Grant Recipients Encouraged To Think“Outside The Box”

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano invited all recipients of the Saint John Paul II grants to a reception on Tuesday, September 4 from 4:30–6:00 pm at the Catholic Center to celebrate their award. Around 60 clergy, staff, and laypeople who share in the parishes’ ministry faith formation endeavors were in attendance. The recipients were presented with a commemorative certificate in recognition of receiving a grant promoting innovation in faith formation.

Grant recipients’ plans encompassed a wide range of ideas, some of which included revitalization of youth ministry and faith formation, creating a vacation bible camp, planning a service immersion program, and the purchase of new and improved materials for catechesis.

Responding to Bishop Caggiano’s invitation to lifelong formation, in February 2018, parishes were invited to reimagine faith formation at every level by announcing the Saint John Paul II Fund for Religious Education and Youth Ministry, which offered grant opportunities to assist their efforts. The grants were specifically designed to help diocesan parishes/organizations serve those populations they may not have been able to serve before and to fund significant changes in the very fabric of their outreach to the faithful in their parishes. They ranged from $500 to $10,000 in total. Proposals that sought widespread reform were preferred over smaller proposals. Requests in excess of $5,000 were to be so innovative that they sought to change the very fabric of formation in a given parish.

Grant requests needed to match specific criteria and relate to the announced theme for each year. The theme for the 2018 inaugural grants was Reimagining Faith Formation.

Grants could be used for projects in parishes/organizations within the Diocese of Bridgeport that:

• Targeted a demographic previously underserved
• Reflected innovation in faith formation
• Provided creative ministry to/with/for families
• Offered specific ministry for a population mentioned in An Invitation to Lifelong Formation publication

Those who received grants from the Saint John Paul II Fund for Faith Formation and Youth Ministry are expected to:

• Complete a report in December 2018 and April 2019 outlining the ministry opportunities made possible by the grant. The reports are to include photos, personal reflections, and comments from those who have benefited.
• Publish a note of thanks in their Sunday parish bulletin, calling attention to the support from Saint John Paul II Fund for Religious Education and Youth Ministry.

Bishop Caggiano encouraged the grant recipients to be bold and innovative, and think even more outside of the box for next year’s application process.

The parishes/organizations who received grants from the Foundations in Faith John Paul II Fund for religious education and youth ministry are listed below.