Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Support our seminarians on Holy Thursday
Published: April 1, 2021
We invite you to consider partnering with the diocese in preparing our seminarians for the priesthood. Click on the button above to donate online to support their education. For more information, email Maria Izquierdo, in the Vocations and Seminarians Office, or call her at (501) 664-0340, ext. 378.
The annual Holy Thursday Collection for Seminarian Education will be held April 1. The money from this collection supports the immediate educational and housing expenses of the diocese's seminarians.
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor has ordained 38 diocesan priests in the past 11 years and is scheduled to ordain five more to the priesthood next month. As a result, the median age of active, diocesan priests serving in Arkansas has dropped from 65 to 48. These new priests make up nearly half of all priests currently in active ministry.
Msgr. James E. O’Connell started an endowment fund for our diocesan seminarians more than 50 years ago. This fund was invested and it helped cover the cost of educating our seminarians for many years. But that is no longer the case. Now, it costs $36,000 to educate one seminarian per year. This includes tuition, room and board, health insurance and other needs. With the increases in cost and seminarians, we need your help to form our future priests.
The Holy Thursday Collection for Diocese of Little Rock Seminarians was established in 2009 to help pay for the increased cost of seminarian education, which is provided free of charge to all qualified students, regardless of income. All donations go to the immediate needs of educating and housing diocesan seminarians.
You may donate online, return your collection envelope to your parish or mail a check directly to: Holy Thursday Collection, Diocese of Little Rock, Finance Office, P.O. Box 7239, Little Rock, AR 72217. To learn more about our seminarians, read their vocation stories. For more information, contact the Vocations and Seminarians Office at (501) 664-0340.
