Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe was awarded a nearly $9 million matching grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to expand pastoral leadership formation for clergy and laity through new classes and programs.
The grant is one of 45 that was approved in a competitive round of funding to support theological schools as they lead large-scale collaborations with other seminaries, colleges and universities and other church-related organizations across the United States and Canada.
“The funding is designed to help theological schools as they prioritize and respond to the most pressing challenges they face as they prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future,” according to Lilly Endowment.
"The Catholic Church faces an urgent and immediate need for equipping ministerial leaders, especially in minority communities underrepresented by ordained clergy,” said Father Andrew Turner, president/rector of Saint Mary Seminary.
He said the grant will enhance the impact of the seminary’s recently launched leadership institutes in three principal ways: “Formation of current and future clergy through collaborative programs with local parishes and neighboring Catholic seminaries such as St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan; nurturing lay leadership through a three-year pastoral formation curriculum offered at various parishes around the diocese to improve accessibility for learners; and inspiring young leaders through summer intellectual and pastoral experiences for college-age and high school-age students.”
The $9 million grant totals $4.5 million for direct programming over five years and $4.4 million for ongoing endowment support. The seminary is partnering with the Catholic Community Foundation to raise an additional $3.3 million in funds to ensure long-term sustainability of the endowment.
Saint Mary Seminary successfully executed on three previous Lilly Endowment grants over the past five years addressing growing leadership needs while building sustainable pathways of collaboration with other theological schools. The seminary is committed to removing financial barriers and enhancing intellectual opportunities to develop a pipeline of healthy and holy leaders for the Church, Father Turner said.
Saint Mary Seminary has served the Diocese of Cleveland for more than 175 years as a place of formation for men studying for the ordained Catholic priesthood, and for women and men who are pursuing advanced theological degrees in lay pastoral ministry and the permanent diaconate.
Father Turner said thanks to those who contributed to the Heart of a Shepherd Campaign, the seminary recently made significant physical renovations to its student residence areas, classroom spaces and chapel. “And thanks to support from Lilly Endowment, the seminary will now renew and expand its spiritual and intellectual programs for clergy, lay women and men and youth and young adults, especially from underrepresented communities within the diocese. These programs will operate under the title of Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd Institute,” he added.
Lilly Endowment launched the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative in 2021. Since then, it has provided grants totaling more than $700 million to support 163 theological schools in efforts to strengthen their own educational and financial capacities and to assist 61 schools in developing large-scale collaborative endeavors.