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Continuing education and sabbaticals for clergy are a priority of Bishop Wolf and are supported in several ways:

-- Churches must include a minimum of $600/year and two weeks (including Sundays) for continuing education for their clergy in their budgets

-- The Diocesan Budget includes a line item to support Continuing education and sabbaticals.

Continuing Education should be understood to include a variety of opporutnities for priests and deacons to maintain and develop their ability to serve in the Ministries to which they are called: academic programs and courses, workshops, seminars and conferences. It is NOT intended for long-term academic or professional degree programs. In the Diocesan Resource Center, copies of the evaluation of a variety of these opportunities are available for review.

Examples of continuing education and professional development funded programs include, but are not limited to, retreats, continuing education prorams and courses, workshops, seminars, cross-cultural experiences, spiritual refreshment and conferences.

Priests and deacons are encouraged to view continuing education as a vital component of active ministry.

Retired clergy may be considered on the basis of the relationship of their request to their present ministry.

Each year funds are set aside in the Diocesan Budget to support the continuing education of priests and deacons who are ministering in and/or are canonically resident in, the Diocese of Rhode Island.

The maximum amount of assistance allowed to each clergyperson is $500 a year. Special circumstances will be considered.

The maximum amount of assistance for Sabbatical Grants is $2,000. The sabbatical must conform to the requirements as established in a cleric's individual letter of agreement and in accordance with the normative time frame for sabbatical periods.

Application for continuing education grants should be made on the form for Continuing Education or the form for a Sabbatical Grant. Application forms are downloadable from the links below.

Application for Continuing Education form in Adobe format.
Application for Sabbatical form in Adobe format.

Print out, fill in, and submit to:

Continuing Education Committee
275 North Main St.
Providence, RI 02903-1298

Applications are reviewed periodically by the Committee. The deadlines for submitting applications are: January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. The Committee meets the week following each deadline. Requests for assistance to cover costs "after-the-fact" will not be considered unless unusual circumstances are present. Objectives and expectations should be clearly described. To assess a continuing education opportunity, applicants should consider how the opportunity relates to vocational growth and refreshment, and how it could enhance one's own ministry and possibly the ministry of others.

Generally, the practice is that Continuing Education grants will cover one-third (1/3) of related costs; the clergy, one-third (1/3) and the cleric's congregation and/or employer one-third (1/3).

Diocesan travel policy and guidelines will determine what appropriate travel expenses are.

These guidelines can be flexible. If there are questions as to the appropriateness of an idea or proposal, pleace contact a member of the Continuing Education Committee.

At the conclusion of the retreat, program, course, etc., a written evaluation should be submitted to the Continuing Education Committee.