ROLE OF BENEFACTORS TOWARDS SEMINARIANS’ FORMATION

Sem. Franc Levan Estorba

Sem. Joshua Salve Garrote
Sem. Alfonso Jabines
Sem. Kent Rigel Narisma
 Chapter I

The Problem and It’s Scope

Introduction

Rationale

“Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the

sacrifices that please God.” (Hebrews 13:16)

This verse of the Bible illustrates how valuable to live with generosity. That

charitable works is one of the virtues that every individual should be practiced.

Doing sacrifice, especially of giving or sharing your graces (material or not) without

asking anything for a change, is a great morality to help others and most

importantly to please our Heavenly Father. On the contrary, greediness is a

shameful act that would lead us away from God. It can also be an antecedent to

commit sinful practices.

In this matter, this virtue is found by a person who unconditionally grants

benefits (material or not) to a beneficiary whom we called benefactor. According

to vocabulary.com, the word benefactor is translated in Latin root words which

are bene, which means “well,” and facere, which means “to do”- literally “to do

well”. A benefactor does well by supporting (usually financially) a person or a good

cause. It is the one that confers a benefit which is responsible for the favorable act

of kindness in which they give not only money but more confidence and inspiration

to pursue their dreams as a beneficiary.

 Seminary formation needs enough financial sufficiency. Perhaps, it is one

of the reasons why other committed young men hesitate to enter this institution.

Nevertheless, there are still confident enough to enter despite being financially

incapable. It is just for the sake to respond to their call in the priesthood ministry.

Hence, a seminarian has to endure and tighten his confidence to ask generous

people to help his financial obligations. But, as what others, especially priests, said

that there are a lot of generous people who voluntarily want to help seminarians

who are committed to enter the seminary and dreams to become a priest.

In the seminary formation, expenses are the other side of it. Almost every

seminary activities, money always takes a role. If a seminarian is insufficient then

there is a greater possibility that he cannot sustain in the formation. Not because

he is not passive to be formed but due to his financial. In this case, we could see

how relevant for seminarians to have a definite benefactors if they don’t have yet.

Financial support has also a great impact on the seminary formation. So, some

seminarians are hoping and seeking for generous benefactors for themselves.

As an aspirant to become a priest, financial support is necessary to surpass and

to lighten the load as a seminarian. It can also help seminarians to become violent

in terms of their academic performance. If seminarians don’t have someone to

support their financial needs, they will always think about it and they cannot focus

on their academic matters. On the other hand, if seminarians have someone to

support their financial needs, they will be peaceful and they will have the clarity of

mind to focus on their studies. By this, they can focus on their academic

performance and other pillars that are compassing the seminary formation.
 Here in the IHMS, some seminarians don’t have a benefactor yet. The

institution is recently strict about the financial aspect of a seminarian. It is due to

the decrease of enrolees for this school year. The decrease of enrolees has a big

impact on the money matters of a seminarian. The smaller the amount of

registered seminarians, the bigger the necessity to collect bigger amount of salary.

It has a big impact on seminarians who are financially unable. The foundation of

seminarians give benefit to its contribution with the help of their benefactors that

confers a profit which avails financial problems through reliable resources of

money. Through these gracious people, they could help many deserving

seminarians to attain succession in which many of them already made countless

numbers of priests and bishops which holds a big factor in the life of every

seminarian.

In the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary (IHMS) Taloto District,

Tagbilaran City, Bohol, researchers will tackle the significance of having a

benefactor. This study views that having a benefactor can ease the pain as a

seminarian concerning their financial capability. Benefactors play an important role

in the seminary formation. They are generous people who provide financial support

to the seminarian. They are either their immediate family members or their friends.

This study to be conducted is not only for seminarians who do not have a

benefactor but also for the seminarians who are financially able. So, it can give us

an idea that benefactors also acts as a gateway for seminarians to achieve their

dreams, to become a priest.

Theoretical Background

The following are the related studies that relate to our study involving the

effects of benefactor towards seminary formation.

According to Allen (2018)-the Science of Generosity, “Generosity comes in

many forms such as from charitable donations to formal volunteering, from helping

a stranger to caring for a family member.”

