Two decades ago, Bishop Robert J. Carlson of the Saginaw Diocese at the time saw the need to provide for the financial support of young men entering seminary. Along with other endowments focused on Catholic education and the needs of the Saginaw Diocese, he promoted the Seminarian Education Fund.

With initial donations totaling nearly $800,000, the endowment has grown to $3.8 million. Since its inception in 2006, the Bishop Robert J. Carlson Fund for Seminarians has provided grants of over $1.139 million in support of priests in formation, and this year has over $132,000 available. The average cost for one seminarian, per year, is $65,000.  

Archbishop Emeritus Carlson served as bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw from 2004-2009 before being ordained to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri. While in Saginaw, he had a vision to bring young men into the seminary, but he also knew seeing it through would take funding. “You’ve gotta have some additional funds to help young men go to the seminary,” he said, and, “I’ve always seen that as a responsibility of the diocese.”

The bishop’s vision also included help with funding children in the Catholic faith formation. “We want to help Catholic education because that even helps seminarians,” he said. “If you hear about priesthood and religious life when you’re in, say, 4th grade, by the time you get to 8th grade or into high school, the Lord might be working on your heart to go to the seminary.”

“It’s most important,” he noted, adding not only to provide funding, but to pray for vocations. “I say, pray a decade of the Rosary every day and pray for new vocations. The Blessed Mother will help you out.”

That’s a sentiment shared by Bishop Robert Gruss, who has asked the Catholic faithful to pray the Memorare in his 20 by 30 initiative (20 seminarians by the year 2030). As a result, there are now nine men in priestly formation.

The Seminarian Fund, as well as other endowments, is helping support Michael Kuehne, Carter Filhart, Stephen Sebald, Karl White, Gerard LaFramboise, William Buchalski, Elliot Adams, Alexander Christe, and Robert Grzegorczyk.

While the funds continue to grow in value, the bishops encourage continued support of seminarians. Reaching nearly half of his goal, Bishop Gruss knows the 20 by 30 is only successful because of the generosity and prayers of the faithful. In addition to the Bishop Robert J. Carlson Fund for Seminarians, 13 other endowments support the formation of priests in the diocese, and the need continues.