St. John’s joins national network aimed at strengthening leadership in U.S. Catholic Church
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St. John’s University will join a new national network, CENTERS (Catholic Education Network to Enact and Resource Synodality), as part of a collaborative effort among 16 Catholic colleges and universities to improve leadership formation within the U.S. Catholic Church.
CENTERS is funded by a $10-million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., awarded to Loyola University Chicago through its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. The project aims to help theology schools address key challenges in preparing pastoral leaders for the future. It follows Pope Francis’ 2021 call for a church shaped by listening, dialogue, and shared discernment.
The network will be anchored by Loyola’s Institute for Pastoral Studies and support participating institutions through project funding, retreats, training sessions, national assemblies, and an endowed ministry leadership program for students. St. John’s College expects involvement in all aspects of CENTERS’ work, focusing on ministry, leadership education, and formation both within the university community and local Catholic communities.
“The CENTERS initiative allows St. John’s to contribute to the formation of Catholic leaders who build collaborative networks that protect human dignity and promote the common good,” said Teresa Delgado, Ph.D., Dean of St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. “I am thrilled that this partnership will nurture what Pope Francis called ‘a listening church’ that animates us to encounter each other’s humanity as a corrective to societal indifference, social injustice, and ecological devastation.”
Grant funds will be distributed among the 16 institutions over five years (2026–2030). Other participating schools include Catholic Theological Union; Gonzaga University; Loyola Marymount University; Loyola University New Orleans; Mexican American Catholic College; Xavier University; Xavier University of Louisiana; St. Joseph’s University; Santa Clara University; Southeast Pastoral Institute; University of Dallas; University of Dayton; University of San Francisco; Villanova University; along with Loyola Chicago.
CENTERS will operate under joint governance from all member institutions and offer opportunities for Catholics outside these organizations.
Lilly Endowment Inc., established in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons through gifts from Eli Lilly and Company stock, remains independent from the pharmaceutical company with its own board and staff based in Indianapolis. Its religious grantmaking focuses on strengthening Christian congregations across the United States by supporting leadership development efforts.
St. John’s University supports initiatives through centers focused on multicultural efforts locally and globally according to its official website. The university operates campuses in Queens and Manhattan as well as international sites in Rome, Paris, and Limerick (source). Affiliated with the Vincentian Community (source), St. John’s offers more than 100 undergraduate majors across six schools (source) as a Catholic institution dedicated to liberal arts education (source). Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., serves as president (source).
