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not rich enough

Sunday, August 19, 2007

At this moment, I am not rich enough to enter religious life. I have been poor for too long. There have been too many years of making my one income work for two people. There were too many years of paying for private health insurance so that the other person can get much needed medical care. There were too many years of trying to give our dogs a fighting chance against cancer, almost losing the house in the process. It was the draining of retirement funds that saved the house. We were too poor to go live in an apartment -- the monthly mortgage payments are less than any but the smallest of efficiency apartments. At this moment, I am not rich enough to pay off my loan that sat collecting interest while we struggled to stay afloat. But I am working on it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I am not rich enough to enter religious life."

That is a profoundly sad--if true--statement. I would probably also be in your boat were it not for the willingness to be innovative and recognize the trend toward and reality of lingering student loan debt for their prospective candidates on the part of my own Groovy Sisters. If they want me before I'm 40 or 50, this is the only way it's gonna happen! I am still paying on my own loans, out of the money I make by working full time as a candidate, and probably will be a candidate for 2 years because of this fact. The details are handled pretty much seamlessly for me through direct deposit of my paycheck to the congregation (held in escrow) and the payments are then made by finance office for me.

I wonder if you vocations people have/can talk with ours to compare notes, if student loans are your only debt and you are/will be working full time? I am also going to look into some grants and other sorts of "asks" as well, as a result of some of what I've learned working in fundraising at my current job. You have the will, there as GOT to be a way!

Lisa said...

Please re-consider contacting the Laboure Foundation. They really do exist precisely for this purpose! Their mission is to enable people to respond to their religious vocation by assisting in the pay-off of debt (not only student loans, but often only student loans). Here's their website: http://www.labourefoundation.org/

seeking_something said...

Thanks guys. I do believe the Laboure Foundation starts out by soliciting family first. I don't want my family involved at this point.