Who We Serve
Gifts to endowment funds in the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton will provide long-term support for the following ministries.
Seminarian Formation
A wonderful opportunity to build up the Kingdom of God is to pray for and support our young men who are currently studying for the priesthood. The formation of each seminarian lasts between four and eight years, and their education costs are comparable to private university tuition, room and board.
The endowment for seminarian formation will allow the Diocese to offer financial assistance to seminarians that the Diocese cannot fully provide at this time through annual fundraising alone.
Care of Retired Priests
For more than 2,000 years, men have responded to Jesus’ call of “Come, and follow me”. The Diocese of Scranton is blessed to have so many priests who have served faithfully and need to be cared for in their later years and during illnesses.
Many of our retired priests reside in Villa St. Joseph in Dunmore where they live in brotherhood and we are blessed that some continue to serve the Diocese as Mass celebrants, visitors to the sick and other ministries. Giving to an endowment to help fund the operation of the Villa will be a wonderful legacy in support of our retired priests who have devoted their lives in service to all of us.
Catholic Social Services
Rooted in the Gospel, the mission of Catholic Social Services is to serve individuals and families in poverty and hardship, as we are called by Christ to do, and to respond compassionately to their needs.
Our Diocesan Catholic Social Services staff and board of trustees work together to ensure that our programs and services are mission centered and sustainable.
With a focus on feeding the hungry and providing clothing and shelter to those in need, one of the next initiatives is to establish meaningful and appropriate services in all regions of our Diocese. This work reflects the call of Pope Francis to reach out to those on the margins.
Annual grants and individual gifts are the primary sources of funding for our shelters, kitchens and food pantries. Endowed funds dedicated to Catholic Social Services would help greatly to supplement annual fundraising efforts for existing mission critical programs such as kitchens, shelters and food pantries and create new facilities to respond to the most critical community needs.
The Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton has created an endowment to help fund our three shelters in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton.
Catholic Schools
The aim of Catholic Education is to introduce young people to Jesus Christ through evangelization, education, and sacramental preparation.
The Diocese seeks to sustain and nurture our Catholic schools so that we may continue to provide a quality faith-based education that is academically excellent, affordable, and geographically accessible. In addition to parish support, tuition and gifts to the Diocesan Annual Appeal, there is a need to build our endowment for Catholic Schools.
At this time, the most pressing Catholic Schools need is providing need-based scholarships for our students. To assist in this effort, interested donors may wish to give to an endowment for Catholic School tuition assistance.
Faith Formation
The heart of our Catholic faith and our call to be missionary disciples of Jesus Christ depends on strong and inspiring faith formation programs in our parishes.
To help fund Youth Ministry and Hispanic Outreach Programs in parishes throughout the Diocese, the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton will begin an endowment.
Historic Preservation of Cathedral of St. Peter
Maintaining the brilliance of the Cathedral of St. Peter and the Bishop’s residence is a proud responsibility for all Catholics. The mother church of the Diocese serves as a special place of worship for daily Mass and several meaningful liturgies throughout the year. An endowment has been established in the Catholic Foundation to ensure that the Cathedral of St. Peter continues to be a wonderful beacon of light and hope for all who enter. The fund will also benefit other historically significant and viable churches in the Diocese as determined by the Bishop.
Founders Fund
A Founders Fund is being established to help seed the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton and cover ongoing operation expenses such as salaries, office expenses and marketing materials, etc.
Gifts to this fund will be instrumental in setting up the Catholic Foundation for success that will ultimately secure the mission of the Diocese now and in the future.
We Invite You…
You are invited to join us in this transformational effort to secure the future of the Diocese and all its ministries. Through your generosity, we know the Catholic Foundation will ensure the Diocese of Scranton remains a compassionate and caring leader in spiritual formation and service to our brothers and sisters in Christ.