Fordham University has received a grant from the Lilly Endowment as part of a collaborative initiative to form the country’s next generation of Hispanic Catholic pastoral leaders. The university, in partnership with 18 other Catholic institutions will work on this new program.
The goal of Haciendo Caminos’ is to reduce barriers and increase support for graduate theological education for U.S.-born Hispanic Catholics. Through the initiative, the partners also aim to grow interest in ministerial professions and create a consortium of higher education institutions working to form pastoral leaders at the graduate level.
Reports say that despite a growing Hispanic population of Catholics in the U.S., the number of U.S.-born Hispanic lay ministers, seminarians, priests and deacons serving in Catholic faith communities is relatively small.
Other partners include the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, and Barry University, among others.
The funding is part of Lilly’s third phase of its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which was launched in January 2021.
This page will be used to inform the Fordham community about initiatives related to this program.