$10 million Lilly Endowment grant supports 16-university initiative
IRVING, Texas (Feb. 3, 2026) — The Neuhoff Institute for Ministry and Evangelization at the °®¶¹´«Ã½, along with 16 partner Catholic colleges and universities, announced the launch of the Catholic Education Network to Enact and Resource Synodality (CENTERS). CENTERS is a collaboration to strengthen active listening, dialogue and shared decision-making in the Catholic Church in the United States. It will support the Church’s global synodal journey, begun by Pope Francis in 2021.
CENTERS is funded through a $10 million grant awarded to Loyola University via the . The initiative equips theological schools to address critical challenges in forming pastoral leaders for Christian congregations today and into the future.
The Neuhoff Institute will participate across the network while engaging the university and regional Catholic communities in ministry and leadership formation.
"On behalf of the Neuhoff Institute and the °®¶¹´«Ã½, I am excited to be part of this grant initiative," said Jodi Hunt, PhD, executive director of the Neuhoff Institute. "The timing is perfect as we shift from listening to action in the Diocese of Dallas synod. This grant will support ongoing synodal formation in Dallas and across dioceses nationwide. We hope to renew and strengthen the vibrant gifts of parishes we encounter, guided by the Holy Spirit and our Church's rich traditions. As one of four core partners, we have a unique opportunity to work with other Catholic universities in integrating synodality into the fabric of lived Catholicism."
“We are grateful for Lilly Endowment's support, which enables the participating institutions to deepen Church renewal through shared deliberation and collaborative discernment," said Provost Matthias Vorwerk, PhD. "This initiative will strengthen ministry leadership formation and develop innovative practices to foster an engaged, mission-centered Catholic Church across the country."
CENTERS is anchored by Loyola's Institute of Pastoral Studies and governed collaboratively by participating institutions: Catholic Theological Union, Gonzaga University, Loyola Marymount University, Loyola University New Orleans, Mexican American Catholic College, Xavier University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Saint John's University, Saint Joseph's University, Santa Clara University, Southeast Pastoral Institute, University of Dayton, °®¶¹´«Ã½, University of San Francisco and Villanova University.
"Over the last four years, faculty and students from Catholic colleges and universities across the country have been discerning together how we can respond to Pope Francis’ call for a Church renewed through listening, dialogue and shared discernment," said Peter Jones, interim dean of Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies, who will lead the CENTERS with Michael Canaris, an associate professor in the institute. "This grant from Lilly Endowment enables CENTERS to deepen and broaden that work. Together, our institutions will strengthen ministry leadership formation, develop new models of synodal practice and help animate a more participatory and mission-focused Church in the United States."
CENTERS will fund local capacity-building projects at each participating institution, support regional retreats and training programs, convene national assemblies and endow the Adsumus Fellowship, a national cohort-based ministry leadership formation program.
CENTERS will also offer opportunities for Catholics not affiliated with participating institutions. Additionally, CENTERS will be fundraising through the to sustain the program. More information on participation and fundraising will be shared later this year.
About the Neuhoff Institute for Ministry & Evangelization
The °®¶¹´«Ã½ Ann & Joe O. Neuhoff Institute for Ministry and Evangelization fosters personal growth, professional ministry and transformative service to the Catholic Church, the broader Christian community and the world. Continuing education courses taught by nationally recognized faculty are conveniently offered online, onsite and in satellite locations in both English and Spanish. For more information, visit .
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding about religion and to lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United States and around the globe.
