Dear Loyola community,

It’s always exciting in a university setting to celebrate a large research grant. In our case, it’s all the more exciting when that grant not only helps to support the student experience and faculty research, but also helps young people to more easily connect with their faiths and spirituality.

Please join me in congratulating Tracey Lamont, assistant professor of religious education, who through her work with the Loyola University Institute for Ministry, recently received a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. that will allow LIM to train and support parish ministry teams in research and practices that will help them create a more engaged and participatory church, especially in relation to young adults. LIM will serve as an innovation hub, helping parishes become more welcoming communities for young adults, capable of developing innovative ministries for and with them.

In recent years, whether through heated politics or the global pandemic, many young adults are wrestling with issues of conscience, while also seeking a spiritual foundation and strengthened ties to their communities. Faith leaders around the world, from Pope Francis to the Dalai Lama, are voicing a demonstrated need to grow and strengthen ministries that build stronger relationships with young adults, nurture their religious lives, and foster their engagement with religious communities.

Lamont is a top-flight expert on what Gen-Zs are seeking from their churches as they transition from young adult life to adulthood. Lamont has been a member of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops National Young Adult Advisory Team since 2017 and currently serves as member of the board of directors for the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults. She has spoken on a national level about what the Catholic Church must do to engage and be more welcoming to young people.

From employing deep listening and creating increased access to quality mentors, to enhancing the use of technology, Lamont and her team believe there is more the church can do to help nurture the spiritual lives of young people, learn more about their faith, grow in their spirituality, and create meaningful relationships.

With this grant, Lamont and her team will explore how the Catholic Church can listen better to young people, strengthen their leadership potential, and help them to engage in deep and meaningful relationships with God, themselves, and others. This work, and the wonderful work being done by Father Nathan O’Halloran in Catholic Studies, and others, will help strengthen our Jesuit, Catholic identity, engage our young people, and make the world a better place.

Tanuja Singh
Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs