Adsumus Fellowship
Adsumus fellowship
Catholic leadership training for undergraduate and graduate students
The Adsumus Fellowship provides a funded extracurricular opportunity for advanced undergraduate and graduate students to practice leadership through the lens of synodality. This formative experience takes its name from Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, the ancient prayer to the Holy Spirit invoked for centuries during councils and synods, such as Vatican II and the Synod on Synodality. It simply means, “We stand at the ready, Holy Spirit!”
Each CENTERS partnering institution nominates up to three students, and our steering committee selects the final 16-person cohort. Over nine months in person and online, Adsumus Fellows benefit from:
- Spiritual and theological guidance as they consider a personal calling to ministry
- A national peer community connected to wider synodal work
- Opportunities to learn from pastoral leaders who help communities walk together
- Leadership roles in regional and national CENTERS convenings
- A micro-grant to develop their synodal leadership in a local ministry context
Adsumus fellowship by the numbers
16
Adsumus Fellows per Year
$2,500
Stipend for Fellow Participation
$500
To Design and Implement a Synodal Project
What does the CENTERS adsumus fellowship involve?
From September to May, the Adsumus cohort meets once a month for a two-hour online session that includes:
- Opening prayer
- Theological insights of a global pastoral leader or theologian
- Small group conversation
- Closing reflection and practical takeaway
Participants spend two to three additional hours per week reading, working on their project, and supporting synodal efforts unfolding on their campus or in their region, often in collaboration with local partners. The group also attends in-person CENTERS engagements and convenings. The Adsumus Fellowship leadership will announce travel opportunities in advance and cover all costs.
As part of their leadership training, graduate students can choose to deliver a scholarly presentation at the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry.
The adsumus fellows’ journey
In this Catholic ministry training experience, students develop spiritual practices, deepen theological understanding, and build relationships to help the Church practice synodality.
Contemplation / Communion
Over the first three months, we focus on building community within the cohort by grounding them in the theology and spirituality of walking together. Fellows establish habits of prayer, reflection, and discernment as they begin leadership training.
Formation / Participation
This phase connects each participant’s Baptismal vow to collaborate with God with skills for listening, discernment, and shared leadership. They shape ideas for the project they will carry out at their chosen ministry, campus, or diocese.
Action / Mission
Cohort members complete synodal projects and final presentations in the spring. At the end of the nine-month fellowship, they transition into the Adsumus alumni community, where we invite them to stay involved with ongoing CENTERS efforts.
Why train the next generation of catholic leaders in synodality?
In alignment with the late Pope Francis, Pope Leo envisions a Church that walks together and receives the gifts of all the Baptized. At CENTERS, we live out this mission by equipping future lay leaders and clergy for synodal ministry while they pursue undergraduate or graduate education.
The Adsumus Fellowship teaches participatory methods of ministry and leadership. In practice, that looks like inviting marginalized communities to share in decision-making and contribute more fully. Through their projects, students make space for young adults, women, and people at the periphery within the community they already know and serve.
Each cohort member takes this formation into future ministry settings, faith communities, and places of service. In doing so, they help build a more inclusive, Spirit-led Church across the United States.
Adsumus fellowship nomination requirements
Every May, at the end of the previous nine-month fellowship, partnering colleges and universities submit nominations, and a CENTERS steering committee completes the selection process during the summer. The new cohort’s first online meeting occurs in September.
Traits of an adsumus fellow
Nominees from each partnering institution should have:
- Commitment to Synodal Values: They bring a zeal for participatory leadership and a sensitivity to God’s work in themselves and others.
- Theological Interest: They remain grounded in theological and ecclesiological principles when faced with difficult questions, with or without a specialized degree.
- Spiritual Maturity: They exemplify the depth and confidence that invite genuine dialogue.
- Strong Communication Skills: They can express complex concepts to local, regional, and national audiences.
- Reliable Work Ethic: They model excellent time management in their current studies and a dedication to full participation during the fellowship.
Each partnering institution should nominate students likely to remain engaged with the CENTERS initiative and the Adsumus alumni community.
Nomination process
Each CENTERS partnering institution chooses two or three candidates. Campus coordinators may design their own internal selection process, using the traits outlined in the first accordion to guide their criteria.
For more information or to connect with the appropriate contact at one of our CENTERS institutions, email the Adsumus Fellows director, Dr. Michael Canaris, at mcanaris@luc.edu.
Adsumus fellowship selection
Representing its 16 higher education partners, the CENTERS steering committee reviews nominations and selects one fellow per institution each year. The selection process exists to support the creation of a cohort with a wide range of demographic, vocational, and theological perspectives.
The steering committee reserves the right to convene a subcommittee if needed.
How to support the CENTERS adsumus fellowship
CENTERS aims to endorse approximately 60 fellows over the course of our $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. Attentive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will use $2.5 million to match your giving at a 2.5:1 rate through October 2027 for all gifts made directly to CENTERS at Loyola University Chicago.
When you financially support our initiative, you help fund a $2,500 stipend for every Adsumus Fellowship participant and cover travel costs to attend regional and national events. In addition, your donation goes toward the $500 budget for each project.
When a cohort member hosts a dinner to listen to a marginalized group in their diocese or designs an on-campus event for students to learn how to get involved with their university’s synodal efforts, that happens because of you.
Meet CENTERS adsumus fellows
CENTERS Adsumus Fellow
Kassidy Allen
Texas Tech University, Mexican American Catholic College
CENTERS Adsumus Fellow
Loralie Cole-Holmbo
Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University Chicago
CENTERS Adsumus Fellow
Chris Sullivan
Loyola Institute for Ministry, Loyola University New Orleans
CENTERS Adsumus Fellow
Maureen Ahyuwa
Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University
CENTERS Adsumus Fellow
Javin Ali
Morehouse College and the Institute for Black Catholics at Xavier University, LA
CENTERS Adsumus Fellow
Pedro Weizenmann
Boston College Clough School of Theology & Ministry
Help CENTERS prepare students for synodal leadership
The Adsumus Fellowship is one of the most concrete and student-focused ways that we enact and resource synodality. Help us mobilize the next generation of Catholic change-makers by giving to CENTERS at a 2.5:1 match rate.