ANNUAL UPDATE JUNE 2022 a catalyst and resource for renewal of the Catholic Church MAY 2023
PRAYER FOR CREATIVE EVANGELIZATION
Creator-God, the Original Creative, who imagined the world and gave expression to all that is good and right...
Idea-giver, who breathed life into humanity and sustains life with your presence...
Come fill us with creativity and breathe new inspiration into our hearts, our souls, and our minds.
Help us to be like you and to reflect your innovation and artistry in the world.
Be our inspiration, God, and guide us to fresh, new ideas.
Amen Unknown
BC.EDU/CHURCH21 | 2
Blessed Mary Statue - Bapst Lawn, Boston College
Photo Credit: Andrew Craig
grace-filled days offers us time to h hope towards the future In the at the work of The Church in the onths and discover faith resources
nniversary. To honor this milestone, ources and created new hesandCatholicschools The ne, C21 Resources Faith in Action to 175,000 households free of charge e. This year alone, the C21 website of the continued power of digital
onlineevents this year Several themodernworld. The Center groups engaged with the Ukraine f Catholic organizations building r events highlighted the Catholic oet and Professor Emeritus Paul
key campus partnerships Working he Center helped to relaunch Everto rogram for high school students, c In partnership with the BC Alumni ine prayer community, PrayIt mbers Working with the Roche Center new series of FaithFeeds guides, pment of Catholic educators. nnual week-long celebration of faith nd Campus Ministry, received a Association of Student Personnel
hurch is found in the faith of young lling series, relaunched from the es nationwide This year, the Center ject, surveying thousands of high about their faith and hopes for the d St Ignatius Parish in Chestnut Hill, namic faith community for 20- and ingle community has grown to over hope is to expand this model to other
ommitment to being a catalyst and e invite you to share these resources
r BC.EDU/CHURCH21 | 3
new, published issues o C21 RESOURCES MAGAZINE
each mailed to 175,000 HOUSEHOLDS
22,348 VIEWS OF ALL DIGITAL MAGAZINE ISSUES
46 WEEKLY ZOOMS
90,000 C21 YOUTUBE VIDEO VIEWS
1.2 million LIFETIME YOUTUBE VIDEO VIEWS
168 PROGRAMS (ONLINE & IN-PERSON)
104,000+ CONTENT VIEWS ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA
5,000+ PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
95,342 WEBSITE VIEWS
nearly 7,000 WEBSITE VISITS
887 COMMUNITY MEMBERS
1,000+ PRAYER INTENTIONS OFFERED
34 ONLINE & IN-PERSON WEEKLY SESSIONS
Participants as far as VANCOUVER, CANADA & DERRY, IRELAND
8,542 YOUTUBE VIEWS
59 HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE PARTNER PROGRAMS RELAUNCHED POST-PANDEMIC
912 HOURS OF WATCHING over 400 YOUNG ADULT MEMBERS IN BOSTON
55% FROM OUTSIDE OF BC
from 74 COUNTRIES
1,454 DOWNLOADS
1,111 COMMUNITY MEMBERS from listeners in 26 COUNTRIES
10th ANNIVERSARY
48 EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK
National recipient of NASPA's Outstanding Spiritual Initiative Award
Connected with over
4,000 HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE STUDENTS...
