USF Awarded National Catholic Education Sub-Grant
USF, along with 15 other universities, is part of the Catholic Education Network to Enact and Resource Synodality (CENTERS) — a national network responding to what it means to be a Catholic university in today’s world and supporting the global synodal journey.
With support from the Lilly Endowment, a private philanthropic foundation, CENTERS is helping participating institutions translate values into action; granting USF a $175,000 sub-award over five years.
Through the Saint Ignatius Institute (SII), a living-learning community at USF, students study the Jesuit Catholic tradition — including the history of the Synod.
The Synod is a gathering called by the Pope, to discuss issues of importance and the life of the Catholic church. Initiated under Pope Francis, the Synod on Synodality focuses on how members of the church journey together through life, gather in assembly, and actively participate in bringing the Gospel to the world.
In 2024,10 USF students travelled to Rome to witness the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality — a unique part of Pope Francis’s leadership in the Catholic Church. The global process brought together members of the church at all levels, in dialogue, reflection, and discernment.
For many students, the immersion experience offered a firsthand look at a tradition evolving in real time. For the very first time, the Synod included laypeople, including two American college students — a milestone in the historic synodal process.
At USF, the funding will amplify existing impacts. Opportunities for transformative experiences that engage students with inclusion, participation, and belonging will be created, sustained, and possibly extended to faculty and staff.
“This grant allows us to envision opportunities for gathering amongst faculty and staff, to engage in conversation around what it means to work at a Catholic university and how we relate to the process of inclusive discernment, participating in dialogue across differences, and moving forward together in an evolving world,” said Erin Brigham, director of the Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought and the Ignatian Tradition.
As USF continues its work through CENTERS, the generosity of the Lilly Endowment furthers the university’s movement to uplift the global synodal journey and help Catholic education respond to an evolving world.
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