The “St. Vincent de Paul Martin & Agnes Feeney Memorial Catholic Education Fund” was established by James & Lynda Feeney in 2006 to support students who are parishioners of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish who wish to attend Catholic school on the elementary and secondary levels. Students who are registered, active parishioners of the parish are invited annually to apply for this grant. The exact amount of the grant will be established each year by the Trust Team and may vary depending on availability of funds and/or the level of schooling they are pursuing. Since it’s inception, the fund has grown significantly, and has reached the point where we can offer each student a significant gift to assist with their tuition.
School Subsidies
As you may be aware the Parish has paid, out of our operating expenses, a subsidy to allow families from our Parish to pay an “in-parish” rate for tuition at an approved list of local Catholic Schools. This practice will be discontinued with the coming Academic Year (2025-2026) since this fund will replace that program, and will end up providing a higher level of financial support. In addition, the previous policy was only for Elementary Level education, where this fund would provide subsidy for students on the Secondary Level as well.
Requirements
For applicants to be considered for acceptance, they must be registered and active members of the parish. Activity will be determined by the Pastor on such criteria as: attendance at weekly Mass and/or a pattern of financial contribution to the parish, along with providing service to the parish as detailed below.
Service Component
The family of each student who qualifies for this grant must meet an annual quota of service to the parish. This quota for service may generally be met in one of three ways. Any request for additional qualifying service projects will be considered on an individual basis but must be approved in advance. Any family who fails to meet this quota will automatically be considered ineligible for the grant during the following Academic Year. At the conclusion of the Academic Year, families may be asked to submit a signed affidavit to show their compliance with this requirement. Qualifying Projects include:
- Ministering as an Altar Server, Minster of Hospitality, or other Liturgical Ministry on a regular basis
- Volunteering on a regular basis for one of our PREP program options
- Providing an annual total of 40 hours of service for parish events (Advent Family Night, Feastival, or the like)
Fund Payments
Checks will be payable to the school as identified on the application. No checks will be payable to an individual person. Payments are subject to other terms which will be described in detail upon acceptance.
Qualifying Schools
This grant is to support students in attending any Catholic Elementary or Secondary School located within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Schools must be accredited academic institutions and be recognized by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as “Catholic” institutions (ie: no public “charter schools” are eligible).
More information can be found on the Application which is attached below. All application packets must be received into the Parish Office by Wednesday, April 30th, to be considered for the 2025-2026 Academic Year. If you have any questions, please contact Fr. Paolino: pastor@saintvincents.net.