from 35 SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY attracted over
6,700 CALENDAR VISITS
by the numbers
BC.EDU/CHURCH21 | 4 JUNE 2022 MAY 20232
C21 Center Programming 2022-2023 Calendar
Summer 2022
Pray it Forward: 10 weekly sessions (online)
Faith Feeds: Catholic Intellectual Tradition (online)
Faith Feeds: Parishes: Past, Present, & Future (online)
Faith Feeds: Family (online)
Faith Feeds: Friendship (online)
Faith Feeds: Conscience (online)
Faith Feeds: Love (online)
Faith Feeds: Rosary (online)
Ever to Excel: Session I July 24 - July 29 w/ IAJS
Ever to Excel: Session II July 31 - August 5 w/ IAJS
Agape Latte: Freshman information session
Fall 2022
Pray it Forward: 15 weekly sessions (online)
Faith Feeds: Unity and Peace (online)
Agape Latte: Student involvement fair
Espresso Your Faith Week: 48 events, including
Agape Latte: Julia Devoy
C21 Resources Event: Community of Sant’Egidio
Prayer Ribbon Project: Family Weekend
Faith Feeds: Faith in Action (in-person)
C21 Resources Event: Faith in Action Alumni Panel
Faith Feeds: Faith in Action (online)
Faith Feeds: Treasure of Hispanic Catholicism (in-person)
Faith Feeds: Treasure of Hispanic Catholicism (online)
Faith Feeds: Poetry w/ Paul Mariani (in-person)
Faith Feeds: Book Club w/ Paul Mariani (online)
C21 Resources Event: Ambassador Hackett
C21 Retreat: Parables w/ Laura Kelly Fanucci (online)
Faith Feeds: Care for the Poor (online)
Agape Latte: Matt Razek
Saints Art Exhibit: Opening reception
Saints Art Exhibit: Docent tour by artist Nancy Cote for
4th grade Catholic school students w/ Roche Center for Catholic Ed.
Faith Feeds: Race and Catholicism (online)
World Drawing God Day (online)
C21 Speaking Engagement: BC Wall Street Council
Faith Feeds: Gratitude (online)
Spirituality Shot: Jessie Graf
C21 Advent Calendar: Launch (online)
Agape Latte: Msgr. Liam Bergin
Faith Feeds: Hope (online)
Faith Feeds: Faith (online)
Saints Art Exhibit: Docent tour by artist Nancy Cote for
6-8th grade Catholic school students w/ Roche Center for Catholic Ed.
Faith Feeds: Love (online)
Breakfast with God: Advent event for families
Spring 2023
Pray it Forward: 21 weekly sessions (online)
Faith Feeds: Life Epiphanies (online)
Faith Feeds: Faith in Action–Encounter (online)
Mass & Mingle: Program Launch – January gathering
Faith Feeds: Lay Vocations (online)
Agape Latte: Tom and Megan Mogan
Spirituality Shot: Tom Wesner
C21 Resources Event: What Just Happened? Finding Faith through the Pandemic
Faith Feeds: Race & Catholicism–Hope (online)
Mass & Mingle: February gathering
C21 Retreat: Journaling w/ Laura Kelly Fanucci (online)
Faith Feeds: Prayer (online)
C21 Resources Event: The Price of War: Confronting the
Ukraine Refugee Crisis
C21 Lenten Calendar: Launch (online)
Agape Latte: Elizabeth Shlala
Faith Feeds: Jesus (online)
Spirituality Shot: Msgr Liam Bergin
Faith Feeds: Forgiveness (online)
Mass & Mingle: March gathering
C21 Speaking Engagement: Diocese of Springfield, MA
Faith Feeds: Baptism (online)
C21 Retreat: Befriending Jesus: Lent w/ Laura Kelly
Fanucci (online)
C21 Easter Series: What Vibrant Parishes Do
Faith Feeds: Holy Spirit (online)
C21 Resources Event: Catholic Peacebuilding in a
Fractured World
C21 Easter Series: Communication Strategies for
Vibrant Parishes & Catholic Schools
Student Voices: Christian Brothers Schools Presentation
Faith Feeds: Journaling workshop (online)
Agape Latte: Sarah Hood
Faith Feeds: Relationships (online)
Spirituality Shot: Eileen Corkery
Mass & Mingle: April gathering
C21 Speaking Engagement: Diocese of Washington, D.C.
