Update: The deadline has been extended to June 24, 2019. Apply HERE now!
May 1, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – Are you passionate about your faith and pursuing a life of holiness? Are you dismayed as the culture of death seems to engulf us, and discerning how the Lord is calling you to respond? Are you driven to defend the unborn, promote the natural family, and win converts to the faith – even if it means prison, or martyrdom?
If so, then LifeSite wants you to join us for a special opportunity. Today we are announcing the launch of the Immaculata Fellowship, a ten-month apprenticeship designed to build the next generation of leaders in the fight to restore Christian civilization. The 2019-2020 program will begin in August and run through May 2020.
Immaculata Fellows will have the chance to learn the tools of leadership directly from some of the most effective pro-life, pro-family, and Catholic advocates alive today. You will connect with other youth who share your passion for the faith and the restoration of culture.
The program opens with a week of prayer, training, and networking in Rome, and closes with Canada’s National March for Life in Ottawa and a special conference organized for the fellows.
In the bosom of the Eternal City, the fellows will get to attend Mass with Cardinal Raymond Burke, and take part in a closed-door Q&A with him at our annual Rome Youth Conference.
Keep reading to learn how you can take part in this special opportunity.
What to Expect:
During the Fellowship year, Immaculata Fellows will…
- Participate in monthly webcasts with top-level leaders;
- Study various books and publications and discuss them with the other fellows in a dedicated social networking group;
- Assist LifeSite in its media-focused mission by taking on a unique project in journalism, videography/photography, development, marketing, or research/data entry;
- And conduct monthly calls with a LifeSite staff mentor who will provide guidance in pursuing their calling, and assistance in completing their fellowship project.
All Immaculata Fellows are expected to:
- Commit to starting or joining a local group or apostolate (Catholic, pro-life or pro-family) in order to encourage peers to activism;
- Obtain a priest as spiritual director (we may be able to help find one if needed);
- And maintain a regular life of prayer and participation in the Sacraments (daily Mass and Rosary are highly encouraged).
As fundraising is an integral part of apostolic work, fellows who are selected will be given some training in this area as well, and asked to help fundraise to cover the cost of flights, housing, meals, and materials. Fellows must also agree to have their photos and testimonials used in promotional materials.
Besides the two trips in Fall 2019 and May 2020, fellows should expect to devote a few hours every week to the program.
Eligibility
Candidates must:
- Be between the ages of 19 and 29;
- Be a practicing Catholic;
- Be able to devote at least a few hours to the fellowship every week;
- Commit to attending the kick-off event in Rome, and the send-off event in Ottawa;
- And be interested in pursuing a mission-driven career impacting life, family, faith and culture.
How to Apply
All candidates are required to submit:
- a resume
- responses to each of the application questions
- a photo
- a 60-90 second (max) video introducing themselves and explaining their interest in the fellowship
- And three reference letters, including one from a priest in good standing
All applications must be submitted through our careers page on Bamboo here: https://lifesitenews.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=44. Please email the photo and video to [email protected] after submitting your application through Bamboo.
If you have any difficulties with the application, please contact [email protected].
The application deadline is June 24, 2019. We will select candidates to interview shortly thereafter. We expect to communicate our decision by July.
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Testimonials from Rome Youth Conference 2018
“From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU SO MUCH for everything. This experience will remain ingrained upon my memory for as long as I live on this earth. I can only imagine how much planning & coordinating you and the rest of the team had to undergo in order to execute such a well organized & thorough experience. Everything from the presentation to the communication was extremely professional & well done. I consider it a tremendous honor to have garnered you all’s interest for that amazing journey. I laughed. I cried. I drank. I awed. But most importantly, I left a better Catholic man.”
“I don’t have the space to express what I want to say; I’ll only say thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m just a small-town Hoosier that you guys felt was doing something for the Church; it’s one of the biggest honors I’ve ever been given. I want to go as deep as I can for Christ and Our Lady, and if being on this adventure was/is all I’ll ever do for the Church, hopefully it will give my Archdiocese, especially our youth, a serious shot in the arm to help her during these dark days.”
“What a blessed weekend indeed! I am feeling much more sure on my spiritual path after the weekend and am discerning my vocation with more confidence than before. I got in touch with a spiritual director back home today as a result of the trip and am discerning if I have a calling to religious life. One thing the trip made sure to me is that I am called to serve the church in a serious way.”
“The conference weekend and pilgrimage day were absolutely amazing. Even though it's only been a few days, I can already tell how much of an impact this week has had on my faith, and the witness of other young catholics from around the world has inspired and challenged me to grow more in my faith and be an active living member of the mystical body of Christ.”
“In this modern epoch, I often wonder what living in Christendom might have been like. In a time where division runs rampant in society and the Church, the doubtless fellowship that must have abounded in the greatest ages of the Church seems so otherworldly. However, during my stay in Rome at LifeSiteNews and Voice of the Family's conference for young people, I saw the beginnings of the restoration of such a standard. Wholesome and friendly conversation, well-researched and informative lectures, as well as beautiful and proper liturgy permeated the entire conference. I was blessed to have gone. Many of the friendships that were planted in Rome are already being sewn in the United States and across the Atlantic – friendships I hope to have for the rest of my life. I thank all those who were sponsors for providing me with the opportunity. Oremus pro invicem.”