Q. Will the annual disbursements from the foundation be all equally paid out according to the number of seminarians, or will the disbursements be prorated according to the diocese from which they came?

A. The K of C Vocations Endowment will be a single pool of funds hopefully supported by donors from throughout and outside of our province. At the end of each Calendar year, we will determine the earnings from the Endowment fund and allocate an equal share of the earnings to each of the Seminarians from throughout the province. The checks will be made out and forwarded directly to the individual Seminarian in May of each year. Together with the cheque, there will be a letter to the Seminarian indicating that a copy of the cheque will be sent to the Diocesan office for their records/information. Although we will maintain a running total of funds raised through the leadership of each Knight of Columbus Council, all donations will be allocated to a single Endowment. We will not accept donations that assign the funds to a specific Seminarian or Diocese/Eparchy.

Q. In the documentation, it states that the cheques will be made out and forwarded directly to the individual Seminarian. Is it possible to have the cheques made out to the Vocations fund in each diocese rather than the seminarian?

A. The Supreme office of the Knights of Columbus has a program designed to provide incentives for Councils that provide financial support for the development of Seminarians. The RSVP program has specific guidelines that must be followed in order for a Council to apply for a 20% refund from Supreme for funds contributed to Seminarian development. One of the requirements is that the cheque is presented directly to the individual Seminarian and that a copy of the negotiated cheque endorsed by the Seminarian must accompany the request to Supreme for the 20% payment. We have made the Director of the RSVP program from Supreme aware of our Vocation Endowment strategy here in Saskatchewan. Our Saskatchewan initiative is unique in the fact that it is the only program where an equal amount of funding is provided to every Seminarian within the province from a provincial Endowment. After consideration, they did agree to support our program with the understanding that the 20% from Supreme would be added to the Endowment fund for future earnings. We also questioned the need for the presentation of the cheque to the Seminarian or could payment go to their Diocesan/Eparchy. Supreme sees their contribution as a means of ensuring that the Seminarian recipient is aware of the support of the Knights of Columbus for Seminarian education and development and will not consider payments that are made directly to the Diocese. Once explained, I can personally understand and support their rationale. In our discussions with the Bishops, it was suggested that each Diocese consider this payment as a part of the budget for each Seminarian. How that is handled is a matter of administration within each Diocese/Eparchy. Within the letter that each Seminarian receives with their cheque, we will explain that this payment from the Sask K of C Charitable Foundation is to be considered as a support payment for their education. They will also know that we will be copying the Diocesan office on all communications with the Seminarian.

Vocations - Frequently Asked Questions

Q. It is noted that the Sask K of C Vocations strategy is to commence on the first weekend in February. Is there flexibility in this date?

A. There is value in having a standard date set for implementation, however, we must also recognize that this request must fit within the priorities of the individual Diocese/Eparchy as well as the parish. This is a decision that we will leave to the individual priest to share with the Council in their parish. Our key priority is that each Council will work together with their priest as a team in introducing and supporting the initiative.

Q. Will Supreme rebate 20% ($100 for every $500) donated to the Vocation Endowment?

A. Supreme has agreed to accept the Sask K of C Vocation Endowment as an approved partner in the RSVP program.
In May of each year, Sask K of C Charitable Foundation will provide checks to all seminarians that are part of the Dioceses and Eparchy within Saskatchewan. Once the checks are signed and cashed by the Seminarian, we will submit a request to Supreme for 20% under the RSVP program. The 20% will be paid directly to the Sask K of C Charitable Foundation and added to the Vocation Endowment Fund.

At the end of each calendar year, Sask K of C Charitable Foundation will submit a list of the amount received from each Council to the Vocations Endowment. The dollar value of those donations will be recognized by Supreme for annual award qualifications. The Council will not receive any portion of the RSVP funding.