Saint Mary of the Lake has new institute for foster pastoral leadership

The University of Saint Mary of the Lake has announced the establishment of a new university institute to foster leadership training for new and current ministerial personnel. Called the Institute for Pastoral Leadership, it combines the programing previously offered by the Institute for Lay Formation and the Institute for Ongoing Formation, along with advanced degree programs of the graduate School of theology.

"Since the advent of Renew My Church, University of Saint Mary of the Lake has been asking how we can best put our resources at the service of the ministerial personnel, priests, deacons, religious and lay ecclesial ministers, who will be the vital drivers of the renewal process. Over and again, pastors and archdiocesan directors have named leadership as the key quality to be developed." said Dr. Linda M. Couri, director of the new institute. "By expanding our focus beyond lay formation, catechetical leadership and lay ecclesial ministry, the many resources of the University can be more easily available to enhance those serving in our parishes."

One example is that the Institute for Pastoral Leadership will assume administration of both the new Doctor of Ministry degree in Leadership, and the Advanced Pastoral Leadership Program run jointly with the Kellogg School of Management.

"The Doctor of Ministry degree has been a valuable source of advanced education for those in pastoral ministry," said Father Thomas Baima, vice rector for academic affairs. "The leadership focus responds to the needs of the present day. Additionally, the format will shift from weekly classes to an intensive model, making the degree accessible to students outside the immediate area."

The Institute for Pastoral Leadership is part of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, the theological school of the Archdiocese of Chicago, which includes Mundelein Seminary, the Pontifical Faculty of Theology, the Liturgical Institute, the Institute for Diaconal Studies, the Institute for Pastoral Leadership and the Instituto de Liderazgo Pastoral.

For information, visit www.usml.edu.