Fr. Thomas N. Cerulo, a member of the Roman Catholic order of Trinitarian Priests, affectionately known as Fr. Tom, was my brother, who was taken away from us way too soon in 2011. Tom was a hard-working priest devoted to his community and congregations. You would often find Tommy with a brush and bucket of water scrubbing floors right next to the sisters and his maintenance team. There was no task too small or too large for Tom. The beautiful part of Tom, and there were many, was his acceptance of all people. For a Catholic priest, he made no judgments on anyone’s life choices. Everyone was invited to worship in his church and everyone was welcomed in his heart. He inspires me every day to be a good person and to try in some small way to carry on his work of giving back.

In honor of Fr. Tom Cerulo, AdNet has dedicated an annual scholarship fund that awards undergraduate & graduate students of color and/or who identify as LGBTQ to support their academic goals. This $1,000 scholarship is designed to assist with the financial burden that comes with higher education - books, supplies, fees, and other expenses, etc.

We at AdNet are so excited to announce that the Fr. Tom Cerulo Scholarship Fund application is officially open for submissions for the year of 2023. Along with belonging to a minority community, other eligibility requirements include a 3.0+ grade point average, a short essay detailing your academic goals, and the submission of your transcripts and resume. The deadline to submit your application is March 31, 2023, with the announcements being made by the end of April.

Please click here to submit your application. Good luck and we look forward to reading your submissions.