century center highlights

established Espresso Your Faith Week, an annual week of over 30 oncampus student events that celebrate Ignatian spirituality and the gift of God working in our lives.

2015

ϐ The C21 Center received an anonymous grant to franchise the Agape Latte program at other colleges and universities nationwide— not just at Catholic, Jesuit institutions, but also at public and secular, private institutions. Eventually, high schools and parishes also adopted the program. Over 120 franchises have launched to date, influencing the faith lives of tens of thousands of students.

2016

ϐ The C21 Center produced the first episode of GodPods, a podcast conversation series discussing key challenges and opportunities facing the Church. Listen to GodPods for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

ϐ In partnership with the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, the C21 Center developed Ever to Excel, a week-long, on-campus summer program for high school students to experience Boston College through the lens of Ignatian spirituality. Undergraduate BC students serve as mentors to the participants throughout the week. To date, 750 high school students from across the country and around the world have participated in the program.

ϐ A two-year faculty seminar, “A Theology of Priesthood for Our Time,” was established to provide the Church with a contemporary theology of priesthood that can guide its recruitment and preparation of candidates and help to address pressing pastoral issues surrounding priesthood in our time. The fruits of this seminar were later published in a compendium, To Serve the People of God: Renewing the Conversation on Priesthood and Ministry

2018

ϐ In the wake of the Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse, hundreds attended the C21 Center’s forum “Why I Remain a Catholic: Belief in a Time of Turmoil” in Robsham Theater.

2019

ϐ Hundreds attended the C21 Center’s four-part Easter speaker series “Revitalizing Our Church.” Panelists from diverse areas of expertise offered their ideas on how the Church can be a more effective institution, restore its credibility with the faithful, and move forward with the hope of Easter.

ϐ Faith Feeds, a conversation-based faith sharing program for individuals, parishes, and Catholic schools, was launched by the C21 Center. To date, over 200,000 free Faith Feeds facilitation guides have been downloaded from the C21 Center website. A Zoom model of Faith Feeds was offered during the pandemic, providing an opportunity to gather weekly with people from around the world. The online program continues each Friday at 1 p.m. EST.

ϐ In partnership with Paraclete Press, the C21 Center launched the children’s book Drawing God, encouraging children to creatively express how they see God. Authored by the C21 Center’s director, Karen Kiefer, the book inspired the annual World Drawing God Day, an online Drawing God Museum, and curriculum-based projects for parents, parishes, and Catholic schools.

2020

ϐ During the pandemic, the C21 Center, in partnership with the Roche Center for Catholic Education, launched Breakfast with God, an online Sunday morning children’s faith formation show. Hosted by a Jesuit priest and a Catholic preschool teacher, over 80 episodes were livestreamed on Zoom to a community of over 1,000 families. Breakfast with God downloadable guides are available on the C21 website for parents, religious educators, and Catholic school teachers interested in replicating the program. ϐ Between 2020 and 2022, as part of the first phase of the Student Voices Project, the C21 Center surveyed 1,500 high school and college students from across the country, asking what their hopes are for the Catholic Church. The Center compiled this data and submitted a report to the Vatican as part of the Synod on Synodality. Now, as part of the second phase of the Project, the Center is actively sharing the free diagnostic tool used in the study with Catholic educators nationwide to help them gauge their students’ faith development.

2021

ϐ More than 200 virtual events were hosted by the C21 Center, nourishing Catholics of all ages during the pandemic.

2022

ϐ The C21 Center, in partnership with the BC Alumni Association, launched Pray It Forward, an opportunity to pray together weekly as a BC community for 15 minutes on Zoom, Wednesdays at 4 p.m. There are currently 700 members in the online community from across the country.

ϐ Lunchtime virtual retreats were offered for the first time by the C21 Center; one during Lent and one during Ordinary Time. Hundreds of people participated, many new to the C21 community.

ϐ The Center developed Mass and Mingle, a new social opportunity for 20- and 30-something Catholics that will be piloted in the Greater Boston area. Once a month, young adults are invited to attend a 5 p.m. Sunday Mass, followed by a one-hour social infused with Ignatian spirituality.

photo credits: Visit this issue's theme page: bc.edu/c21anniversary20