Financial Support for tlte Cluerclz in Texas
1 97
men who desired to dedicate their lives to the spread of the Faith. Mind- ful of the fact that new churches are useless without priests, the Society decided, under the presidency of Bishop O'Brien, to help meet this emergency by assisting the various bishops throughout the country edu- cate zealous young men for missionary work. During the first twenty-five years of the existence of the Catholic Church Extension Society $600,- 000.00 were given missionary bishops that they might help poor, deserv- ing young men to prepare themselves in the seminary for a life of service on the missions. An average of $24,000.00 a year, therefore, was spent for this purpose. The records show that the number of seminarians enabled to complete their studies for the priesthood increased in the latter years. For this growth in numbers the Society deserves no little credit. Between 1925 and r930 about 200 students were being maintained in seminaries, for each of whom the Society gave the corresponding bishops $300.00 a year. Texas benefited the most from this fund. As late as 1930 Amarillo was being given an annual allowance of $3,000.00 to enable ten young men to prepare themselves for missionary work; Corpus Christi, $3,000.00; Dallas, $3,000.00; and El Paso $3,000.00. The money allocated for this purpose had been taken out of the general fund of the Society until r925, when it was decided to establish a permanent endowment fund for mission students. A campaign was launched by Bishop O'Brien to secure $1,000,000.00, a sum sufficiently large so that the interest accrued would take permanent care of this annual need. Membership, fixed at $1,000.00 to be donated during life, was open to prelates, priests, sisters, and laymen. With each $1,000.00 contributed, upon the death of the donor, a $6,000.00 burse was to be created by the Society, the interest on which would defray the yearly expenses of a mission seminarian. Within five years, more than half of the $1,000,000 goal had been subscribed, thus by 1930 the Mission Student Endowment Fund was a reality. 41 Tlie Missi.011, Priests' E11d<ntmietzt F1md. The Society had been help- ing build and equip new churches and educate young men for missionary work. As seminarians, they needed financial assistance; as priests, they were equally in need. The poor missionary priests, "working on the prairies and out-of-the-way places, very poor, very lonely, very hopeless at times, happy only in their devotion, and love for His scattered chil- dren," declared Bishop Kelley, had been too long forgotten and neglected.
42 /frte-n.rfon Ma.r:azine, Silver Jubilee Number, October 1930, 54-55.
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