The Church needs genuine ministers of the gospel in order to carry out its God given mission. When well-formed religious and lay ministers can inspire, speak and effectively address the world’s needs for reconciliation, peacemaking, and transcending boundaries, Christ’s body the Church is strengthened and its future made bright.

As with many Roman Catholic seminaries, CTU’s religious order candidates are decreasing because fewer men are considering religious life. A growing majority of today’s ministers are lay men and women, and women religious, who must seek their own funding for their training. As Lay Ministers take on increasing responsibilities in the Church, investing in endowed scholarships will provide CTU with enhanced ability to attract and retain the very best candidates locally, nationally and internationally, fortifying faith communities all over the world with missionary disciples.

A crucial part of CTU’s work is to provide the tools our exceptional faculty and students require to do their work well. These tools used to be summed up in two words: buildings and books. Today, technology has become a primary medium of education.

Called to put its theological education model and programming into greater service to the Church, CTU must have the capacity to leverage rapidly emerging technological advances to enhance classroom and online engagement, and to expand the reach of our program offerings.

As an institution of learning formed in the crucible of Vatican II, CTU has always embraced innovation. Today, CTU seeks to heed Pope Francis’ call to “go to the margins” — to serve the Church and its people beyond our campus. This anniversary campaign is therefore committed to funding technology that will allow us to do that.