St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Seymour is leading a congregational learning process to help further advance its local parish through the Renovación parish renewal initiative.

That program, announced Wednesday, is designed to equip pastoral leadership teams to be able to transform Hispanic/Latino-serving parishes into thriving missionary communities through theological education and innovative ministerial practices, according to Marian University’s website.

The Indianapolis university is implementing the program, which is being funded through a $994,318 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving Congregations Initiative.

The initiative supports local pastors in collaborative ministry while providing Latino leaders with theological education, which will help equip them to lead parishioners through a process of congregational learning to implement missionary commitments that are sensitive to every parish community.

This two-year program includes five weeks of meetings of small faith communities, plus two retreats. During that same time, four select lay leaders from St. Ambrose also will participate in online theological education modules for the Latino Ministry Leadership Certificate.

“Renovación is a creative response to Pope Francis’ invitation for ecclesial renewal and a pastoral conversion,” said Renovación’s founding director, Oscar Castellanos, who previously served as the director of intercultural ministry at the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

Accomplishing such an endeavor will ensure the parish and institution will continue to manifest as a living church, he said.

Castellanos said the program was established in 2021 under the Latino leadership initiative at Marian University for the 126 parishes of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

“St. Ambrose was the only church that applied and accepted the invitation, so we reached out to other Catholic parishes outside of the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis,” he said. “Diocese is another word for territory or region, and the Catholic church is divided into dioceses. In Indiana, there are five, and Seymour is under Indianapolis.”

Castellanos said now that St. Ambrose is part of the initiative, Father Dan Staublin will choose four members of the community to be considered for the leadership team. They will be part of a theological education program through Marian University for two years, primarily online and two weekend experiences in the summer on the Marian campus.

“While they are doing that, the parish will be experiencing some type of renewal by a process we call congregational learning,” Castellanos said. “There will be two retreats for the whole community. By this, I mean whoever wants to come, so the leadership will be inviting people.”

He said the retreats will consist of some type of renewal experience such as keynote speakers, small groups, reflection, prayer and different things that would be included within a full day retreat experience.

The other element of the learning process is small faith communities, where participants will organize and facilitate small communities that evangelize and discern through the see, judge and act method.

Castellanos said the facilitators of the groups will be the essential elements in the process because they are the ones who’ll be collecting data and information.

“It’s a tool of discernment, it’s a tool of consultation, but at the same time, it’s a tool of fellowship and a time to come together in renewal,” he said. “I know Father Dan pretty well, and that’s also part of the partnership and the relationship we have with St. Ambrose.”

Renovación’s aim is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world.