“As a pastor, I have been blessed to work with two graduates of the first ILEM class: our current DRE at St. Catherine of Siena, and a ministry coordinator at Mary, Queen of Peace when I served as pastor there. If my experience is any indication of the effectiveness of ILEM, I can say without a doubt that ILEM is very effective indeed! They serve humbly, knowledgeably, and with great joy. I am looking forward to working with another ILEM graduate, who will serve as Youth Minister at St. Catherine starting this summer.”
– Fr. Ronald Caulkins, Pastor at St. Catherine of Siena Parish
“Having been sent and evangelized, the Church herself sends out evangelizers. She puts on their lips the saving Word, she explains to them the message, she gives them the mandate which she herself has received and she sends them out to preach… not their own selves or their personal ideas, but a Gospel of which… they are the ministers, in order to pass it on with complete fidelity.”
– Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi no. 15
“The word I always use to describe the Institute for Lay Ecclesial Ministry program at Notre Dame Seminary is “empowering”. Being formed in such a comprehensive program helped me develop my faith and gave me the ministerial skills I could not get from a straight academic program.”
– Michelle Alley, Director of Religious Education