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| March 15, 1999 FADICA to Address Problem of Few Resources for Lay Leadership Formation Foundations with Catholic grantmaking interests will grapple with the growing crisis caused by a massive transition from clergy to lay leadership within church related institutions. Gathering in San Francisco June 4-5, for a symposium entitled: Forming Lay Leadership: Church Service in the Twenty First Century, members of FADICA will meet with experts in the fields of healthcare, theological education, and parish ministry, as well as with members of the U.S. hierarchy. The gathering will assess the current dearth of financial resources and programs to equip lay people to lead Catholic institutions in positions once held by priests and religious. Foundations present at the meeting will try to outline a coordinated strategy that would make it easier for lay people to prepare for positions requiring them to advance the religious mission of Catholic institutions. According to recent studies carried out by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate there are as many as 20,281 lay people enrolled in programs of formation throughout the nation. While offering course work in theology and pastoral ministry, CARA has found 150 of the 281 programs are non degree and in many cases are little more than spiritual enrichment efforts.1 The institutions impacted by the current transitions are immense in scope including 7,515 grade schools, 601 hospitals, 2,113 special charitable service agencies, 240 colleges and universities, among other service entities. Although 145 of the nation's 185 Catholic archdioceses and dioceses offer formation programs for laity, only three make scholarship funds available to them for theological education, a practice common for candidates for the priesthood. Almost all laity who wish to prepare for careers in Catholic institutional settings must arrange their own educational financing. Few Catholic foundations as well make scholarship funding available for laity, although this is beginning to change. Last October, the Lilly Endowment of Indianapolis awarded four Catholic theological schools grants of over one million dollars each for the preparation of candidates for lay ministry. According to Francis J. Butler, FADICA's President, "the church in the United States has been caught off guard. There has been a precipitous decline in the number of religious and clergy directing Catholic institutions. There has also been a correspondingly rapid influx of laity who find themselves in leadership positions in these institutions without commensurate theological education and spiritual formation," he said. "This is a major question that foundations realize will impact seriously the religious vitality of Catholic institutions in the next century," Dr. Butler added. FADICA is an association of forty-four private foundations sharing an interest in Catholic sponsored programs. Its members meet periodically to educate themselves on significant religious developments. The San Francisco symposium is limited to the members of FADICA and guests, but a transcript of the proceedings will be available. 1 Catholic Ministry Formation Directory. 1996-1997 Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University. Return to List of News Releases | Back to Top |