As stated by the above-mentioned authors that generosity has no

exceptions unless it involves “giving good things to others freely and abundantly”-

the definition of generosity according to the University of Notre Dame’s Science of

Generosity Project. The generous act is not likely defined as to choose who would

grant the action. It is something to do with giving and sharing one’s good things

randomly to others. (Allen, 2018)

The literature is also mentioned that generous people (and even animals)

are more likely to forget their own needs than to others. Generous people usually

disregard their material goodness for the benefits of others. They called “prosocial

behavior”-acts that benefit others. It is stated also that giving and helping feels

good. How is it so? Spiritually, when you give or help it is natural to bear a happy

emotion out from the goodness you did. Acting generously associates with

psychological and well-being. (Allen, 2018)

 According to Philippine Republic Act No. 10687 (an act providing
for a comprehensive and unified student financial assistance system for
tertiary education (UniFAST), thereby rationalizing access thereto,
appropriating funds therefor and for other purposes), in the Section 2 under
Article no. 1 “that the declared policy of the State to promote social justice
and pursuant thereto, provide all its citizens access to quality education.
Towards this end, the State shall provide adequate funding and such other
mechanisms to increase the participation rate among all socioeconomic
classes in Tertiary Education, especially the poor but academically able and
highly motivated students. This policy should enable them to successfully
pursue and complete Tertiary Education programs in quality institutions,
thereby promoting equitable and Rationalized Access by poor Filipinos to
quality Tertiary Education.”

The above mentioned Philippine Law refers to the implementation of a

program which grants a deserving students, especially the poor but academically

able, financial assistance for their education. One of the objectives of the said

program is that through the financial assistance of the government, a pool of highly

qualified graduates and technical experts will be produced in the future. Through

this program, we can say that the financial aspect has a big impact on the student’s

success. That not just the academic capability of the student can only be his

stepping-stone to survive his studying stage but also the financial aspect has a

role. The student’s perseverance is not just one of the factors to realize his dreams

but also financial sufficiency has a part. That is how the financial aspect contributes

greatly to the student’s academic status.

Concerning our study, some seminarians of Immaculate Heart of Mary

Seminary are facing to this common problem in the institution. Some of them have

an uncertain financial assistant to the seminary formation. They don’t have a

certain benefactors as some of them are financially incapable. In fact, in the history

of the seminary, it is known as the prestigious school that only rich students can
enroll because it is a very expensive school. But it was later reformed by the

accordance with the Council of Trent, which discussed the agreement that the

seminary will be accepting applicants heterogeneously poor or rich alike intelligent

and low learners are both accepted but of course passed first the entrance exam

(Krowel, 2009). Hence, today this financial matter is one of the prevailing

hindrances of some seminarians to their formation. The said government policy as

our related study is in connection with our study which focuses on the role of

financial assistant or benefactor towards a student, particularly seminarian.

There’s a connection in its objective which is to value the importance of sufficient

financial assistant towards student’s good education which subsequently brings

them to success. That support can be helpful for them to become excellent in their

formation. It will help them not to be worried about too their financial difficulties and

be focused on their studies and formation.

 THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

The main objective of the study is to determine the role of benefactors to the

seminarians of Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary to their formation.

Specifically, the study aims to:

1. identify the impact of benefactors towards seminarians in terms of:

1.1 spiritual formation

1.2 academic formation

1.3 human formation

1.4 apostolate formation;

2. determine the advantages of having and disadvantages of not having a

benefactor towards seminarians;

3. find tips on how to attract generous people to become a benefactor;

4. come up with methods in keeping the benefactors be consistent to the

benefited seminarians.
Statement of Hypothesis

There is a significant effect of having benefactors towards seminarians’

formation.

Significance of the Study

This study will be conducted to benefit the following:

 The Seminarians. This study will help them to gain knowledge on how is

important of having benefactor to their seminary formation. This will guide

them in keeping their loyalty on their benefactors as a good seminarians.

This study will also help them to give motivation and inspiration in helping

others in need.

