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About the Program

Lilly Endowment, Inc.'s primary goal is to identify and nurture a new generation of highly talented and religiously committed leaders for Church and society. The program strives to help students examine the relationship between their faith and vocational choices by integrating their faith and professional lives. Students are provided the opportunity to explore Christian ministry as their life's work by attracting talented students into lay and ordained ministry and leadership. Moreover, the program enhances the capacity of the University's faculty and staff to teach and mentor students effectively in this arena to strengthen the institutional environment to support and sustain these efforts.

Primary Objectives:

  •  That a core group of highly talented and motivated students, who will participate in the Chaminade Scholar Program (named for Father Chaminade, the founder of the Society of Mary), will develop a deep sense of call or vocation, which will prepare them for a commitment to leadership in their churches and in society.
  •  That a larger group of undergraduates have opportunities through Christian leadership programs to deepen their sense of call or vocation through intensive and purposeful exploration.
  •  That all UD undergraduate students, through University-wide programs, will be exposed to and invited to consider a deeper sense of call or vocation in their lives that may guide them in making career and other life choices.
  •  That the faculty and staff involved in this initiative will, through faculty development programs, deepen the sense of call or vocation in their own lives and will grow in their ability to assist others in the exploration of call or vocation.

Mission Statement:

The Program for Christian Leadership fosters the exploration of Christian vocation, grounded in and informed by the Catholic and Marianist traditions. Through academic coursework and programs, we endeavor to help students and faculty develop lifelong skills of discernment and leadership, encourage them to make commitments based on their understanding of vocation, and explore their work in relation to their religious convictions.