The University of Notre Dame has received a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support a new project aimed at bolstering the talent pipeline for theological leadership within the Catholic Church through the聽鈥檚 Master of Arts and Master of Divinity programs.
Through the department鈥檚 initiative, New Horizons: Educating and Forming Tomorrow鈥檚 Catholic Leaders, led by , an associate professor of theology, Notre Dame seeks to establish a sustainable, collaborative effort to mentor and support emerging Catholic leaders. Over the next five years, the program plans to support 24 students entering the and 20 entering the , as well as guiding 100 other individuals through the church leadership discernment process.
In doing so, the program aims to enhance support structures, provide clearer pathways for study and alleviate financial barriers, particularly for promising leaders in underserved communities and mission dioceses. Program leaders hope that this new model will create an opportunity to reshape ministry formation at Notre Dame well beyond the five-year funding period.
鈥淭his grant connects Notre Dame鈥檚 world-class Department of Theology with leading partners where the Catholic Church is growing and in need of well-formed, dynamic Church leaders,鈥� Grove said. 鈥淭ogether, we will work to recruit, form, educate, support and place these future ministers. We are exceptionally grateful to the Lilly Endowment for providing us the chance to reimagine how lay church leaders are raised up, formed and placed.鈥�
The New Horizons program plans to target highly committed young adult leaders embedded in communities that represent potential future growth for the Church, including through outreach partnerships with the聽; the (FOCUS); , a nonprofit focused on engagement with Latino Catholic young adults; and the dioceses and programs served by Notre Dame's . It will then provide cohort-based discernment opportunities in which participants experience Notre Dame鈥檚 M.A. and M.Div. programs as they consider pursuing graduate studies.
New Horizons will provide full tuition support for M.A. students and stipends for M.Div. students, making these programs affordable and accessible, then help participants develop robust networks to facilitate post-graduation job placements.
In addition to Grove, the New Horizons leadership team includes聽, teaching professor of theology and director of the M.A. program; , assistant teaching professor and associate director of the program; and , teaching professor and assistant chair for graduate studies.
The New Horizons program is being funded through Lilly Endowment鈥檚 Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. Launched in 2021, it has provided grants totaling more than $700 million to support theological schools across the United States and Canada as they respond to the most pressing challenges they face while preparing pastoral leaders. The grant to Notre Dame is one of 45 that was approved in this competitive round of funding.
Notre Dame聽previously received a $7.9 million grant through Pathways for Tomorrow in support of , a partnership with Boston College that includes 16 other Catholic institutions in efforts to identify and form the next generation of pastoral leaders to serve U.S. Catholics, while rooted in the Latino experience.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders鈥� wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment鈥檚 religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, c.gates@nd.edu or 574-993-9220