What We Do

We bring together formation, mentorship, and meaningful connection to provide young Catholics with the tools, relationships, and experiences they need to grow as leaders. Along the way, participants deepen their faith and prepare to serve the Catholic Church and their communities with purpose and confidence.

Sessions

ESTEEM sessions are designed to assist young adults to:

• reflect on themselves, their talents, and their leadership calling
• participate in a community of similarly talented, dedicated young adults
• develop skills related to working and leading within an organization
• understand their leadership vocation in the Catholic Church
• discover ways to exercise leadership in the Catholic Church

We pride ourselves on ongoing, collaborative development of resources, especially through our network of national experts, as well as the broad network of site leaders.

Topics covered by our sessions include, but are not limited to:

We offer 14 session outlines, which can be followed as closely or as loosely as your site prefers. ESTEEM is most successful when it is inculturated into the pastoral fabric of the campus ministry—not meant to be a “program-in-a-box!” Our national staff is available to consult with site leaders on ways to bring the sessions to life in each unique setting.

Monthly site leader calls offer the opportunity to hear from campus or young adult ministers from across the nation about how the materials are being applied at their university or parish. New ideas for activities, speakers, and regional conferences or other resources are shared—offering a constant opportunity to elevate the programming at your ministry site. We also strongly encourage bringing in outside speakers to help students and young adults better understand the breadth and depth of opportunities for leadership in the church. The national staff can assist in connecting local and national speakers for these purposes.

Most sites find that our 14-week sessions fit conveniently into the semester model. Sessions can run in any distribution that makes sense for your community (e.g. biweekly, monthly, etc.) leading up to our Capstone Conference in the spring.

Mentorship

During the development of ESTEEM, college students voiced the need for Catholic mentors in their fields of study. How can an economics major lend their expertise to church leadership? How can a neuroscience major bring their faith into their workplace?

A key aspect of training leaders is providing them with mentors. Many secular and temporal fields have identified and maximized the potential of mentorship. Additionally, Pope Francis was clear in Christus Vivit (his apostolic exhortation following the XV General Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment) of the value of mentorship in accompanying young people on the journey of faith.

In that spirit, each ESTEEM site pairs students with mentors based on their career goals and interests. These mentors commit to working with their students for one academic year. Together, they tackle topics such as:

• How does a Christian leader balance career, faith, and family?
• Where does my professional training fit the needs of the church community?
• How do you discern which job to take after college?
• What are some tips for successfully transitioning from college or family to a new career in a new city, and how does one integrate into a new parish?
• How can you live your faith in the workplace?
• What can a lay person do when family or friends stop practicing their faith?
• Where does prayer fit into a romantic relationship or family life?

Although the mentors are chosen to help students and young adults develop their leadership skills, mentors often find that their experience refreshes their own faith.

ESTEEM holds as central the challenges issued in Christus Vivit for mentors of young people:

The qualities of such a mentor include: being a faithful Christian who engages with the church and the world; someone who constantly seeks holiness; someone who is a confidant without judging. Similarly, someone who actively listens to the needs of young people and responds in kind; someone deeply loving and self-aware; someone who recognizes his or her limits and knows the joys and sorrows of the spiritual journey.

An especially important quality in mentors is the acknowledgement of their own humanity—the fact that they are human beings who make mistakes: not perfect people but forgiven sinners. Sometimes mentors are put on a pedestal, and when they fall, it may have a devastating impact on young people’s ability to continue to engage with the church.

Mentors should not lead young people as passive followers, but walk alongside them, allowing them to be active participants in the journey. They should respect the freedom that comes with a young person’s process of discernment and equip them with tools to do so well.

A mentor should believe wholeheartedly in a young person’s ability to participate in the life of the church. A mentor should therefore nurture the seeds of faith in young people, without expecting to immediately see the fruits of the work of the Holy Spirit. This role is not and cannot be limited to priests and consecrated life, but the laity should also be empowered to take on such a role. All such mentors should benefit from being well-formed, and engage in ongoing formation.

(Christus Vivit 246)

Capstone Conference

ESTEEM offers a national Capstone Conference to convene students from our participating sites across the country.

One of the aims of the Capstone Conference is to prepare students for the transition into parish life after graduating and leaving college campus ministry. Another portion of the conference is focused on developing the leadership skills and confidence to engage in parishes as lay leaders. Immediate engagement makes it less likely that they will leave the church for a time after graduation and helps our parishes create stronger young adult communities.

Through dynamic national speakers, our highly anticipated young adult alumni panel, and chances to network with other students from across the country, the Capstone Conference is one of the most celebrated components of the ESTEEM experience.

Capstone Conference 2027: Fairfield, Connecticut

The 2027 Capstone Conference will take place on the campus of Sacred Heart University, from April 23-25, 2027.

Attendees will explore the questions of finding a faith community after graduation, staying connected to one’s faith when moving into the workforce, and ways to find spiritual nourishment in times of transition.

Stay tuned for registration information coming soon.