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Vision Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership

Due to ongoing health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic, on-campus Vision conferences have been suspended for the summer of 2021. A new, two-week experience will be offered virtually from June 21-July 2, 2021: Vision Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership. 

Learn More about Vision CYM ACADEMY

Vision Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership

For the summer of 2021, in place of the traditional in-person Vision summer conferences, the McGrath Institute for Church Life will offer a two-week virtual Vision Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership that will run June 21- July 2, 2021. 

Vision Academy high school participants will form a community of prayer, study, and service accompanied by undergraduate Vision Mentors through a two-week experience. Participants will engage in dynamic digital content from their homes designed to help them develop practices of prayer and reflection to embrace God's call in their daily life.

Zoomed out? We are too! Learn why we’re excited for this virtual experience.

Vision Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership consists of three dimensions:

  • a thematic track of your choosing
  • exploration of Catholic life through sessions on prayer, the saints, and more
  • the development of a Pastoral Leadership Project

Participants will select one of five thematic tracks—literature, art, music, scripture, and testimony—and will join a cohort of other teenagers under the guidance of undergraduate mentors. Participants from across all tracks will join together for general sessions throughout the two-week experience. 

Description of the five tracks:

  • Literature: explore sacramental and scriptural themes by attending to literary texts
  • Music: enrich capacity to reflect on and create sacred music
  • Art: develop skills for attending to and creating sacred art
  • Scripture: explore how to read and pray with scripture
  • Testimony: learn how to articulate and share stories of grace

Click here to learn more about the tracks

The Vision Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership forms young people’s theological vision and prayerful dispositions so that they may better respond with evangelical courage and confidence to the needs of the world today.

Program Overview

During Vision Academy, you will have opportunities to:

Choose from a thematic track of your choice:

  • Explore sacramental and scriptural themes by attending to literary texts in the literature track
  • Enrich the capacity to reflect on and create sacred music in the music track
  • Develop skills for attending to and creating sacred art in the art track
  • Explore how to read and pray with scripture in the scripture track
  • Learn how to articulate and share stories of grace in the testimony track

Explore Catholic Life through sessions led by undergraduate Mentors-in-Faith, including:

  • Prayer
  • Works of Mercy
  • Sacraments
  • Devotion to Saints
  • Stories of Grace

Develop a Pastoral Leadership Project for your family, parish, school, or diocese:

  • Lead a bible study
  • Host a literature discussion group
  • Establish a reflection group on music or art
  • Create a piece of music or art
  • Develop stories of grace


Listen to our Scott Boyle talk about Vision Academy on The Katie McGrady Show on Sirius XM!

Daily Schedule (all times listed as Eastern):

Updated Schedule Graphic

The core requirement is attendance at the once-a-day Thematic Track Session that runs from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). Participants are expected to prepare for each session by completing the assigned readings, reflection activities, and any collaborative work. These sessions will be led by the undergraduate Mentors-in-Faith who have participated in a semester of theological and pastoral formation.

Each afternoon from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. will feature optional "Exploring Catholic Life" sessions for an hour which will be recorded and then added to a "Resource Bank." These sessions will include Stories of Grace, the undergraduate Mentors-in-Faith introducing and leading different forms of prayer, an opportunity for vocations conversation with the priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross and the Sisters of St. Francis, along with a session with Admissions Staff from Notre Dame, Saint Mary's, and Holy Cross College.

A key component of the overall approach is to integrate family life. There will be a daily email to both parents and participants that will include a brief overview of the day, prayers for the family, a few discussion questions to share over dinner, and the occasional optional evening opportunity open to the entire family. There would also be a few optional fellowship opportunities for the high school participants as well

Application Details

  • The Vision Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership is open to high school students who will be at least 15 years old on or by June 21, 2021 through those graduating from high school in 2021.
  • The full cost of the Vision Academy is $200. This includes access to all digital content, participation in all program activities, and program materials that will be shipped to the participant’s home. Financial assistance can be requested through the application. 
  • An application consists of the $100 deposit due at the time of registration along with a two-part essay of at least 200 words and no more than 600 words total to be uploaded in the online application.
    • The first part of the essay will respond to the following prompt: Please describe why you want to attend the Vision Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership.  What are you hoping to experience? How are you hoping to grow in faith and leadership? 
    • The second part of the essay will respond to the following prompt: Which of the five tracks (literature, art, music, scripture, and testimony) captures your imagination the most? What would you hope to explore about this area?
  • Applications received by May 1, 2021 will receive priority consideration for track selection and financial assistance.  The final due date for the Vision Academy Application is May 21, 2021.  Full payment of the remaining balance is due by May 31, 2021. 

Questions? Contact us at ndvi@nd.edu or (574) 631-7425.

Vision CYM Academy

Learn More about Vision CYM ACADEMY

A companion track for campus and youth ministers—Vision CYM Academy for Catholic Life and Leadership—will run concurrently from June 21-July 2. CYM participants will have the opportunity to share aspects of the general programming for the high school students but will have a special track for formation in the Catholic imagination. The experience will be replete with opportunities for prayer, networking, and community.