Faith Feeds: Finding God in Transitions (online)
C21 Easter Series: Navigating Institutions: Integrating
Values & Faith in your Work
Student Voices: Information Session (online)
Faith Feeds: Poetry (online)
Agape Latte: BC Senior Week conversation luncheon
Mass & Mingle: BC Senior Week gathering
Faith Feeds: Suffering (online)
Prayer Ribbon Project: BC Commencement Weekend
Faith Feeds: Friendship (online)
Prayer Ribbon Project: BC Reunion Weekends
BC.EDU/CHURCH21 | 5
C21 Resources Magazine
The hallmark publication of the C21 Center, C21 Resources magazine, is a compilation of the best analyses and essays on key challenges facing the Church today. To date, 35 issues have been published. Each issue of the magazine is mailed free of charge to over 175,000 households subscribers, alumni, and families of current students A digital archive of all issues of C21 Resources is available on the C21 Center website
C21Resources—FaithInActionAroundtheWorld-Spring/Summer2022
Inthisissue,guesteditorPeterG.Martin,specialassistanttothepresidentofBostonCollegeandformer U.S.diplomat,curatedacollectionof17articlesthatintroducereaderstotheworkofglobal Catholicorganizations,leaders,andchangemakersandthosethattheyserve
Someeventsinspiredbytheissueinclude:
FaithFeedsevents,offeredonlineandin-person,featuringthenewFaithInActionguide
(September27&30,2022)
FaithinActionpanel,featuringyoungalumnifromBostonCollegewhochosecareersinservice (September28,2022)
A Conversation with Ambassador Ken Hackett ‘68: Serving God and Country around the World (October 20, 2022)
The Price of War: Confronting the Ukraine Refugee Crisis, featuring Msgr Robert J Vitillo of the International Catholic Migration Commission (February 10, 2023)
Catholic Peacebuilding in a Fractured World Event, featuring keynote speaker Dr Andrea Bartoli, and respondents Dr Lisa Cahill, and Fr Mark Shimave (March 16, 2023)
C21 Resources—20 Years - Winter 2022-2023
This special issue commemorates the 20-year anniversary of the C21 Center The magazine takes a look at the Center’s work and commitment to its mission: to serve as a catalyst and a resource for renewal of the Catholic Church. This issue contains 20 articles, including a historical timeline that provides context, highlights, and statistics of the Center's work the past two decades
Theissueisdividedintofoursections,eachrepresentingtheCenter’sfourfocalissues: HandingontheFaith,RolesandRelationshipsintheChurch,SexualityintheCatholic Tradition,andtheCatholicIntellectualTradition;eachsectioncontainsacollectionof commissioned,reprinted,andupdatedC21Resourcesarticlespertainingtothatfocalissue Uniquetothisissueisinformationonthemanyinnovativefaithprogrammingmodelsand resourcesdevelopedbytheCenterthatareavailabletoparishes,schools,andindividuals everywhere,freeofcharge.Forthefirsttime,thisissueincorporatedQRcodes,linking readersdirectlytowebsiteinformationonprogramsandpublicationsreferencedinthe magazine Effectively,thiscommemorativeissueofC21Resourcesservesasamarketingtool fortheC21Centerthatcanbeusedforyearstocome
C21 Resources - Fall 2023 (Upcoming)
In February, the Center began work on the Fall 2023 issue of C21 Resources magazine Brian Robinette, professor of theology at Boston College, will serve as the guest editor The topic of this issue is how Catholicism can help society navigate cultural polarization.
Scan to explore the Faith In Action issue of C21 Resources
Scan to explore the 20 Years issue of C21 Resources
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Faith Feeds
The Center's faith conversation program, Faith Feeds developed in 2019 using C21 Resources magazine content experienced another successful year The Center staff facilitated 34 online and in-person sessions on Friday afternoons throughout the year The Center also hosted a live lunch event during Espresso Your Faith week for students, staff, faculty, and the local community, where poet and Professor Emeritus Paul Mariani shared his newest book, All That Will Be New: Poems. Later in the fall, Mariani also presented at a virtual Faith Feeds Book Club event to discuss his book.
