The Archdiocesan Centre for Faith Enrichment (CFE) has opened its call for applications to the Biblical Foundation’s BJ Hickey Scholarship for the year 2021.
Deadlines for applications close on 23 October, which invites laypeople within the Archdiocese of Perth “who may otherwise not be able to undertake a Scripture course because of financial constraints”, and are seeking financial subsidies to enable them to undertake in-depth study.
CFE Director Dr Marco Ceccarelli said the scholarships allow the faithful to explore the richness of Old and New Testaments by travelling or studying online, as COVID-19 pandemic has caused travel restrictions.
“We believe that there are some wonderful institutions here in WA and online that offer high-quality Scriptures courses,” Dr Ceccarelli told The eRecord.
“These range from The University of Notre Dame Australia, BBI – The Australian Institute of Theological Education, Acts 2 College of Mission and Evangelisation, and other national and international education centres.”
The scholarships will provide recipients with essential funding necessary for them to study from as little as $100 to as much as $5000.
“What we want is for people to find a course, something that they feel passionate about and will dedicate themselves to seriously, and use the scholarship to either pay for the course in full or partially. We also want them to come back and share the knowledge within the Archdiocese of Perth, which is important,” Dr Ceccarelli explained.
“They can share their experience with us at CFE, within their parish, meet with their ecclesial or prayer group, or their movement. This could simply be done by hosting an evening talk where the scholarship recipient shares their story and the knowledge they have acquired.
“In the past, we have had recipients tell their story of visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, they have recounted how beneficial a course on Scripture has been to them and they have explained how faith enriching their experience was,” he continued.
“Some have then carried that experience into their work in Catholic Education WA, in their roles as faith formators within their parish, within one of our hospitals in Perth, or within their honourable roles as mothers and fathers of families.
“The scholarships aim to equip them with experience and knowledge that is then fed back into the Archdiocese,” he added.
The Biblical Foundation awarded the scholarship to seven laypeople in 2020, three of whom used the fundings to undertake three Scripture oriented units for Certification IV in Catholic Ministry at Acts 2 Bible College in Perth. Another four recipients had international trips delayed because of COVID-19, one to Oxford, and three to Jerusalem.
To find out more and access the 2021 Scholarship Application Form,, Click Here.
Applications for a 2021 Scholarship will need to be submitted by 5pm on Friday 23 October 2020.
Alternatively, email the Centre for Faith Enrichment on cfe@perthcatholic.org.au or call on 08 9241 5221.