On Aug. 4, the Church will mark the feast of St. John Marie Baptiste Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests and the Diocese of Birmingham’s secondary patron. In preparation for the celebration of the feast, the faithful will have two opportunities to honor the saint’s tireless devotion to the priesthood: a novena and a second collection.

First, the faithful are invited to begin a nine-day novena on July 27, praying for the dedicated priests who currently serve in the diocese, for the seminarians in formation for the priesthood, and for more holy men to answer God’s call.

Second, the diocese will hold a second collection at every parish the weekend of Aug. 1-2 for the Seminarian Education Fund. Before the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama was erected in 1969, Catholics across Northern and Central Alabama understood the importance of priestly formation and heeded the call to spiritually and financially support those discerning God’s call through the Burse Club. What was once the Burse Club, created in the 1950s, is now the Seminarian Education Fund. And in those 70 years, the faithful have not lost sight of the importance of investing in the future of the diocesan priesthood, with last year’s second collection reaching almost $600,000.

The path to priesthood is a seven-year journey of faith and extensive formation, preparing them for a lifetime of service to God and His people. May we look to St. John Vianney and renew our dedication to those men in formation. Together, we can affirm our commitment to the priesthood and ensure that the light of St. John Vianney’s devotion continues to shine brightly in the hearts and minds of our seminarians.

St. John Vianney, pray for us!

Last year, the Seminarian Education Fund benefitted from an anonymous donor’s $1 million match donation.

The second collection and the donations throughout the year, in addition to the generous match, raised an amazing $2.47 million. With over 20 seminarians in formation, the annual cost is close to $1 million. To ensure formation continues, please consider a gift to the St. John Vianney Seminarian Education Fund, especially during the second collection in your parish, Aug. 1-2. Other ways to give include:

• Making a one-time or recurring donation by visiting bhmdiocese.org/vocations.
• Contacting the Diocese of Birmingham’s Finance Office at 205.838.8322 to speak about estate planning or stock donations.