Bishop celebrates Burse Mass, hosts dinner for seminarians

Bishop Michael Mulvey celebrated Mass for the Burse Club on Sunday, Aug. 9, at the Corpus Christi Cathedral. The Burse Club is run by the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women to assist with expenses of seminarians. Burse is a Medieval Latin word meaning "purse." It is also a term for a fund providing allowance for students, which the Church uses to assist seminarians.

The Diocese of Corpus Christi currently has 311 burse accounts totaling $4.4 million, which are invested and the income is used to assist seminarians. Burses range from as little as $5 to $1 million; the average burse in $14,284. Readers can see a complete list of burses here.

Anyone interested in contributing to a burse can send their donation to the Diocese of Corpus Christi indicating which burse they wish to donate to. If someone would like to open a burse in the name of a loved one, they can send a donation to the diocese, indicating what name they wish to use to create the burse. For more information on donating or creating a burse call the diocese finance office at (361) 882-6191.

After the Mass, the Burse Club hosted a reception for seminarians at the Cathedral's St. Joseph's Hall. Later that evening, Bishop Mulvey hosted a dinner for seminarians and their families at his home. The Serra Club–who promotes vocations to the priesthood and religious life–sponsored the event.

The Diocese of Corpus Christi currently has 11 seminarians.

Photos by Mellie Smithwick