By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
More than $400,000 has been raised to date in the first Seminarian Education Appeal for the Diocese of Davenport. “We definitely consider this a success,” said Sister Laura Goedken, OP, the diocesan director of development who oversaw the diocesan-wide appeal held April 16-17.
The Ladies Altar & Rosary Society at St. Joseph Parish-Wellman donated $1,000 to the Seminarian Education Appeal earlier this spring. The money was raised through fall festival dinners and auctions. Shirley Bohr and Karen Sojka are treasurers for the society.
“We weren’t sure what to expect,” she said, estimating that only about a dozen dioceses in the U.S. hold an appeal to help fund seminary education.
As of last week, around $412,000 had been raised. Sr. Goedken noted that the dollar amount continues to rise and she knows of additional checks coming from parishioners. But she won’t count them in the total until they arrive. (See accompanying chart on Page 10.)
The impetus for the campaign was an anticipated increase in the number of seminarians. Each April, the various departments at diocesan headquarters begin planning their budgets for the next fiscal year. When Father Thom Hennen, diocesan director of vocations, was working on his budget he had to approximate the number of seminarians who would be studying at the college level and in major seminary. (See his column on Page 5.) If his original estimate had come to fruition, the budget would have fallen far short to fund their education. So an appeal was scheduled.
Although the number of seminarians won’t be as high as anticipated, Sr. Goedken said all the money raised by the appeal has been deposited in the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Davenport and will be invested. “As we need it, the Catholic Foundation will pay the diocese.”
The diocese is expecting about 15 seminarians this coming year.
Because the campaign was successful, the appeal will not be held annually. “We anticipate we are good for a few more years.”
Seminarian education is mostly funded through the Annual Diocesan Appeal (ADA), but if the higher number of seminarians had become a reality, the ADA wouldn’t have covered the costs. “It would be difficult to budget income in the ADA (for full funding),” she said. Raising the ADA goal could be hard on some parishes. That campaign is held in the fall.
James and Donna Timmer of Prince of Peace Parish in Clinton contributed to the seminarian appeal. They said they did so because, “We need priests. We need dedicated young men and we want to help them as we are able.”
Ronald and Sheryl Lee of Ss. John & Paul Parish in Burlington, said, “Both of us became Catholic a couple years ago. We saw the need, and the grace of God called us to do this.”
Seminarian appeal results
Parish Number donors Amount given
Albia, St. Mary 46 3,116
Bettendorf, Our lady of Lourdes 74 9,871
Bettendorf, St. John Vianney 194 32,723
Bloomfield, St. Mary Magdalene 10 661
Blue Grass, St. Andrew 28 2,616
Brooklyn, St. Patrick 22 1,480
Buffalo, St. Peter 16 1,966
Burlington, Ss. John & Paul 106 13,367
Camanche, Church of the Visitation 14 1,335
Centerville, St. Mary 24 4,776
Charlotte, Assumption & st. Patrick 11 1,071
Clinton, Prince of Peace 79 10,041
Colfax, Immaculate Conception 12 870
Columbus Junction, St. Joseph 19 2,520
Coralville, St. Thomas More 34 3,095
Cosgrove, St. Peter 16 1,380
Davenport, Holy Family 113 9,996
Davenport, Our Lady of Victory 103 8,149
Davenport, Sacred Heart Cathedral 67 16,413
Davenport, St. Alphonsus 48 5,314
Davenport, St. Anthony 49 7,178
Davenport, St. Mary 18 2,321
Davenport, St. Paul the Apostle 148 42,332
Delmar, St. Patrick 7 780
DeWitt, St. Joseph 133 12,105
Dodgeville, St. Mary 9 790
Fairfield, St. Mary 37 7,042
Farmington, St. Boniface 6 380
Fort Madison, Holy Family 112 12,497
Georgetown, St. Patrick 7 1,000
Grand Mound, Ss. Philip & James 25 2,461
Grinnell, St. Mary 39 3,622
Hills, St. Joseph 20 1,215
Houghton, St. John 12 970
Iowa City, St. Mary 121 17,039
Iowa City, St. Patrick 78 11,462
Iowa City, St. Wenceslaus 100 11,497
Keokuk, All Saints 85 5,459
Keota, Holy Trinity 15 2,933
Knoxville, St. Anthony 31 2,522
LeClaire, Our Lady of the River 32 4,857
Lone Tree, St. Mary 6 447
Long Grove, St. Ann 32 5,417
Lost Nation, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary 15 2,866
Lovilia, St. Peter 11 957
Marengo, St. Patrick 4 310
Mechanicsville, St. Mary 7 1,045
Melcher, Sacred Heart 20 1,560
Melrose, St. Patrick 12 771
Montrose, St. Joseph 7 425
Mount Pleasant, St. Alphonsus 39 4,120
Muscatine, Ss. Mary & Mathias 94 11,016
Newton, Sacred Heart 75 7,794
Nichols, St. Mary 5 480
North English, St. Joseph 13 1,488
Oskaloosa, St. Mary 46 8,522
Ottumwa, St. Mary 67 4,732
Ottumwa, St. Patrick 59 7,082
Oxford, St. Mary 13 1,596
Pella, St. Mary 30 5,306
Petersville, Immaculate Conception 7 645
Richland, Ss. Joseph & Cabrini 19 1,942
Richmond, Holy Trinity 43 4,793
Riverside, St. Mary 38 4,466
St. Paul, St. James 12 1,445
Sigourney, St. Mary 14 964
Solon, St. Mary 50 8,291
Sugar Creek, Ss. Mary & Joseph 9 1,111
Tipton, St. Mary 20 2,842
Victor, St. Bridget 20 1,697
Washington, St. James 54 6,206
Wellman, St. Joseph 16 4,525
West Branch, St. Bernadette 10 820
West Burlington, Ss. Mary & Patrick 23 2,321
West Liberty, St. Joseph 15 1,500
West Point, St. Mary 38 6,297
Williamsburg, St. Mary 11 1,224
Wilton, St. Mary 17 1,605
No parish 34 12,362
Totals 2,998 412,216
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