Brother Peter Bigard Memorial Seminary, Nigeria
'It is a long journey that demands a lot of strength and resources. But because of your support, I am able to focus on my discernment wholly, listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, while at the same time serving the Church in various ways.'
Brother Hashan, Our Lady of Lanka National Seminary, Sri Lanka
How blessed are we to encounter Christ in you, whose hearts are filled with riches in the value of generosity as we march towards Holy Priesthood. I send you my heartiest thanks for the immense contribution you make to our formation.
Brother Gervazio, St Peter’s Major Seminary, Malawi
A simple ‘thank you’ does not justify how deeply I appreciate your generous support to me financially and spiritually. Your prayers and selfless nature are very much evident as a result of your thoughtfulness in sponsoring me. This is what keeps me going and feel knowing that really, I have a sponsor who prays for me.
Brother Mathew: Christ the King Major Seminary, Kenya
The idea of a stranger helping me achieve my desire to serve as a Priest is humbling and encouraging. It gives me an impetus to work even harder, and also to cultivate a heart of charity to God and to others.
Brother Kodiganti, St John’s Regional Seminary, India
Through your kind sacrifice, we receive basic things like books, food, and healthcare. With your generous contribution we are able to receive good formation to become good priests and work in the vineyard of the Lord.
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Walk with them, so they can walk with God’s global family.

If you, your family, or your parish can raise £42 a month for four years, you can help realise a vocation in a mission diocese, and so help build a strong and vibrant Church for the future.

In mission dioceses in Africa and Asia, it costs at least £700 a year to train a student for the priesthood. Despite the sacrifices made by their families and parish communities, and the Seminaries’ efforts to grow their own food, it is a struggle for them to cover the full costs of Seminary training.

Missio believes no vocation should be turned away through lack of funds. That’s why the Holy Father asks us to channel help from our supporters in England and Wales to our Church overseas.

How it works

  • You register – as an individual, a group, or a parish – to sponsor a seminarian in one of our five seminary partners: India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Malawi. This means a commitment to raising £500 a year for four years. That’s £42 a month or £1.37 a day.
  • Missio receives names of sponsorship candidates from our five partners. We then allocate you a student in September when the Autumn term begins. You’ll receive the name of an individual student in the first of his final four years of Theology studies. And he will receive your name, so you can pray for each other especially, if you so choose.

Your journey – keeping in touch

If you choose to, you can also correspond with your sponsee. Some people prefer not to; others feel that correspondence is an essential part of being a Sponsor. If you want to, you can exchange letters, news of local parishes and photographs with the student.

To avoid any misunderstanding, the sponsor’s address is not disclosed to the student and all correspondence goes through the Missio office and the Rector of the student’s Seminary.

Gifts may not be sent directly to the students. But you can send a gift cheque to the Rector at ordination time, to share among all the new Priests. And of course, donating to Missio helps future Priests and Sisters around the world!

Sponsoring together

Sponsoring a seminarian makes a wonderful parish or community project. 

It’s a fantastic way to connect in faith to seminarians studying for the Priesthood overseas and a wonderful opportunity to support the future of our Church. 

Read how Leo’s parish have been sponsoring seminarians here>>

'Everybody feels they have a clear purpose both to ‘pay and pray’ for the success of their future Priest. Each sponsor feels that this is ‘their’ trainee Priest and that they have a divine and specific purpose.'
Leo, Birmingham
parish sponsorship organiser

Please sponsor a Seminarian

If you wish to sponsor a Seminarian, please contact us for further information:

Missio, 23 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1NU
020 7821 9755
spa@missio.org.uk