Diocesan Scholarships

Making friends familiar with the need for Priests’ continuing education in general, and with your studies in particular, will allow them to appreciate the value of their assistance more.

The following notes will help Collegio’s past, present and future Priests make a call to action, as they approach their potential benefactors and invite them to help build scholarship funds for their Dioceses back home…

1. The main objective, as in any other Church activity, is to ultimately bring people closer to God. For our Catholic friends, we offer them the Church’s spiritual treasures through our prayers, especially in the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of our Christian life.
   • “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself” (Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis 5).
   • We include them in our daily prayers individually and as a community, and offer them whatever spiritual service we might be able to extend.
2. To bring God to others, and others to God, we need to have a close relationship with God ourselves. Fundraising will not be effective unless we are faithful to our life of prayer, the daily Eucharist, the Breviary, the Holy Rosary and our other devotions.
3. People give not because they see our needs and we ask. They give because they are inspired by our life and mission.
   • Thus, we have to be clear with our goals in studying in Rome, to be able to explain them to our friends.
   • Get a thorough overview of the Collegio’s website and Friends of the Collegio’s website.
   • Be prepared to explain how benefactors’ partnership will strengthen your home Diocese, allowing the local Church that perhaps nurtured their spiritual lives during their childhood to be even more effective in spreading the Good News.
   • We are not simply inviting friends to sponsor our Priests, but to help train them in their role as Teachers of the Word, Ministers of the Sacraments and Leaders of the Community.
   • see videos at https://catholicfundraiser.net/
4. Relating with benefactors
   • ask your usual donors back home for names and emails of their friends and relatives in the US who might wish to support your Diocese
   • constantly update them regarding your studies, and how you pray for them
   • update them with news from your Diocese, as you are their link with the Vatican and with the Philippine Church
5. US benefactors may channel donations to Friends of the Collegio, which can issue tax-deductible receipts, as it has a 501c3 status.
   • People in the US are used to give to charity. In fact, the US Government implicitly assumes that each one usually gives at least $500 a year — as only beyond this amount does the IRS normally require a tax-deductible receipt.
   • If they have already given to some charities, they might no longer give to those same charities, but yes to others. Thus it is always worth a try to ask friends to help your diocese through priestly ongoing formation.
   • In this sense, many friends are just waiting to decide to which charity to give.
   • With 12 friends giving $100 a month (total of $14,400 a year), a Diocese can send a Priest to the Collegio in Rome.

Donation Portals for Student Priests

1. In general.
   • Each student Priest — past, present or future — is encouraged to set up donation platforms to facilitate his own Diocese’s ongoing Priestly formation programs by sending Priests to Collegio Filippino, and thereby support Collegio Filippino as well.
   • Friends of the Collegio does not retain any percentage as processing fee or as income.
   • Funds raised will be applied to complete the priest’s needs in this order: board and lodging at the Collegio, medical insurance, residence permit, bus and subway pass, board and lodging, and (up to $300 a month for the school year, from October to September) for books and pocket money.
   • Expenses already covered by the Diocese, scholarship agencies, other benefactors, or personal friends cannot be reimbursed through these portals, as it will be a double solicitation for the same purpose.
   • Excess or unused funds will go either to the Collegio (for Facebook Fundraisers) or to the Diocese’s next Priest at the Collegio (for Donorview Portal; in this case, the next Priest should start studies within five years, otherwise the excess or unused funds will go to the Collegio).
   • As a sign of gratitude, the Priest shall write a letter of thanks to Friends of the Collegio at the end of every semester, with copy furnished to his own Bishop and to the Collegio Filippino Rector, describing in general how the funds were used, giving as well an overview of his semester of ongoing priestly formation (without going into very personal details). The Priest should mention in the said letter that he allows Friends of the Collegio and Collegio Filippino to quote his letter to further promote these scholarship portals.
   • Friends of the Collegio reserves the right to make a final decision on any question — always respecting the donors’ intentions, which, along with the fundraiser’s intentions, should always agree to the terms laid down here, as a condition for using the portals offered by Friends of the Collegio.
2. Facebook Fundraiser for Charity (where Friends of the Collegio is a registered charity; no processing fee)
   • Priests may create a Fundraiser for Charity using their personal Facebook accounts. Donors help the Collegio by providing for their Priest friends’ scholarship needs while staying at the Collegio.
   • Be sure to select “Charity” as Fundraiser Type, because if you select instead “Personal Cause” (that is, Friend, Business or Yourself), you are not allowed to indicate Friends of the Collegio.
   • Create a fundraiser around your birthday, an anniversary, parents’ anniversary, patron saint or other feast day, thanksgiving, or any other memorable event.
   • Ask others’ experiences in setting an initial goal, which Facebook allows you to increase before the deadline.
   • A receipt which is tax-deductible in the US will be issued to donors automatically by Facebook or its partners, not by Friends of the Collegio.
   • Excess or unused funds will be go to the Collegio’s general needs.
3. Donorview (with 5% Donorview Processing fee)
   • Friends of the Collegio’s website lists Dioceses whose Priests have set up donation portals. To create one for your Diocese, follow the instructions provided in the Collegio app.
   • This is also useful for those who hesitate to donate using Facebook, or where it is not allowed in their country.
   • As this fundraiser has no time frame, a big goal may be set.
   • A receipt which is tax-deductible in the US will be issued to donors automatically by Friends of the Collegio.
   • Excess or unused funds will be used for the Diocese’s next priests and have to be used within five years, otherwise the excess funds go to the Collegio’s general needs.