In July 2016, Gonzaga University hosted the first ever Francis Youth Institute (FYI), a week-long theology program for area high-school students. Co-directed by Drs. Joseph Mudd and Anastasia Wendlinder of the Department of Religious Studies, the curriculum draws its inspiration from Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home and its discussion of faith and sustainability. For one week, students heard daily presentations from Gonzaga faculty, went on excursions, and took time to reflect, grappling with theological questions and “trying to live out answers,” says Dr. Mudd.
Faith “can be a serious thing to deal with,” he says, “as serious as physics or calculus. Being religious is not just a bunch of nice feelings. It’s about a rigorous investigation of your world for the sake of transforming it into something better.”
The program is funded by a $294,415 grant from the Lilly Endowment as part of their High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative, which aims to engage young men and women with important theological questions and contemporary issues. The grant will fund the Institute and substantial scholarships for students for its first four years, after which FYI plans to secure other funding to continue the program.
In its first year, a diverse group of twenty-two high-school students stayed at Gonzaga, while eight GU undergraduate volunteers led small groups, and Philosophy and Religious Studies faculty presented on topics ranging from faith in the digital age to the ethics of food production. The students also rafted the Spokane River, hiked nearby Dishman Hills, and witnessed sustainability in action at Catholic Charities’ Food For All Farm. Evenings were time for liturgy, prayer, and reflection on the morning’s lecture and day’s events, both individually and in small groups.
FYI exemplifies the College of Arts & Sciences’ commitment to educating women and men as leaders and stewards in service of the common good. Megan O’Malley ’17, who served as an undergraduate mentor, voluteered because, “The opportunity to explore ecological justice from a lens of faith sounded exciting, and I was excited to be a part of Gonzaga’s effort to engage students in a living ministry. I’m attracted to a faith that does justice, and this sounded like just that.” Recalling a lecture from the week, she explained how Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Patrick McCormick “urged us to not try and figure out how to get to heaven, but to work to make this a heavenly place to live.”
Looking forward, Dr. Mudd and the FYI team have a simple goal for next summer: “Make it better.” The team wishes to grow the number of high-school participants and plans to engage undergraduate mentors earlier in planning. They also hope to reach out to local ministry teams in order to provide training for youth ministers in guiding students toward those higher theological questions and making our shared earth a heavenly place to live.
Find the Francis Youth Institute online at