Gonzaga University Establishes Theology Institute for High School Youth with $294,415 Grant

Gonzaga University has been awarded a $294,415 grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish the Gonzaga University Theology Institute for High School Youth. The grant is part of the Lilly Endowment's High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative, which aims to encourage young people to explore theological traditions, examine the moral dimensions of contemporary issues, and develop lives of service. This initiative is one of 82 programs across 29 states and the District of Columbia, and is part of a larger effort to cultivate theologically-minded youth who will become leaders in church and society.

Key Takeaways:

• The Gonzaga University Theology Institute for High School Youth will receive $294,415 from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to support its programs.
• The Institute will be co-directed by Joe Mudd and Anastasia Wendlinder, with Elisabeth Mermann-Jozwiak overseeing the program as the dean of Gonzaga's College of Arts & Sciences.
• The program will engage 48 students entering the 11th and 12th grades in a one-week summer program that will draw on Pope Francis' encyclical, "Laudato Si: On the Care of Our Common Home," and other sources.
• The Institute will incorporate the Ignatian model of educating the whole person through experience, reflection, and action, and will include vocational contemplation and discernment through interviews with community leaders.
• The program will be delivered by Gonzaga faculty from various disciplines, including organizational leadership, political science, environmental studies, and philosophy.
• The Lilly Endowment is giving $44.5 million in grants to support 82 high school youth theology institutes across the country.
• The grants are part of the Endowment's commitment to identify and cultivate a cadre of theologically-minded youth who will become leaders in church and society.

Statistics:

• The Gonzaga University Theology Institute for High School Youth will receive $294,415 in grant funding.
• 48 students will participate in the one-week summer program.
• The program will be co-directed by two faculty members, Joe Mudd and Anastasia Wendlinder.
• 82 schools are participating in the Lilly Endowment's High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative, with 29 states and the District of Columbia represented.
• The Lilly Endowment is giving $44.5 million in grants to support the initiatives, with an additional grant to the Forum for Theological Exploration to support mutual learning and support among the programs.

Sources:

• Gonzaga University
• Lilly Endowment Inc. News Release (Dec. 11)
• "Lilly Endowment's High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative"
• "Laudato Si: On the Care of Our Common Home" by Pope Francis