Bishop Patrick M. Neary, C.S.C., Named Honorary Chair of Vocation Fund
Bishop of Saint Cloud succeeds Cardinal Seán O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., in supporting educational debt relief for religious vocations
Chicago—The National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations has announced that The Most Reverend Patrick M. Neary, C.S.C., Bishop of Saint Cloud and a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, has accepted the role of Honorary Chair of the organization.
Bishop Neary succeeds His Eminence Seán Patrick Cardinal O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop Emeritus of Boston, who has served as Honorary Chair since the Vocation Fund’s founding in 2014 and has been a steadfast advocate for religious life and vocations throughout the Church.
The Vocation Fund works to eliminate educational debt as a barrier to religious vocations. Since its inception, the organization has awarded more than $1 million in educational debt assistance, helping more than 50 women and men pursue religious life and priesthood across the United States.
“We are profoundly grateful to Cardinal O’Malley for his extraordinary leadership and unwavering support of religious vocations,” said The Reverend Anthony Vinson, O.S.B., Board Chair of the Vocation Fund and a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey. “We are equally honored to welcome Bishop Neary, whose lifelong commitment to formation, missionary service, and vocations makes him an ideal advocate for this important ministry in service to the Church and to the religious communities we are proud to partner with nationwide.”
Bishop Neary expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve in his new role. “As a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, I understand how educational debt can prevent young people from entering formation programs and responding fully to God’s call,” Bishop Neary said. “Throughout my years as a priest, seminary rector, missionary, and now bishop, I have witnessed the generosity of those who courageously discern religious life. Educational debt should not stand in the way of that vocation.”
He added: “I am grateful to Cardinal Seán O’Malley for his years of faithful leadership and am honored to support the Vocation Fund as it continues to strengthen religious life and foster future vocations throughout the Church.”
Phil Loftus, Executive Director of the Vocation Fund, emphasized the organization’s ongoing mission. “Educational debt is one of the most solvable obstacles facing religious vocations today,” Loftus said. “Through the generosity of donors, foundations, religious institutes, and supporters across the country, the Vocation Fund has enabled women and men to answer God’s call without being overwhelmed by financial burdens. We look forward to Bishop Neary’s leadership as we continue nurturing vocations and strengthening religious life.
“Pope Leo XIV has underscored the urgency of this work. In an August 2026 message to religious leaders in the United States, the Holy Father emphasized that fostering vocations remains vital even amid growing secularization, noting that a genuine ‘hunger for God’ persists among today’s young people.”
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL FUND FOR CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS
The Vocation Fund is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating educational debt as an obstacle to religious vocations. Through educational debt assistance grants awarded to religious institutes and secular institutes, the Vocation Fund helps candidates pursue God’s call to religious life without the burden of student loan debt. The Vocation Fund partners directly with religious institutes of women, religious institutes of men, secular institutes, and societies of apostolic life, awarding grants to the institutes themselves as they welcome new members into formation.
Mission: Nurturing Vocations: Strengthening Religious Life
MEDIA CONTACT
Phil LoftusExecutive DirectorNational Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations6348 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Suite 102Chicago, Illinois 60646312-318-0180ploftus@nfcrv.org
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