The following Shine On Grants were awarded on December 1, 2018. The next round of Shine On Grants will begin on January 1, 2019. Click here to apply.

 

St. Gabriel the Archangel (Louisville, KY)

The parish of St. Gabriel the Archangel in Louisville KY had been experiencing a decline in their youth ministry program and set out to identify the reasons attendance was so small at their gatherings. They realized that the young members of their parish were not identifying with the message being sent out from the Youth Ministry Office and that the large group gatherings were not appealing. They knew a change must be made, so they decided to fit the programs to the people instead of expecting the people to fit into their programs and revamped their youth ministry program to include small group gatherings. The small groups will meet more often  enabling the teens to make friends and have a group of peers that can then join together at the several large group events planned throughout the year. 

In looking for materials for the small group models they discovered YDisciple and thought that it seemed to be a good fit for their parish. They applied for this grant, so they may cover the cost to add the resource of YDisciple to their plan to expand and enrich their youth ministry program.

St. Gabriel was awarded a grant of $1,000 from The Mark D. Pacione Foundation.

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Cristo Rey Jesuit High School (Baltimore, MD)

Cristo Rey is a Catholic co-educational college prep school in Baltimore City that brings together 350 students from disadvantaged families from across the city to provide a rigorous, faith-based education, corporate work experience and opportunity to pursue a path to a bright future.

Cristo Rey has a Peer Minister Program that gives students an opportunity to participate in an intense year-long service and leadership program. Cristo Rey applied for a grant so that peer ministers have the opportunity to attend an overnight off campus retreat.  The purpose of the retreat is to provide the peers with 1) leadership and organizational tools to plan faith based programming, 2) help students to deepen their commitment to their faith and 3) foster a strong community bond within the ministry group.  This grant will impact not only on the students who participate in the retreat, but also for the entire school community as the peers are empowered to lead, reflect and to share what they learned to other students, peers and faculty and staff.

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School was awarded a grant of $2,000 from The Mark D. Pacione Foundation.

Click here to read more & click here to watch their Thank You video to the MDP Foundation.

Click below to read Cristo Rey’s letter to the MDP Foundation, expressing their thanks for the Shine On grant.

Mark D Pacione Foundation Report

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Diocese of Toledo –Coordinator of Intercultural Ministries 

The Diocese of Toledo’s Office of Intercultural Ministries wanted to develop more ministers in their diocese to work with the Hispanic community which makes up 13% of the population of their diocese. In doing research, the Coordinator for Intercultural Ministries found that most leaders around the country were using the Instituto Fe y Vida with great success and would like to bring it to their diocese as part of their training for youth ministers.  The Instituto offers participants a formation course training in Pastoral Juvenil Hispana (Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry) by laying the foundations for the Certificate Program for Advisers and Leaders in Pastoral Juvenil Hispana, and by introducing them to the Prophets of Hope model.

The Diocese of Toledo- Coordinator of Intercultural Ministries was awarded a grant of $3,000 from The Mark D. Pacione Foundation.

Click below to read The Diocese of Toledo’s letter to the MDP Foundation, expressing their thanks for the Shine On grant.

Mark D. Pacione Foundation Report

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The Alliance for the Certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers 

Alliance for the Certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers applied for a grant to develop and launch a new Certification Portfolio Digital Platform. They believe that this project will encourage more young ministers to seek formation and certification as lay ecclesial ministers in a variety of roles. It will advocate for and support the work of those who serve youth and young adults by offering a means to be credentialed, affirmed and formed in ministry. And, it will offer a distinct vision of lay leadership and diversity to the wider church.

The USCCB re-approved the certification process for another 7 years with a strong affirmation that they develop a solid digital process for managing the process. They have several proposals from web companies to design the platform which will replace the present version, which is difficult to navigate.  The hope is that the platform will enable them to not only move applicants through the certification process more fluidly, but will also offer continuing education courses via webinars and small group studies.   

The Alliance for the Certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers was awarded a grant of $2,000 from The Mark D. Pacione Foundation.

The Alliance for the Certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers’ response to the Shine On grant they were awarded:

“We are happy and grateful to report that your grant allowed us to contract with YourMembershp.com and to develop our new certification platform. This platform allows us to have all of our application and portfolio material on one, easy to access place. The platform also has the capability to expand and allow us to offer webinars, courses, communications and professional development . It gives us the ability to store, track, and sort all of the records of membership and reach out to them. We will be able to create a truly connected community of competence in lay ministry!”