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Lilly Endowment Grant Supports High School Youth Theology Institute at Â鶹ÊÓƵ

Â鶹ÊÓƵ received a grant of almost $600,000 to establish “Engaging Stories: An Intensive Journey of Faith, Life & Action!” part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative. The program will begin in June 2017. It encourages young people to explore theological traditions, ask questions about the moral dimensions of contemporary issues, and examine how their faith calls them to lives of service.

“Engaging Stories” is a weeklong residential summer experience encouraging high school juniors and seniors to explore theology as an academic study and a lived practice, cultivating their personal sense of God and life’s calling. The program invites participants to engage stories at four interconnected levels—human, Catholic, Lasallian, and personal—correlating with the Lasallian mission of Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

“Self-discovery within one’s faith tradition necessarily leads to an appreciation of the dignity of every life, the need for empathy, and the repertoire of practices, large and small, that nourish our spirits and allow us to serve others as selflessly as possible,” noted Dr. Maryellen Collett, associate professor in Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Theology Department.

Instituto Fe y Vida, which is a Hispanic youth ministry, will partner with Engaging Stories to bring its widely recognized expertise in pastoral theological processes to foster leadership formation among young Latinos in the U.S. “We will work closely with Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Theology Department to secure a meaningful representation of Latino youth in this program,” said Dr. Carmen Cervantes, executive director of Fe y Vida.

“Theology Department members collaborated with University Ministry, Instituto Fe y Vida, the Warren-Sharpe Community Center in Joliet, Ill., and faculty from across Â鶹ÊÓƵ to propose this program," said Dr. Karen Trimble Alliaume, chair and professor of theology at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. “We look forward to building meaningful community with high school participants and sharing our passion for theology.”

Dr. Joanne Kuttner, director of Engaging Stories and assistant professor of theology at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, will be reaching out to invite high school juniors and seniors to participate in the first summer experience in June 2017. Contact Joanne at Kuttnejo@lewisu.edu to volunteer for the program.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ is one of 82 schools participating in the Lilly Endowment initiative. The schools are located in 29 states and the District of Columbia. Although some schools are independent, many reflect the religious heritage of their founding traditions. These traditions include Baptist, Brethren, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches, as well as Roman Catholic, non-denominational, Pentecostal and historic African-American Christian communities.

“These colleges and universities are well-positioned to reach out to high school students in this way,” said Dr. Christopher L. Coble, vice president for religion at the Endowment. “They have outstanding faculty in theology and religion who know how to help young people explore the wisdom of religious traditions and apply these insights to contemporary challenges.”

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family - J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli - through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. The Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. Lilly Endowment’s religion grantmaking is designed to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians. It does this largely through initiatives to enhance and sustain the quality of ministry in American congregations and parishes.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 7,000 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit for further information.