What the Fund is for

Every priest and deacon serving in the Diocese was once a man in formation. The Clergy Education and Training Fund pays for that formation, and for the continuing education of clergy already in ministry. Training a seminarian costs around £30,000 a year, or roughly £80 a day. Training a Permanent Deacon costs around £4,000 a year. None of that happens without the Fund, and the Fund does not replenish itself without the giving of ordinary Catholics.

What the Fund supports

• Seminarian formation. Around six years of study and pastoral preparation at a residential seminary, covering tuition, accommodation, and formation costs.
• Permanent Deacon training. The diaconal formation programme for men discerning and preparing for ordained ministry as permanent deacons.
• Ongoing clergy training. Continuing professional development, retreats, courses, and specialist study for priests and deacons already in ministry.
• Lay formation in some cases, including training for Eucharistic Ministers and other parish leadership roles.

Why the Fund needs your support

At a time when vocations to the priesthood are precious, the Diocese is grateful for the men in seminary and for those still discerning the call. Their training is expensive. The Fund is what allows the diocese to say yes to a vocation without asking the man to bear the cost himself. Every gift goes directly toward forming the priests and deacons who will serve these parishes for the next thirty or forty years.

Ways to give

Online. Donate to the Fund through the diocesan giving page. Tick the Gift Aid box if you pay UK tax, which turns every £1 you give into £1.25 at no additional cost to you.

Standing Order or cheque. Contact the Planned Giving Office using the details below to request a Standing Order mandate, or send a cheque payable to Clergy Education and Training Fund to:

Planned Giving and Gift Aid Service
Diocese of Shrewsbury
Curial Offices
2 Park Road South
Prenton
CH43 4UX

The annual collection. A Special Collection is held in churches across the Diocese every November. Cash given on the day cannot attract Gift Aid unless it goes through an individual numbered envelope or you donate online with a Gift Aid declaration in place.

Get in touch

For more information, including the Fund's leaflet with a Gift Aid Declaration and Standing Order form, use the Planned Giving Office contact listed below.