LA SALLE — Supporters of the Diocese of Peoria’s priestly vocations program will gather in LaSalle on Friday, Aug. 3, for the Msgr. George A. Carton College Seminarian Scholarship Dinner.

The dinner, to take place at Celebrations 150 on Route 6 east of LaSalle, provides an opportunity for guests to meet and hear from current seminarians and the priests who are leading the diocesan vocations program.

While admission is free, the evening is also a fundraiser for the Msgr. George A. Carton College Seminarian Scholarship Fund, designed to ensure that no interested person is denied the opportunity to discern a priestly vocation in a college seminary because of his financial situation. Those attending the dinner are asked to be prayerfully prepared to respond to an invitation to support the program.

The evening begins with a reception at 6 pm., followed by dinner and a program at 7 p.m. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling Amy Chovan in the Office of Priestly Vocations, (309) 671-1550, by noon on Friday, July 27. She can also assist persons who wish to contribute but cannot attend the dinner.

The late Msgr. Carton, longtime chancellor of the Diocese of Peoria, founded a seminarian endowment fund by asking a group of women if they would contribute a dime a day to help the seminarians. The group was called the Seminary Aid Society, and some of its original members are still supporting vocations today.

Monies in the college seminarian scholarship fund named in his honor are awarded in varying amounts to qualifying college seminarians to offset tuition, room and board. Surplus funds are given directly to the seminarians in need for the purpose of paying off loans or financing expenses related to seminary formation.