GIVE THE GIFT OF (RELIGIOUS) LIFE
In a previous post we brought to your attention a marvelous group, The Fraser Family Foundation which is providing aid and assistance to the men and women who have said YES! to God's call to the priesthood or a religious life and yet are unable to enter the seminary or religious community because of college debts.
As evidenced by the recent article in Time Magazine, "Today's nun has a veil and a blog", even the secular media is noticing the renewal of vocations to religious life today. Our monastery, as well as many other religious communities, is experiencing interest in our way of life unprecedented since the '50's.
As of August The Fraser Family Foundation has had to temorarily cease accepting applications for grants and are currently helping 25 men and women in formation bringing the annual loan payments to $75, 000 a year.
People often ask us how they can help promote vocations. Absolutely the first way is to pray the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into His vineyard. In our culture today, men and women need the help of our prayer in order to hear the tiny whisper of the Lord amid the noise and distractions of this world. It's not easy to hear a whisper with a cell phone on one ear and an ipod on another!
Young men and women need encouragement to follow Christ's call; parents need encouragement to not only accept but to be supportive and grateful that their son or daughter is being called by God to a life of total consecration.
Another way, is to support endeavors such as the Fraser Family Foundation which make it possible in very real and practical ways for the future of religious life to be a reality.
The Fraser Family Foundation has two programs: The Mater Ecclesiae Debt Relief Grant Program whose purpose is: "Through the Mater Ecclesiae grant program, we seek to accelerate and to prevent the abandonment of vocations by guaranteeing the eventual retirement of the student loans of men and women who have generously answered a call to religious life." and the St. John Vianney Debt Relief Grant Program which is similar: "Through the St. John Vianney grant program, we seek to accelerate and to prevent the abandonment of vocations by guaranteeing the eventual retirement of the student loans of men who have generously answered a call to the diocesan priesthood."
Please consider helping the Fraser Family Foundation continue this essential service to the Church and to Religious Life by making a charitable donation. You can easily make a tax exempt donation online. For more information go to: