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Providence College accepts $1M grant from Lilly Endowment to engage children in prayer, worship
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE RECEIVES $1 MILLION GRANT FROM LILLY ENDOWMENT TO HELP ENGAGE CHILDREN IN CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
Providence College (PC) announced today that they have been awarded a $1,094,746 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish “Come To The Table,” a program to enhance children’s participation in prayer and worship by supporting families in the practice of the shared family meal as preparation for the sacramental meal of the Eucharist.
The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.
Dr. Holly Taylor Coolman, assistant professor of theology, will serve as the principal investigator for the grant, and will collaborate with the College’s longstanding partner, the Diocese of Providence, and St. Pius V, PC’s neighboring school and parish for this program. “Come to the Table” will integrate digital and printable resources along with in-person resources, including workshops and meals, equipping participants to bring their families to the table and make the family meal a place of both spoken and embodied prayer.
These resources, accessible through the Diocese of Providence and a dedicated website, will also be integrated into preparation for key milestones such as baptism, First Communion, and marriage preparation. This initiative actively involves children at the family table, enhancing their participation and inclusion. Over the next five years, “Come to the Table” will endeavor to empower hundreds of families and children.
“This is an amazing award, and we are so grateful to Lilly Endowment for their recognition of Dr. Coolman’s proposal,” said PC President Fr. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. “The integration of prayer and worship with family life is essential to the practice of our faith, and mealtime can be an important part of the day to do so. I look forward to the execution of this proposal in concert with our two outstanding partners, the Diocese of Providence and St. Pius V School,” Fr. Sicard said.
“I am thrilled that Lilly Endowment has seen the potential in this project,” Dr. Coolman said. “Whether connecting a younger couple to a mentor couple in their home, offering resources to celebrate the important days together, or in practical help to get dinner on the table, I believe this initiative will enrich the lives of many children and their families.”
Providence College is one of 91 organizations nationally receiving funding through the latest round of the initiative. These organizations represent and serve congregations in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities. Several organizations are rooted in Black Church and Hispanic and Asian American Christian traditions.
“Congregational worship and prayer play a critical role in the spiritual growth of children and offer settings for children to acquire the language of faith, learn their faith traditions and experience the love of God as part of a supportive community,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These programs will help congregations give greater attention to children and how they can more intentionally nurture the faith of children, as well as adults, through worship and prayer.”
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
About Providence College
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars and has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,400 students. For almost 30 years, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”