News release for St. Augustine’s Seminary, a recipient of the grant in the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative
St. Augustine’s Seminary of Toronto has a received a grant of $979, 659.00 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish a Human and Spiritual Formation Program for Lay Leaders.
This program is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative which is intended to help theological schools across the United States and Canada strengthen their educational and financial capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.
St. Augustine’s Seminary of Toronto proposes to strengthen and sustain its institutional capacity to prepare and support pastoral leaders by launching a Human and Spiritual Formation Program for Lay Leaders. Building on the Seminary’s proven integral formation model for seminarians, this initiative will offer lay students and ecclesial partners a comprehensive program focused on increased self-awareness, relational and virtuous leadership, emotional maturity, and deepened spiritual formation.
His Eminence, Frank Cardinal Leo, offered the following words of support for this program:
“This program aligns closely with our mission to serve the Church by fostering holistic growth in faith, character, and leadership among all members of the Body of Christ—not only ordained ministers but also the laity, whose active participation is essential to the life and mission of the Church. Through structured formation, spiritual guidance, and practical tools for discernment and service, this program will equip lay participants to live out their vocations more deeply and effectively in their families, parishes, and communities.”
St. Augustine’s Seminary of Toronto is one of 163 theological schools that have received grants since 2021 through the Pathways initiative. Together, the schools serve a broad spectrum of Christian traditions in the U.S. and Canada. They are affiliated with evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, Black church, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous and historic peace church traditions.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
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 seeks to improve public understanding of religion and 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.