I am co-directing the Children, Liturgy, Ecology, and Renewal Project, described briefly below.
If you are in the Philadelphia (PA) area or if you have church contacts in that area, I invite you to share this invitation with those contacts.
I am pleased to tell you about The Children, Liturgy, Ecology, and Renewal (CLEAR) Project at Villanova University. Villanova University received a grant from the Lilly Endowment, and we want to share those funds with twelve Christian congregations or church-affiliated schools in the Philadelphia area. Each congregation or church-affiliated school will be given resources to help them include children more intentionally in worship, reflect on children’s gifts and needs in a time of ecological crisis, and nurture a sense of Christian wonder at and responsibility for Earth.
If a congregation or church-affiliated school is selected for the CLEAR Project, two individuals from each participating institution will each receive a $15,000 stipend over the course of a two-year program. These two representatives (“CLEAR Fellows”) will attend a free, mostly online 9-month course taught by Villanova faculty approximately two evenings per month. They will also visit sites around Philadelphia and be challenged to use an additional $5,000 in seed money to develop an initiative in their home institution.
The CLEAR Project is directed by Catholic and Protestant faculty in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova, in affiliation with the Office of Sustainability, which is situated within the Office of Mission and Ministry.
We look forward to working with a diverse, ecumenical group of 12 institutions in the Philadelphia area. We hope you will spread the word and encourage congregations, parishes, and schools to apply.
- The application deadline is April 8.
- Please see our informational flier for more information about who can apply and about the program.
- To apply by April 8, please fill out the brief online application and email a letter of support from the applying institution’s leadership.
- If you have questions about eligibility, please contact the CLEAR Project administrator, Monica Horvath, at monica.horvath@villanova.edu.