 The Benefactors. They just include the other people who supported the

financial obligations of the seminarian but also the parents. Through this

study, they will be able to obtain insights that contain the importance of

giving and sharing. They will become motivated to help more and develop

deeply their acts of being generous.

 The Formators and Teachers. They will be benefited from this study by

way of that they will understand the impact of benefactors to the

seminarians so they can help and give advice them on their financial

matters.

 Readers and Future Researchers. This study will provide a further

knowledge and information about the role of benefactors toward

seminarians’ formation. This could be their reference and serve as basis for

further study.
Scope and Delimitation

This study will be conducted to determine the role of benefactors towards the

formation of the seminarians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary. It will

identify the advantages of having a benefactor and the disadvantages of having

not. It will look into the tips on how to attract generous people to be the benefactor

of the financial aspect of a seminarian and methods on how seminarian acts as to

keep his benefactor consistent.

The population or universe of the study includes only the seminarians in

the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary. An adequate sample of ninety-five

percent (95%) confidence level the result of one hundred forty-nine (149)

seminarians. Thus, there are one hundred fifteen (115) seminarians who will take

the examination. The time given to this study is within the Formation Year 2019-

2020.
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study will make use of descriptive research design. “Descriptive research

design is one of the traditional categories of research designs which is used to

gather data on current phenomena and conditions. It helps provide answers to the

questions of who, what, where, when, and how of a particular research study”

(Prieto et al., 2017). Descriptive research design is a valid method for researching

specific subjects and as precursor or parent to more quantitative studies. It is a

scientific method which involves observing and describing the behaviour of a

subject without influencing it in any way. (Shuttleworth, 2019)

Since this study is about the role of benefactors toward seminarians’

formation, the descriptive research design is the appropriate method to use. This

method helps this study in gathering information from the seminarians concerning

of having benefactors to their seminary formation. The answer of the questions

behind this study can be easily sought by means of this method since the

researchers just need to know the impact of the benefactors in seminary formation.

Research Environment

The said study will be conducted in Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary.

Some (IHMS) five kilometres north from the city. IHMS is an educational institution

founded by the late Julio Cardinal Rosales, first residential Bishop of Tagbilaran.

The seminary was being inaugurated last August 22, 1950.

 The seminary composed of three departments namely: College, Pre-College

(Preparatory for College together with Senior High school), Junior High school

Department. The three departments comprise a total of one hundred forty-nine

seminarians.

IHMS is having the goal to establish a quality management system. It will

undertake relevant capacity development programs and activities. It will adhere to

the guidance of civil and ecclesiastical authorities in the field of secular education

and integral seminary formation. It will inculcate the doctrines of the church in the

formation program. Lastly, it will design and implement programs responsive to the

needs of contemporary society. (IHMS Handbook)

Research Respondents

There are one hundred forty-nine (149) seminarians in IHMS. College

Department is composed of eighteen (18) First Year; fourteen (14) Second Year;

ten (10) Third Year; and recently, there are no Fourth Year seminarians due to the

shift of K-12 curriculum. Pre-College Department have nine (9) Pre-College proper,

ten (10) Grade Eleven and nineteen (19) Grade Twelve from Senior High school.

Junior High school Department is consist of sixteen (16) Grade Seven, twenty-

three (23) Grade Eight, fifteen (15) Grade Nine and fifteen also in Grade Ten.

The sample size and sampling interval will get the number of respondents.

First, for the adequate sample at ninety-five percent (95%) confidence level the

result out of one hundred forty-nine (149) is one hundred fifteen (115).

Research Instrument
 The method of collecting data will use the research questionnaire. This will

be appropriate instrument to use because it gathers data faster than any other

method (Calderon, 1993). The gathering of data would be easily to conduct as the

respondents are seminarians and so they are literate about this method

The questionnaire will be a set of carefully-prepared and logically-ordered

questions accomplished by the respondents. It serves as data-gathering tool to

determine and to know the impact of benefactors toward seminarian. In the

questionnaire the respondents are instructed to evaluate the importance of having

benefactor using Likert-scale and Dicotomous questionnaire.