New guides were added to the Center's online Faith Feeds library, which now has close to 60 guides; these new guides feature content from the C21 Resources - Faith In Action magazine (Fall 2022) The Center also collaborated with Professor Hosffman Ospino to create new guides focused on hispanic ministry The Center used these guides during a session at a Catholic leadership conference hosted by Roche Center for Catholic Education. The Center's continued partnership with the Roche Center also yielded the development of new guides in the Faith Feeds for Catholic Educators series The following is a list of the new guides:
New Faith Feeds Guides: Adaptability
Faith In Action: Encounter
Faith in Action: Works of Mercy
Future Leaders: Hispanic Youth Ministry
The Treasure of Hispanic Catholicism
Ever to Excel
New Guides in the Faith Feeds for Catholic Educators Series:
Truth and Healing Between the Church and Indigenous Peoples
In July 2022, the C21 Center, in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, relaunched Ever to Excel, a week-long summer program for high school students to explore how to live a meaningful life through the lens of Ignatian spirituality Relaunching the program after a twoyear pandemic hiatus, the Center worked to rebuild the momentum, reputation, and impact of the program.
This was the first year that the Ever to Excel program ran for two consecutive, week-long sessions Nearly 40 undergraduate Boston College students served as mentors, responsible for guiding the high school participants each session In total, 149 high school students from 46 high schools in 22 states and two countries participated in the program Notably, included in this group were 24 participants from Ireland the largest cohort of Irish students to date. The Center has received word that a cohort of Japanese students will participate in the program in the summer of 2023, returning to the program for the first time since the pandemic
To date, over 750 high school students have participated in the Ever to Excel program since its founding in 2016. Due to the success of Ever to Excel, the University funded positions for the inaugural director and assistant director of the program, both of which report to the director of the Institute of Advanced Jesuit Studies As a result, the C21 Center will step back its day-to-day working partnership with Ever to Excel in the summer of 2023
Humility Joy
BC.EDU/CHURCH21 | 7
Scan to learn more & join the Faith Feeds community
Scan to learn more & sign up for Ever to Excel
AgapeLatte
Anationalfaithstorytellingseries,AgapeLattewasfoundedatBostonCollegein2006bytheC21Center andCampusMinistry Eachmonth,hundredsofBostonCollegestudentsgatherinthecampuscoffee shoptohearaBCfacultyorstaffmembershareapowerful,personalstoryaboutfaith timeswherehe orshesawGodworkingineverydaylife.EachAgapeLatteisprofessionallyrecorded;videosareavailable ontheCenter'sYouTubechannel,andpodcastsareavailableonSpotifyandAppleMusic.Thisyearalone, episodesfromtheAgapeLattepodcastweredownloaded1,454timesfromlistenersin26countries
Thisyear,theCenter,inpartnershipwithCampusMinistry,hostedsixAgapeLattesessions Speakers included:
MonsignorLiamBergin,ProfessorofthePractice,Theology,MCAS
JuliaDevoy,AssociateDeanofUndergraduateProgramsandStudents,LSOEHD
SarahHood,AssistantDirector,FieldEducation,SSW
MeganMogan,AssistantDean,StudentServices&AcademicAdvising,CSOM
TomMogan,AssociateDean,MCAS
MattRazek,AssociateDirector,StudentProgramming,OfficeofStudentInvolvement
ElizabethShlala,AssistantDeanoftheCoreandAssociateProfessorofthePractice,History,MCAS
InSeptember,theCenterre-launchedtheAgapeLatteStudentBoard,whichengagesundergraduate studentsinterestedintakingonaleadershiprolewiththeirfaith StudentsontheBoardmetweeklyon TuesdaynightstowatchpastAgapeLattetalks,discusstheirownfaithjourneys,andbrainstormandplan forupcomingAgapeLatteevents
InJanuary,theCenter,inpartnershipwiththeOfficeofResidentialLife,beganapilotoftheSpirituality Shotprogram,aderivativeofAgapeLatte.EachSpiritualityShot monikeredasapunonanespresso shot ishostedatnightinaresidencehallloungeandfeaturesaBCstaffmemberbrieflysharinghisor herfaithstorywithstudents Duringthisyear'spilotprogram,fiveSpiritualityShotswerehostedin residencehallsacrosscampus TheCenterandtheOfficeofResidentialLifeareofficiallylaunchingthe programthisfall,expandingittomoreresidencehalls
