About the Collegeville Institute
At the Collegeville Institute, we seek to discern the meaning of Christian identity and unity in a religiously and culturally diverse world, and to communicate that meaning for the work of the church and the renewal of human community.
With this in mind, we bring together a diverse array of scholars, writers, artists, and leaders to study, pray, write, and learn from one another. These efforts create unlikely networks and friendships with far-reaching consequences in the places and organizations participants return to after their time at the Collegeville Institute.
About Bearings Online
Bearings Online aims to extend our work to the digital sphere—continuing the transformative conversations, storytelling, cultural analysis, and bridge building that has been central to the Collegeville Institute since its inception in 1967.
We seeks submissions that examine relationships between religion and culture in new and interesting ways. We are looking for interactive writing that reflects a diverse set of voices.
You are invited to join the conversation by submitting a contribution to Bearings Online. If your contribution is accepted for publication, it will help our readers become acquainted with your work and give you a platform for sharing your writing with a broad circle of readers.
What we’re looking for
We’re looking for submissions that:
- examine relationships between religion and culture in new and interesting ways
- highlight unexplored facets of contemporary religious life, and
- suggest faithful responses to today’s problems and opportunities
We’re interested in a wide variety of topics including:
- current events
- theological reflection
- ethical dilemmas
- institutional change
- religious practices, and
- personal essays with a strong tie to spiritual issues
Submissions of a personal bent should make overt connections to broader social, political, or theological concerns. Submissions focused exclusively on one’s experience in a Collegeville Institute program or the process of writing are discouraged.
We aspire for Bearings Online to reflect a diverse set of voices—creating a tone that is generous and hospitable rather than ideologically narrow or predictable. Instead of reinforcing the culture wars, we seek to both challenge and transcend them. Though Bearings Online does not avoid politics or other controversial matters, we attempt to treat them evenhandedly and with respect for differences.
How to submit work
Submit your written work in Microsoft Word. Submissions should be at least 750 words but no more than 1200 words. Submit your work, a headshot, and a brief 2-3 sentence biography, including your full name and title, your current or previous work setting (if applicable), and your connection if any to the Collegeville Institute (i.e. resident scholar, board member, workshop participant, friend, etc.) to news@collegevilleinstitute.org.
The professional editors of the Collegeville Institute edit submissions and often request revisions. The author has the final word on edits, but the Collegeville Institute reserves the right to withdraw a piece from publication if, after editing and revision, it is not deemed strong enough. We also reserve the right to decline submissions for any reason.
We only accept original submissions that have not been published elsewhere, including on a personal blog. All pieces remain property of the writers who submit them, though the Collegeville Institute retains the exclusive privilege to publish original submissions for a period of 60 days. If a piece is republished it should cite the Collegeville Institute and link to the original piece on our website. The Collegeville Institute will publicize Bearings Online content through various communication channels including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and we encourage all guest authors to promote their submissions via their own online networks as well.
Poetry
Bearings Online is not accepting poetry submissions at this time.
Check back on this page in the future to see if submissions are reopened.
