ESTEEM Begins New Chapter at Sacred Heart University

Program helps graduating college seniors integrate faith, career, and community

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University's Center for Catholic Studies is the new home of ESTEEM (Engaging Students to Enliven the Ecclesial Mission)
• ESTEEM is a national mentoring and leadership initiative that helps graduating college seniors transition from campus life to careers, faith communities, and civic engagement
• ESTEEM serves about 100 students annually through partnerships with Catholic campus ministries at universities across the United States

Sacred Heart University’s Center for Catholic Studies will become the new home of Engaging Students to Enliven the Ecclesial Mission (ESTEEM), a national mentoring and leadership initiative dedicated to supporting young Catholic professionals as they transition from college into their professional and adult lives to become lay leaders in the Catholic Church.

Founded approximately 16 years ago through a partnership between Leadership Roundtable and Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale University, ESTEEM was created to help retain young Catholics by connecting graduating college seniors with mentors and providing opportunities for faith formation, professional development, and community engagement.

The program partners with universities’ Catholic ministries to deliver small group-based programming and mentorship opportunities. ESTEEM works with about 100 college seniors each year from universities across the country, including Yale, Purdue University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Since its creation, ESTEEM was housed at Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University. Recently, it was determined that SHU’s Center for Catholic Studies would provide a fitting new home for ESTEEM because of the strong alignment between the organizations’ missions. Both are lay-led and committed to fostering the Catholic intellectual tradition, academic excellence, and spiritual life.

“After thoughtful discernment with St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel at Yale, the Center for Catholic Studies is delighted to be the new home for ESTEEM,” said Michelle Loris, director of SHU’s Center for Catholic Studies. “ESTEEM’s work aligns seamlessly with Sacred Heart’s mission, its Vatican II formation as a lay-led institution, and its commitment to preparing students to ‘lead with heart’ in a global world. With ESTEEM, the Center continues to promote   cutting-edge, innovative programming. ESTEEM demonstrates the University’s mission and reinforces its leadership in Catholic thought and service.”

Nicole Perone, adjunct instructor at SHU, has directed ESTEEM for the past several years and will continue to lead the organization as it transitions to Sacred Heart.

“ESTEEM is honored by the trust that Sacred Heart University and its Center for Catholic Studies have put in us,” said Perone. “ESTEEM’s mission is to engage and empower young adults as lay leaders in the Church and the world, and Sacred Heart’s prominence as the premier lay-led, Vatican II university ensures not only alignment of mission, but boundless opportunities for success. We are confident that this new relationship will be the conduit for ESTEEM’s continued growth and impact on the faith lives of young people.”

The transition also comes as ESTEEM recently received significant support through a grant from the Lilly Endowment and the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. The Pathways to Communion grant will provide funding for ESTEEM initiatives over the next five years.

Overall, Loris said the transition is expected to create new opportunities for collaboration, student engagement, and the continued development of faith-centered leadership programs for young adults.