Discerning Deacons, through its fiscal sponsor St. Thomas More Catholic Community, is one of 81 organizations receiving grants through this competitive round of the Compelling Preaching Initiative.
Discerning Deacons
“A new program dedicated to supporting preaching by women in the Catholic Church is receiving a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., through their Compelling Preaching Initiative.
“A collaboration between Discerning Deacons and Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, the program will allow students to earn a Certificate in Catholic Preaching and Ministry of the Word.
“‘Now more than ever, communities across the country are ready to receive Catholic women’s gifts for preaching as a way to bring a fresh voice that shares Good News,’ said Casey Stanton, co-director of Discerning Deacons. ‘With support from the Lilly Endowment, Discerning Deacons can expand our formation work, and provide unprecedented access to resources and support systems for lay leaders to develop their vocational call yo preach. We have heard time and again in our work that people are looking for diverse, relatable, and inclusive Church leadership, and this grant will help us achieve just that.’
The Center for the Study of Spirituality at Saint Mary’s College, under the leadership of Daniel Horan, OFM, will be the primary institutional partner in this venture, Stanton said. “Fr. Horan and his team have offered their enthusiasm, resources, and organizational capacity in the hopes that this certificate program will take root within the Center and continue to grow alongside their own existing commitments to diverse course offerings and spiritually robust programming.”
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