The Father Ted Scholarship Program
The scholarship was designed to attract senior high school students to thinking about the culture of death, and its awful manifestation in the practice of abortion. Since that first year, more than 1100 students have taken up the challenge of entering the competition.
Niagara Region Right to Life (NRRTL) is the sponsoring organization of the program, providing the prize money and other incidental expenses associated with running the scholarship contest.
The Interim is a promoter and collaborator publishing the essays of the three prize winners annually. As is stated in the scholarship brochure distributed to schools across Canada, “Niagara Region Right to Life (NRRTL) wishes to help educate and inform the younger generations about the preciousness and possibilities of human life from conception to natural death. It encourages students to engage critically and meaningfully with key public issues that may impact on human life especially in its early stages”.
It is always hoped that the choice of theme for the essay component prompts candidates to think about public issues from a moral perspective.
The winner’s essays were featured in the January 2025 issue of The Interim on pages 14 and 15. You can access the issue here.
First prize went to Blessing Connor – Home schooled, Charlottetown, PEI
Second prize was won by Danika Wong – Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, Scarborough, ON
Third prize was awarded to Kailee Matthey – Holy Cross Catholic High School, Kingston, ON
Please support this important educational initiative. Donate to Niagara Region Right to Life and you will receive a charitable tax receipt. You can do so online at niagararegionrighttolife.ca/donate/ or by remitting to them at 157 Catharine Street North, 2nd Floor, Hamilton Ontario, L8L 4S4.
You would be making a wonderful investment, sowing pro-life seeds. The future harvest of good works and good moral thinking will be great in the coming years.
Father Ted Scholarship Program 2025/26
Please note the 2025-26 deadline is Friday, October 17, 2025.
Click here for details of the 2025-2026 Fr. Ted Colleton Scholarship Program (Brochure)
Click here for the 2025/26 English Poster
Programme de Bourse Père Ted Colleton 2025-2026
Click here for the 2025/26 French Poster
Click here for article from The Interim And then there was this
Click here for the editorial (Pro-life, pro-lives) from The Interim
Click here for the editorial (Why Johnny and Ginny can’t breed) from The Interim

REQUIREMENTS
• be high school students entering grade 11 or 12 at a Canadian high school (or be homeschooled in Canada)
• submit one letter of reference from a school staff member or community representative (pastor, employer, coach, etc.)
• provide a brief personal resumé outlining their participation in school life (clubs, sports, leadership, academic achievements, etc) and community activities, including any past or present interest/involvement in the pro-life cause. Please note: Lack of such involvement does not disqualify the candidates from the scholarships.
The student must submit a typed original essay, approximately 1,200 words in length. The essay plus other documents must all be submitted by email only in word document format, to dirocco401@yahoo.ca, no later than midnight of Friday, October 17, 2025.
Call 905-294-4219 with questions.