Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, St.
Meinrad, IN, has been awarded an $895,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. of
Indianapolis. The grant will be used as supplemental support for the "One
Bread, One Cup" youth liturgical leadership program.
The funds will underwrite
a portion of the operating expenses of the program for five years. During that
time, Saint Meinrad will continue to build an endowment to replace the grant as
a source of operating revenue. Other costs of the program are covered by
participant fees.
"Lilly Endowment has played a crucial role in supporting our
program over the years," said Fr. Godfrey Mullen, OSB, interim manager for the
"One Bread, One Cup" program. "Their support empowers Saint Meinrad to pass on
the Benedictine heritage of community and liturgy to another generation of
Catholics. Catholic youth and those who serve them will benefit greatly from
'One Bread, One Cup' because of the generosity of the Lilly Endowment."
The
youth liturgical leadership program sponsors three five-day conferences at
Saint Meinrad each summer for parish and high school teams of teenagers and
their adult leaders. Called the "One Bread, One Cup" conference, it offers an
opportunity to learn more about the Catholic Mass and develop liturgical skills
they can use in their parishes and high schools.
In addition, a six-week
internship is offered for college students who are in a ministry preparation
program or discerning a call to ministry. During the summer conferences, the
college students serve as staff members. During the other three weeks, they
take classes on theology and spiritual topics and participate in liturgies and community-building
activities.
Nearly 3,000 high school youth, college students and campus and
youth ministers have participated in the program since 2000. More information
about the program can be found at: http://oboc.saintmeinrad.edu.
