Our Programs Fifty years ago, the Collegeville Institute was envisioned as a place where the best Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox thinkers would gather for study, dialogue, and prayer engaging in pressing issues of faith and society while being rooted in the Benedictine rhythm of Saint John’s Abbey. Today that vision has both remained strong and has expanded; we invite you to explore the many programs and endeavors of the Collegeville Institute. The Resident Scholars Program is at the heart of the Collegeville Institute’s life and at the core of its original vision. The Collegeville Institute gathers well-trained, creative, articulate women and men for careful thought in a place of inquiry and prayer. Each resident scholar commits to either a semester or full academic year of study, engaging in an independent rhythm of reflection and writing, discernment and conversation while also participating in scholarly and prayerful community with other resident scholars. The Short-Term Residency Program (available September through April) accommodates individuals who cannot commit to a semester, but who can make a three-week or longer commitment. The program is flexible, providing for a variety of purposes and endeavors while still allowing individuals to take full advantage of the Collegeville Institute experience along with potential short-term integration into the resident scholar community. The Ecclesial Literature Project invites pastors, ministers, lay leaders, and other thinkers for the church for week long, retreat-like, intensive workshops. Participants, taught and guided by such prolific writers as Lauren F. Winner, Renita Weems, and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, come together to write, learn, and discover anew (or perhaps for the first time) the call to be writers for the church. The Collegeville Institute Seminars are an interdisciplinary, ecumenical, collaborative initiative designed to gather scholars and practitioners to explore issues of importance for today’s Christian communities. The Seminars have completed several efforts on vocation and theological education. The Communities of Calling Initiative invites congregations to design new projects or enhance existing ministries to help Christians discover and deepen their sense of God’s calling in their lives. The Initiative is a five-year project with 14 partner congregations and resources on vocation for a wide network of interested church leaders. The Collegeville Institute Fellows Program brings together an ecumenical group of gifted Minnesota faith leaders, focusing on leadership development with the goal of strengthening civic leaders and public theologians. Our most recent Fellows programs concluded in the summer of 2019; one focused on rural Minnesota clergy and the other on multi-religious leaders in the Twin Cities area.
