Priests’ Retirement
& Education Fund
“God gave us our gifts, not for our own glory or pride,
but that we might use them for God’s greater honor and glory.
Use your gifts to help your fellow man as much as you can.”
– Fr. Kapaun
RETIRED PRIESTS & PRIEST RETIREMENT CENTER
Priests of the diocese have dedicated their lives to serving our needs as Catholics, from the moment we are baptized until we receive last rites. The Priests’ Retirement & Education Fund (PREF) provides for the health and well-being of retired diocesan priests. Gifts to PREF help support and offset retirement costs covered by the diocese, including nursing care and maintenance to the Priest Retirement Center.
ST. JOSEPH HOUSE OF FORMATION
Following its dedication in the fall of 2017, the St. Joseph House of Formation is home to 41 college-age seminarians, all of whom are philosophy students at Newman University. The seminarians live in one of three facilities: the Borromeo House, a former rectory named after St. Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of seminarians; the Hennessy House, a nearby former convent named after Bishop John J. Hennessy, the first bishop of the diocese; and the Vianney House, a former Dominican convent named after St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests. All three houses are on the campus of St. Joseph Church in central Wichita.
SEMINARY BURSE ENDOWMENTS
The Catholic Diocese of Wichita is abundantly blessed to have 51 men in seminary discerning a call to the priesthood. During their time in seminary the diocese covers 100% of the costs associated with the discernment and formation process, removing any financial burden for our seminarians and their families. During the 2024-25 academic year, the diocese spent more than $1.5 million on the educational costs for those in seminary. This includes our seminarians living at the St. Joseph House of Formation, all of whom are philosophy students at Newman University, in addition to those who are studying theology at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois and Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Missouri.
To help offset the cost of educating our seminarians, the diocese is fortunate to have a robust Seminary Burse Endowment program. A seminary burse is a permanent source of funding for the sole purpose of educating those who are discerning a call to be a priest of the diocese. Acting as an endowment, the principal of all seminary burse gifts remain intact while the investment income from each burse is used by the diocese to support our seminarians. More than 325 seminary burse endowments have been established in the Diocese of Wichita, which collectively provide more than $800,000 in annual funding for the education of our seminarians.
CHRISTMAS CALL TO SHARING
Each Advent season, faithful of the diocese are invited to participate in Christmas Call to Sharing – our annual appeal to support seminarians discerning a call to the priesthood and for retired priests who have faithfully served our local Church. Through your generous gift, our seminarians are able to focus fully on their formation and studies without the burden of tuition or educational costs, while our retired priests receive essential care – including pension support, health insurance, and nursing care – as a sign of gratitude for their years of dedicated ministry. We invite you to give back to the faithful priests of our diocese who have guided us in faith – and to invest in those who, God willing, will shepherd our diocese in the years to come.
Contact Us
Office of Development and Planned Giving
Catholic Diocese of Wichita
424 N. Broadway
Wichita, KS 67202
Phone: (316) 269-3917