocation as priests. We are called as their brothers in Christ to support them in their vocation.

For seminarians who wish to participate in the scholarship, please answer the questions below, and email the results to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Please remember to add the following information with your submission:

Your Name
Address
City, State, Country of Origin
Parish
Year in seminary

MEN OF CHRIST
Scholarship
St. Francis Seminary
  1. How did you discern your vocation as a priest? Was there one defining moment or a series of events?
  2. What people have had a major impact on your decision to become a priest? What was it that caused the impact?
  3. What books are you currently reading? What is your favorite book? What books would you recommend to others?
  4. What do you see as the major problems facing the Church today?
  5. What steps would you take to solve those problems?
  6. Do you pray the rosary? How often?
  7. How important is prayer in your life?
  8. How did your family react when you informed them of your decision?
  9. What different ministries have you served in your life?
  10. What difficulties have you encountered answering this call?
  11. "The priesthood is a life of sacrifice, a life of service." What does this mean to you?
  12. Does the thought of being a priest or religious bring up any fears? Do you think that the apostles had any fears or apprehensions? About what?
  13. What things do you value in your life or hope for in your future that you feel you would have to sacrifice to follow this call to follow Christ?
  14. It is said that priests have to "give up their lives' for Jesus Christ". What does this mean to you? What, specifically, does a priest have to give up? Do you think his life can be fulfilling or joy-filled even without these things?
  15. How can celibacy be viewed as a gift?