Papal Foundation announces $800,000 of scholarship awards to 110 religious and laypeople

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 10, 2024 / 16:30 pm

The Papal Foundation, a U.S.-based organization that provides funding for Catholic projects around the world, recently announced that it has awarded $800,000 to recipients of its scholarship fund.

The awards were distributed across 42 countries and helped enable 110 priests, brothers, sisters, and laypeople to pursue their studies at 14 pontifical universities in Rome as participants in the foundation’s St. John Paul II Scholarship Program. 

“Since its founding, the program has provided nearly $14 million in scholarships to more than 1,700 individuals, known as Saeman Scholars, to advance their education and prepare them to return home and serve in leadership positions in their own countries,” the foundation stated in a recent press release. 

Eustace Mita, president of the Papal Foundation’s board of trustees, in the release invoked the foundation’s establishment at the request of Pope John Paul II.

“We are inspired by, and committed to, St. John Paul II’s vision to prepare Catholic leaders and educators for service,” she said. “These scholarships help train those called to lead in developing nations, where resources for ongoing leadership formation are limited.”

Dec. 5 marked 25 years since the foundation launched its John Paul II Scholarship Fund after John and Carol Saeman — a couple from Denver — made a gift of $5 million that was matched by the Papal Foundation. 

The Papal Foundation is “the only charitable organization in the United States that is exclusively dedicated to fulfilling the requests of the Holy Father for the needs of the Church” and has dedicated more than $225 million to causes designated by popes since its inception. 

The foundation receives its funding from personal money donated by its Stewards of St. Peter, while the Holy Father designates the use of funds based on recommendations from his nuncios or ambassadors around the world. 

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees, praised the foundation’s stewards, stating that “in a society where the gap between rich and poor continues to grow,” they “recognize their responsibility to prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable.” 

“These grants, scholarships, and charitable initiatives are our organization’s gift to the Catholic Church,” the foundation’s executive director, David Savage, stated. 

In the past year alone, the foundation has successfully supported 118 projects in over 60 countries and announced in April that it would distribute nearly $10 million in 2024. Among the beneficiaries include efforts at “providing for basic needs such as access to clean water,” “constructing schools and renovating classrooms,” and “translating Church teachings for evangelization.”

One scholarship recipient, Sister Anna Kapounamai of India, is quoted in the release stating that her studies in Rome are aiding her efforts to help guide young people toward healthy use of social media.

“Today, the influence of social media is growing among youth and children ... My vision is to help young people become literate and responsible social media users while preserving their personal and social values,” she said, thanking the Papal Foundation for its support.

During an audience with Pope Francis in April, the Holy Father commended the foundation for “enhanc[ing] the integral development of so many, including the poor, refugees, immigrants, and nowadays the increasingly large numbers of those affected by war and violence.”

“Through these various worthy initiatives,” Francis addressed the group, “you continue to help the successors of Peter to build up many local Churches and care for large numbers of the less fortunate, thus fulfilling the mandates entrusted to the apostle by Our Lord.”