St. John Vianney Student Debt Relief Grant Program

Through the St. John Vianney grant program, the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations seeks to accelerate and to prevent the abandonment of priestly vocations by guaranteeing the eventual retirement of the student loans of men who have generously answered a call to the priesthood in service of parishes.

The program is designed to help men in either of two situations:

• Men who are called to become diocesan priests whose student loans are so large that the payments will overwhelm the small salaries that priests receive. Thus, in prudence, the ordinary of the diocese would be unwilling to allow a candidate for the priesthood to begin formation.
• Men who are called to religious institutes whose charism is to form parish priests, but who are not eligible for a St. Joseph grant.

If you would like to help us with this important program, please see our support page.

We encourage men discerning for the priesthood to discuss the financial ramifications of their unpaid student loans with their vocation director and/or bishop. Try to estimate:

• Final balance of your student loans expected at ordination. Keep in mind that if you defer the loan during your seminary years, (a reasonable choice), the interest may continue to accrue, making the balance of your loan much larger.
• Minimum monthly payments for your student loans.
• Your monthly living expenses.
• Your monthly stipend as a priest.

If there will be a shortfall, discuss how this will be resolved. If there seems to be no resolution, have a look at our eligibility rules to see if you are eligible for applying for a grant from the MEFV. If you are eligible, be sure to read all the pages available under the menu items "Grant Programs" and "For Applicants" to fully inform yourself about the requirements for application.

If you are already in formation or are already ordained and you are coming to the realization that your student debt is going to be burdensome, we regret that the St. John Vianney grant program is not open to you. Its goal is to assist men who cannot begin their formation for the priesthood. However, we are interested in learning whether student debt is a significant problem for those already in formation for the priesthood. So we would welcome hearing from you if you would like to share your situation.

Prospective applicants should read all the pages available under the menu items "Grant Programs" and "For Applicants" to fully inform themselves about the requirements for application.