Lilly Endowment, Inc. – Responding to a Call

"Who will lead the church in the new millennium? How can churches encourage bright youth to consider their vocational choices and life commitments in light of Christian theological understanding? And how can they attract talented young people into Christian ministry?"

The Bernardin Center

Catholic Theological Union

Catholic Theological Union in Chicago is the largest Catholic school of theology
and ministry in the United States. Through our graduate degree programs and other educational and formational opportunities, we strive to educate effective leaders for the church – people of different races, genders, and callings whose mission is to witness Christ's good news of justice, love, and peace to people of all nations.

Signs of Hope

Ours is a violent and conflict-ridden world in which a culture of retaliation and death exists alongside people of goodwill and hope. War, poverty, oppression, and injustice highlight each day's news. Statistics indicate that one in five teenagers experiences physical or sexual abuse, either personally or in their nuclear family. Violence, racial and cultural tensions, broken relationships, divorce, addiction, loneliness, alienation, and depression are all part of the fabric of daily life.

Peacebuilders Initiative is a leadership and ministry program for high school youth. Begun in 2001 with funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., Peacebuilders Initiative is housed in Catholic Theological Union’s Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry.