LETTER OF INQUIRY
Worldwide
Seminarian Support, Inc., (WSS) is a Catholic laity fund-raising
organization, which helps support the Apostolic Life Community of
Priests (ALCP) seminarian education in Tanzania, Africa.
A non-profit 501(C)(3) corporation, WSS was established in
1993 in Portland, Oregon, by John Becker, Jr., who
serves as CEO and President, and is a national marketing executive
for insurance companies and banks.
The Apostolic
Life Community of Priests is an international community founded by
Fr. Bernhard Bendel, a German priest, in 1974, in Moshi, Tanzania. Moshi lies at the foot of
Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in
Africa. Tanzania is in East Africa, bordering
Kenya to the
north, Zaire to
the west, Zambia
and Mozambique to
the south, and the Indian Ocean to
the east.
Tanzania
is the size of California, with its 32 million
people earning an average annual per capita income of
$450.
Now
a parishioner of St. Vincent Parish in Fort Wayne, Indiana, John
Becker, Jr. explains that the church in the United
States is facing a shortage of
priests and vocations to the priesthood. Tanzania is blessed with
an abundance of vocations, but the cash needed for seminarian
education is in very short supply.
WSS has
collected private donations in 15 states to support 30 seminarians
annually for the last eleven years. WSS donors have also financed a
much needed fresh water well for crop irrigation, and are currently
helping fund construction of a seminary. These future priests will
serve in Africa, the USA, and other locations
around the world.
Donations have also been received in support of the Apostolic
Life Community of Sisters who serve Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, India,
the Philippines, Germany and the U.S.A.
WSS GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES
= To encourage sponsorship of seminarians
and candidates for sisterhood, and communicate their
progress.
= To provide spiritual blessings for
God’s people through their prayers and financial contributions
towards increasing vocations.
=
To provide financial aid for seminarian studies, shelter, clothing,
water collection and storage systems and equipment for agricultural
development.
=
To continually strive to increase vocations worldwide to benefit the
discipleship of God's people.
Board Members Profile
Fr. Seamus Murtagh
West Palm
Beach,
FL
Pastor St Anne parish
Jason Turk, Chairman of
WSS
Hobe
Sound,
Florida
President/CEO, Meditron Medical Systems,
Inc.
John L. Becker, Jr., President of
WSS
Fort
Wayne,
Indiana
CMO, Jackson Brokerage
Corp, insurance marketing
firm
Jamie Corbin Vice President
of WSS
New
York, New York/Johnston,
Iowa
Principal, Bank Annuity Partners,
LLC
Rosalina S. Hom, Secretary of
WSS
Wellington,
Florida
National Director, InnerLight,
Inc.
Ron Becker, Treasurer of
WSS
Portland,
Oregon
Model Shop Manager, Adidas America, Inc.
Kevin
Flinn
Wellington,
Florida
Owner, Powerplant Lawn
Care and Landscaping
Patty
Becker
Fort
Wyane, Indiana
Interim Executive Director of
Redeemer Radio WLYV AM 1450 Fort Wayne
Bruce
Cadwell
Fort
Wayne, Indiana
John Becker, Sr.
Portland,
Oregon
Retired Industrial Pattern Maker
Douglas L. Klein
Troutdale,
Oregon
Switch Engineer
John Faylor
Fort
Wayne, Indiana
Endowment Fund Chairman
MTS
Finacial Services
Will Becker
Milwaukie
Oregon
Engineer, Precision
Cast, Inc
Cheri Honas
Pocatello,
Idaho
Insurance
agent
Advisory Board
Fr. Gavin Badway, West Palm Beach, Florida
Bill Comiskey, Boca Raton,
Florida
Tim Sheehan, North Palm Beach, Florida
Pat St. Hilaire, Kennewick, Washington
Warner Terrell, Boise, Idaho
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