Alison Girone
CV NEWS FEED // The Papal Foundation, a U.S.-based Catholic charity that exists to serve the needs of the Church as designated by the Pope, this year celebrates 25 years of providing almost $16 million to faithful Catholics, priests, and religious through a scholarship program.
The Foundation announced in an emailed news release that it will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Saint John Paul II Scholarship Program by awarding more than $800,000 in scholarships to more than 100 priests, religious, and laity from around the world.
The scholarship program was started in 1999 by John and Carol Saeman. Since then, it has helped more than 2,000 priests, religious, and laypeople receive a formative education at 15 pontifical universities in Rome. The education made possible by the scholarship program enables recipients to serve the Church as leaders upon finishing their studies, according to the Foundation.
“By advancing their educations, Saeman Scholars are better prepared to teach in their own countries and secure the future of the Church around the world,” stated Eustace Mita, board president of The Papal Foundation.
According to the news release, the Saemans decided to launch the scholarship program after Pope St. John Paul II made a statement in 1998 explaining what he would do with $5 million.
“Without hesitating, he said he would provide scholarships for tuition, room, and board to priests, religious sisters, and laity from disadvantaged countries,” the news release stated, “allowing them to study in Rome and then return to their dioceses to teach the authentic magisterium of the Church.”
Fr. Sylvester Ndzelen Berinyuy from the Diocese of Kumbo in Cameroon is one of the recipients of a scholarship from the Saint John Paul II program.
“The opportunity to pursue higher education, especially in a field that is so dear to my heart, has been a profound blessing,” he said.
Fr. Berinyuy added, “I remain deeply thankful for the confidence you placed in me through this scholarship, and I am committed to using this knowledge and experience to serve the Church and society.”
