The St. Ignatius Loyola Council of the Knights of Columbus at Holy Family Church in San Jose recently delivered a $500 scholarship to its 24th seminarian.
The Council has provided over $18,000 in financial aid to local seminarians over the past 10 years and gives special consideration to members of the Council or the parish who need assistance in their religious studies.
St. Ignatius Council also coordinates with the Director of Vocations of the Diocese of San Jose who suggests seminarians at St. Patrick Seminary who are most in need of financial support.
The Council hosts numerous parish and Council events during the year and a “Seminarian Fund” donation effort is always part of these events, allowing parishioners and Knights to directly assist future priests.
Three of this year’s four seminarians receiving scholarships are at St. Patrick Seminary and the fourth (a Holy Family parishioner and fellow Knight) is in Connecticut studying to join the Missionaries of La Salette.
St. Ignatius Loyola Council is part of a Catholic men’s fraternal organization of more than 14,000 Councils and 1.8 million members throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan. There are over 600 Councils in California with 21 in San Jose.