The Costs of Training our Priesthood

by Admin · June 25, 2015

Recently a Southern Cross story discussed the financial cost of training priests. A group of seminarians from St Francis Xavier Orientation Seminary in Cape Town joined forces to discuss the various costs of producing our future clergy.

Seminarians from St Francis Xavier Orientation Seminary in Cape Town. (From left) Bongani Mativandlela (Tzaneen), David e Freitas (Cape Town), Sihle Manci (Durban), Siyabonga Khumalo (Mariannhill) and Chandre Stevens (De Aar).

The priesthood requires a certain way of life which might be easier for some than others. There is a cost.

As a seminarian, one is expected to be well-behaved, celibate, prayerful, humble and respectful, and a student who has these qualities is regarded as a promising candidate and will hopefully one day become a priest.

A seminarian represents a large investment and he should show that he is grateful for that by living according to the expectations of the diocese, the seminary and the faithful.

The seminaries may apply for two subsidies. One is from the Pontifical Mission Societys St Peter the Apostle Trust in Rome which would contribute about 10% of what the dioceses pay. The second is from the Bishops’ Lenten Appeal. About 29% of the total amount that people give during Lent each year goes towards the formation of priests across the country.

So what does this money cover? As in any household budget, there are essentials food and accommodation. The seminary has to cater for each student and staff member, producing three meals a day, seven days a week.

The running costs of the seminary also include the usual family household expenses such as property taxes, insurance, electricity, water, communication, repairs and transport.

Obviously some costs, such as food, will vary according to the number of students, but overheads remain largely constant regardless of the number of men living in the seminary.

Then, as with any student, there are educational costs such as teaching materials, books and educators salaries. However, unlike state-run education institutions, which receive up to 50% subsidies on the real costs of tertiary education, seminaries are classed as Private Higher Education Institutes and therefore are not eligible for state grants.

Over and above the basics mentioned, a student naturally needs clothing, personal hygiene items and transport to and from the seminary between semesters.

If a seminarian comes back from the pastoral internship and decides that this is not his calling, this is normally the result of good formation and it is for the good of the Church.

Why is it good for the Church if a seminarian decides to leave? Well the answer would simply be: unhappy priests will not fulfil the ministry or perform their duties well. As Fr Masilo Selemela rightly said in Stuart Grahams April 1-7 report on St John Vianney Seminary: Some of the young men discover it is not their way.

This may seem like a loss but there are many ways to serve God in the Church (Eucharistic minister, choir member, member of a sodality, catechist etc), not only in the priesthood. Therefore, if a seminarian drops out of seminary it is not a complete loss for the Church because he will have gained a lot of knowledge which he can then use in other ministries. In that way the Church reaps the fruits it had planted when it sent him to the seminary.

What is the cost to the vocations director?

Every priest is a vocations director and he has to realise it. He has to be ever aware of the tugs on his fishing rod as he sits in prayer on the banks of the life-giving river, the Church.

He is an advert for the priesthood. He is the fisherman.

By extension, the diocesan vocations director to whom these men are sent for deeper discernment, has to be even more passionate about his very identity and his work.

He is in a sense the chef, the one who takes on the responsibility of nurturing and of seasoning the prospective vocation through diligent guidance and supportive encouragement, who will hopefully enter into seminary formation and end up with the chrism in his hands.

The vocations director needs to love those under his wing and give them constant reassurance that he is there for them throughout their discernment period.

The young rely on the vocations director and the other priests. In them they see the Church, and when they see the Church, they see Christ. As St Paul spoke to the faithful in Corinth: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Cor 11:1).

The call to priesthood is not natural but supernatural. Laying down your life so that others may have life is supernatural.

It is clear that many young men in our Church understand that and are willing to do it, to be fishers of men, builders of the Reign of God.

Many people think this kind of vocation is eccentric because of the life of celibacy it requires, but even that doesnt stop seminarians from wanting to be labourers in the vineyard.

In spite of how the wider society suggests life should be lived, vocations are still found and they are being answered. Looking at the bigger picture in life and not being scared of going the opposite way is what helps these young men escape from the immoral, debilitating world our society has become. This is not an easy thing to do though one needs to be a real man and not be afraid to take the risk of giving up ones life for the salvation of all.

Young men want to change what they see and make a better Church and a better world. The people of God should be grateful and support their seminarians who throughout their years of formation had the courage to count the cost and to answer this counter-cultural call.

This article was written by David e Freitas (Cape Town), Siyabonga Khumalo (Mariannhill), Sihle Manci (Durban), Bongani Mativandlela (Tzaneen) and Chandre Stevens (De Aar), who are currently studying at St Francis Xavier Orientation Seminary in Cape Town.