ThroughtheAgapeLattePartnershipProgram,foundedin2015,over150highschoolsandcolleges haveadoptedtheAgapeLatteprogramintheircommunity.Thisyear,theCenterworkedwithmanyof theseschoolstohelpthemrelaunchAgapeLattepost-pandemic
Espresso Your Faith Week
In the fall of 2022, the Center celebrated the 10th anniversary of Espresso Your Faith Week, a weeklong, campus-wide celebration of faith at Boston College, sponsored in partnership with Campus Ministry and dozens of other offices at the university The Center expanded the programming for the week from 30 events to 48 events
In March, Boston College received the National Outstanding Spiritual Initiative Award awarded by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) for its work on Espresso Your Faith Week The award recognizes "innovative programming and dedication to fostering religious and spiritual growth among students, staff, and faculty through intentional connection to principles of faith "
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Student Voices
This past year, the Center continued its work on the Student Voices Project Developed in 2019, the initial purpose of the Student Voices Project was for the C21 Center to get a sense of Boston College students' attitudes towards faith and hopes for the Church After surveying 550 Boston College students with compelling results, the Center expanded the Project's reach to an additional 1,000 high school students from 26 Catholic high schools in 14 states. In June 2022, the Center submitted a report on the entirety of the Project's findings to the Vatican, as part of the ongoing Synod on Synodality .
The Project has continued to expand and evolve; it serves as a powerful, diagnostic tool for Catholic school leaders nationwide to better understand how their students are journeying in faith This past year, the Project focused on connecting with more young people in Catholic high schools nationwide In January 2023, the Center formed a strategic partnership with the Christian Brothers Schools Network, with over 2,000 of their students participating in the Project.
Over 4,000 students from 35 schools nationwide have participated in the Project to date, with the Center analyzing over 20,000 data points In addition to providing a custom report to each participating school, the Center has also compiled composite results of the Project In April, the Center hosted an online workshop, presenting the ten most important findings from the Project to Catholic educators and parish leaders. The findings are hopeful there is an openness and opportunity to engage young people in the future of the Church.
The Center is currently working with Shaun Dougherty, director of Boston College's Catholic Education Research Initiative, to explore the possibility of streamlining the Project's data analysis process An article detailing the Project's findings will be released in July 2023 by Boston College's University Communications.
Mass & Mingle
One of the findings from the Student Voices Project is that young people who are interested in exploring their faith crave community To address this need, the C21 Center in partnership with the Boston College Alumni Association and the Jesuit Parish of St Ignatius of Loyola, located in Chestnut Hill, MA established Mass & Mingle. Once a month, 20- and 30-something Catholics in the Greater Boston area are invited to attend the 5pm Sunday Mass at St. Ignatius Parish, followed by a one-hour social Each social has food, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), trivia prizes, and "a big question" to spark conversation about how we can “find God in all things ”
The Center launched the pilot program in January 2023; to date, the Center has hosted five Mass & Mingle gatherings, with an average attendance of 90-100 people at each event Additionally, over 400 young adults have registered as members of the Mass & Mingle community
The theme of each Mass & Mingle social differs each month Some themes from this past semester include friendship, vocation, and love, all through the lens of faith The Center hopes to host additional bonding activities for the Mass & Mingle community, such as going to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park or tailgating at a BC football game Due to the early success of the program model, the Center hopes to franchise it and spread it to other Jesuit parishes nationwide.
