Earlier this summer, Goodfaith’s Stephanie Peddicord spent a week on campus at the University of Notre Dame as part of Vision, a flagship summer institute hosted by the McGrath Institute for Church Life. Vision brings together high school students, college mentors, and pastoral leaders for a week of formation grounded in theology, community, and Catholic Social Teaching.
There, Stephanie facilitated a series of sessions with a cohort of six high school campus ministers selected to participate in Notre Dame’s “Pathways to Communion” initiative. Between now and 2029, Goodfaith will accompany these institutions in a multi-year process of transforming their approach to service. The week’s sessions focused on aligning each institution’s mission, vision, and action, including a detailed mapping exercise.
Based across the United States (Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas), the participating schools represent the geographic, ethnic, and charismatic diversity of the Church. Each school already has its own unique service program; the goal of Pathways to Communion is not to compel them into one singular model. Instead, Goodfaith will work to engage them in refining and honing their efforts through the lens of transformation and theological reflection. Notre Dame will provide grant funds to help them realize their visions.
Goodfaith has a long history of collaboration with Catholic high schools and, over the years, has accompanied thousands of students on service immersion experiences. This project is a great opportunity for the organization to apply its expertise in new contexts. Says Peddicord, “Goodfaith is thrilled to be partnering with Notre Dame and Vision on Pathways to Communion. It is a bold and expansive initiative that will help to shape the future of service in our Church. We are excited to see what this journey has in store for the schools in our cohort!”
So far, the institutions have chosen to focus their first-year efforts on equipping student peer leaders to facilitate reflection activities; training school faculty outside of campus ministry to participate in service; and addressing local emergency community needs.
