The Conrad H. Hilton Foundation Awards the Religious Formation Conference Grant to Focus on “Forming the Next Generation
of Religious and Resourcing Their Formators.”
The Religious Formation Conference (RFC) is pleased to announce it has received a grant from The Conrad H. Hilton Foundation to focus on forming the next generation of religious and to cultivate better ways to resource their formators.
This project has two primary aims: (1) the creation of an inter-congregational/common novitiate for the preparation of newly entering women religious, and (2) the establishment of an online, searchable set (database) of resources for formators (curricula, articles, videos, websites, and other material) to support the initial and ongoing formative process. These two aims are focused on the preparation of the next generation of religious life and the support of initial and ongoing/lifelong formation of all religious. More broadly, the online database of formation resources will also benefit formators in areas beyond religious life.
The ultimate goal of the project is well-formed newer religious who are grounded in the charism of their own congregation as well as the emerging charism of religious life. Their formation as well as the many other formative endeavors of religious and other related groups will be informed and strengthened through ready access to the quality resources available through the creation of the RFC online database.
“We are most grateful to the Hilton Foundation for this generous grant. Both initiatives of the grant come in response to expressed needs of formators: both for readily accessible resources and for the establishment of an inter-congregational novitiate. These projects take a proactive stance by planning to prepare newer members in a model that resembles the life they will be living”
says Executive Director, Ellen Dauwer, SC.
The RFC looks forward to partnering with the Hilton Foundation to undertake these important initiatives. As religious life continues to evolve, the Conference is grateful it has the resources to respond creatively and innovatively to the emerging needs of religious life today.
The Conference invites those interested in participating in this project to contact Ellen Dauwer, SC, Executive Director, by email at
edauwer@relforcon.org
.
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The Conrad H. Hilton Foundation
was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help individuals throughout the world living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage. The Foundation invests in 11 program areas, including providing access to safe water, supporting transition-age foster youth, ending chronic homelessness, hospitality workforce development, disaster relief and recovery, helping young children affected by HIV and AIDS, and supporting the work of Catholic sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.8 billion in grants, distributing $110 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2019. Foundation assets increased from approximately $2.9 billion to $6.6 billion following the 2019 passing of Barron Hilton who, like his father, pledged virtually his entire estate to the Foundation. For more information, please visit
www.hiltonfoundation.org
.
The Religious Formation Conference
, which originated in the 1950's as the Sister Formation Conference, is a national Roman Catholic organization serving women’s and men’s religious institutes, primarily in the United States and in other countries. The RFC focuses on initial and ongoing formation and the professional preparation of formators. As such, the Conference engages women and men religious in a variety of vibrant resources, services, and experiences that bring our rich religious heritage into interaction with the contemporary and cultural realities of our world by: (a) promoting open, contemplative and collaborative dialogue; (b) modeling and encouraging inclusivity and respect for diversity; (c) welcoming inter-generational and inter-cultural viewpoints; and (d) responding to God’s ongoing invitation to the ‘new’ of religious life. For more information, please visit
www.relforcon.org
.