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Pray It Forward
In June 2022 after a successful Lenten pilot program the C21 Center launched Pray It Forward, a weekly, online, 15-minute prayer session, hosted in partnership with the BC Alumni Association
Every Wednesday from 4:00 pm to 4:15 pm (ET), the community meets on Zoom Each Pray it Forward session has an opening prayer, a reading of the daily Gospel, a 3-minute reflection, the opportunity for prayer intentions, and a closing prayer relevant to the week.
During the summer of 2022, over 500 people registered as members of the Pray it Forward community Today one year since it program launch the Pray It Forward community boasts close to 900 members from across the country Notably, no one has ever unsubscribed from the Pray it Forward community Attendance is never mandatory; members can attend when it works for them. An average of 60 to 75 members pray together on any given Wednesday
In March 2023, the Center published a downloadable guide on how to host a Pray it Forward session, so that the Pray It Forward program model can be replicated at schools, parishes, and other Catholic organizations across the country.
Children's Ministry
This year, the C21 Center continued its expansion into children's ministry, offering resources for young families, catechists, and Catholic school educators The C21 Center has curated a robust children's ministry email list, enabling the Center to directly share resources with 10,939 families, teachers, parishes, and other Catholic organizations
Published by Paraclete Press in 2019, Drawing God is a children's book written by the director of the C21 Center, Karen Kiefer. It is a story for children to discover what inspires their very own faith imagination and to realize the contagious faith that lives powerfully within them The book was the impetus for World Drawing God Day, which occurs every year in November A new sequel, Growing God, was written this year and is slated to be published by Paraclete Press in early 2024, with all royalties going to support the C21 Center
Using Drawing God as a touchstone, the Center continued to develop and share its digital, creative curriculum guides and liturgical offerings. The Center formed strategic partnerships with multiple dioceses and schools nationally and internationally to use these digital resources with their students, teachers, and parishioners International partnerships included the Archdiocese of Armagh, Ireland; the Diocese of Derry, Ireland; the Archdiocese of Vancouver, Canada; and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, Canada In March, the Archdiocese of Washington, D C as part of its "Read Across the Archdiocese" series selected Drawing God as its featured book. During April and May, the book was read in 47 classes across the Archdiocese, offering hundreds of Catholic school students the opportunity to draw God
This year, the Center also built upon the success of its pandemic-based, online children's program Breakfast with God, which was live-streamed on Zoom on Sunday mornings each week from April 2020 to April 2022 In December 2022, the C21 Center in partnership with the Roche Center for Catholic Education hosted a live, in-person Breakfast with God reception for families to pray together and celebrate the Advent season.
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Lent
During the 2023 Lenten season, the C21 Center provided three key spiritual resources. The first was a virtual Journaling Workshop facilitated by author Laura Kelly Fanucci The hour-long session inspired participants to journal as a spiritual practice during the Lenten season A recording of the event and weekly follow-up emails were sent to the 440 registered participants, encouraging them with tips and prompts for their Lenten journaling journey An hour-long, online follow-up session was held the first week after Easter for participants to discuss their experiences and offer best practices.
The second resource was an online, web-based Lenten calendar. Similar to the C21 Advent Calendar, the C21 Lenten Calendar offered daily Scripture verses and over 100 faith resources for 46 days during Lent Over the course of the Lenten season, the calendar received 1,506 visits
The third resource was a two-day, virtual lunchtime retreat, Befriending Jesus, facilitated by author Laura Kelly Fanucci. During the retreat, the 317 registered participants explored how Jesus’ closest friendships can teach us and guide us in our own friendships. At the end of each session, the participants spent time in small groups reflecting on questions posed by Laura Recordings of the main session were emailed to all participants
In addition to these three key spiritual resources, this Lent, the Center also launched the the digital version of C21 Resources 20 Years as well as a Drawing God Stations of the Cross Activity Kit
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Contact us at church21@bc.edu 617-552-0470 @C21Center STAFF Karen Kiefer, Director Lynn Berardelli, Associate Director Eileen Corkery, Assistant Director, Programming Andrew Craig, Assistant Director, Operations & Marketing
