IPS Center for Parish Leadership and Mission Approved!

Loyola University Chicago President Fr. Michael J. Garanzini, SJ has approved a proposal to develop a new Institute of Pastoral Studies (IPS) Center for Parish Leadership and Mission. The Center will begin operating sometime during 2013, and will be the first of its kind in the United States. It will be dedicated to organizing and relating research on the leadership of vital parish communities to services of consultation and education. The Center will maintain a strong partnership relationship with the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Center’s design is a product of learning from INSPIRE, a nine-year Lilly Endowment, Inc., Sustaining Pastoral Excellence project at Loyola and the Archdiocese. INSPIRE’s Lead Team–comprised of Institute of Pastoral Studies faculty and Archdiocesan Directors–will develop the Center to sponsor research on parish vitality and mission, identify pastoral leadership education programs, and offer consultation services to Catholic pastors, their staffs, and parishioner leaders. The Center aspires to serve parish life the U.S. and internationally.