ESTEEM Program at Stanford: the Future is Now

     When the Second Vatican Council said that the “laity exercise their apostolate both in the Church and in the world in both the spiritual and temporal orders,” it was not thinking about secular educational institutions such as Stanford University, but it did envision an ideal program, one just like the ESTEEM program here at The Farm. For ESTEEM is a model of young Roman Catholic lay people taking responsibility for the church’s mission of bringing about the Kingdom “initially here on earth, fully on the last day.” Students in ESTEEM use their competence and passion to serve others, and in particular the needs of the local church.

     ESTEEM is an acronym for Engaging Students to Enliven the Ecclesial Mission. It is a pilot program sponsored by the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management.  Other pilot sites include UCLA, Yale, and Michigan State. ESTEEM at Stanford aims at harnessing the skills and talents of students, to empower them with the tools and depth of perspective to serve on parish finance boards, lead youth groups, and to be of service in traditional and entrepreneurial ways to the church now and upon graduation.

     Our Stanford ESTEEM participants range from freshmen to post-doctoral fellows.  We meet twice monthly for 90 minutes.  Our first meeting is this Wednesday, October  2nd at 7:15 pm at Hillel.  The theme for the quarter is Catholic Social Teaching. The discussions revolve around the three pillars of the ESTEEM curriculum: 1. Spirituality / discernment / vocation, 2. The Catholic intellectual tradition, and 3. Developing leadership and group effectiveness skills.

     Sessions have featured presentations by experts on Vatican II, Catholic theology, and the liturgy. Each student is assigned a mentor, usually a member of the CCAS Permanent Community, with whom he/she meets regularly to share ways of integrating faith with the many other aspects of their busy lives. In April, our ESTEEM “delegation” travels to Yale or another location to join students from other participating universities for a Capstone Conference. We have the opportunity to reflect on the learnings of the past year, to develop relationships across campuses, and to gather in prayer and worship.

     By Silicon Valley “startup” standards, the past three years of the ESTEEM venture at Stanford have been a success. A few metrics: we have a “business plan,” participants’ expectations have been exceeded, and we are adding tangible value to the Catholic Community through our curriculum and emphasis on looking outward to make Christ’s presence known through service, evangelization and reconciliation.

     In October 1962, on the eve of the Council, Pope John XXIII offered words of encouragement to the delegates and to the global church: “the aim of the Second Vatican Council is to nurture the Church’s best energies and studies… and to do our utmost to answer the needs and expectations of the world… with serenity of mind, moderation and wisdom.” ESTEEM, along with many other fine initiatives here at Stanford and elsewhere, attempts to honor “Good Pope John” and his vision, and respond to Pope Francis’ recent challenges to bring students’ vitality to the life of the church. Here and now.

Deacon John Kerrigan

johnk3@stanford.edu