By CatholicPhilly staff report • Posted December 10, 2024

 The Papal Foundation is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the St. John Paul II Scholarship Program by awarding more than $800,000 in scholarships this year to 113 priests, brothers, sisters, and lay faithful from 37 countries.

Since its founding, the program has provided nearly $16 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 individuals, known as Saeman Scholars, to advance their education and provide them the opportunity to study at 15 pontifical universities in Rome and prepare them to return home and serve in leadership positions in their own countries.

“Our goal is to ensure these scholars from developing nations, where resources are limited, are well versed in disciplines such as canon law and moral theology before returning to their home dioceses,” said Eustace Mita, president of the Papal Foundation Board of Trustees. “By advancing their educations, Saeman Scholars are better prepared to teach in their own countries and secure the future of the Church around the world.”

The Papal Foundation, formed in 1988 under the leadership of Philadelphia Cardinal John Krol, is the only charitable organization in the United States exclusively dedicated to fulfilling the requests of the Pope for the needs of the Catholic Church.

In 1998, then Pope John Paul II was asked what he would do with an unrestricted, $5 million gift. Without hesitating, he said he would provide scholarships for tuition, room, and board to priests, religious sisters, and laity from disadvantaged countries, allowing them to study in Rome and then return to their dioceses to present the teachings of the Church.

The program launched in 1999 thanks to the generosity of John and Carol Saeman of Denver, Colo. “We wish to extend our deep gratitude and thanks to John and Carol Saeman and their entire family for their visionary leadership and financial generosity, which has resulted in creating this high-impact program for our Church,” said Dave Savage, executive director of the Papal Foundation.

Father Sylvester Ndzelen Berinyuy from the Diocese of Kumbo in Cameroon said the financial support from the foundation “has allowed me to focus on my research and academic growth without the burden of financial stress. The opportunity to pursue higher education, especially in a field that is so dear to my heart, has been a profound blessing.

“I remain deeply thankful for the confidence … placed in me through this scholarship, and I am committed to using this knowledge and experience to serve the Church and society,” he said.

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For more information about the Papal Foundation, its grants, and scholarships, visit thepapalfoundation.org.