seminary_larger

seminary_larger

Clergy & Religious Leaders Program

FASPE is an intensive, two-week study program in professional ethics and ethical leadership. FASPE is neither a Holocaust studies course, nor a genocide prevention program. Rather, the curriculum is designed to challenge Fellows to critically examine constructs, current developments and issues that raise ethical concerns in their professions in contemporary settings in which they work.

FASPE Clergy Fellows examine the motivations and conduct of German and international clergy in enabling and supporting Nazi policies. FASPE then draws on these historical examples to help Fellows grasp their role and responsibility as individuals with influence in their communities and to lead them to identify and confront the ethical issues currently facing clergy of all faiths.

Each year, FASPE Clergy awards fellowships to 13 to 16 individuals pursuing, or recent graduates of, graduate-level religious training at divinity schools, seminaries, chaplaincy programs or other related institutions. Fellows spend two weeks in Berlin and Poland, where they visit key sites of Nazi history and participate in daily seminars led by specialized faculty. The program couples the power of place with academic rigor and many informal opportunities for creative exchange.

FASPE draws on a large pool of applicants, whose diverse backgrounds and interests enrich discussions both inside and outside the seminar room. Clergy Fellows travel with Medical and Journalism Fellows, allowing them to broaden their understanding of the role of professionals over shared meals and activities and in several interdisciplinary seminars. FASPE Fellowships are fully funded so that financial ability does not affect participation.

Eligibility

FASPE Clergy & Religious Leaders applicants must either be enrolled in graduate school preparing for work as a religious leader at the time of application or they must be working as a religious leader with a relevant graduate degree received May 2020 or after. Those applying as students may be studying at a seminary, divinity school, rabbinical school, Muslim chaplaincy program or other graduate program related to religious OR theological training.

Applicants do not need to be ordained or planning to pursue ordination to be eligible. Applicants from all faith traditions are encouraged.

FASPE seeks Clergy Fellows with diverse interests and backgrounds, including those pursuing careers as religious leaders of congregations, as chaplains, at universities, hospitals, prisons, corporations, in the armed services, and in other settings.

FASPE seeks Fellows at a formative stage of their professional lives, who are open-minded and self-reflective, demonstrate leadership capabilities, and possess the potential of having influence in their fields. FASPE selects its Fellows on the basis of their academic background, personal and professional experiences, capacity for leadership, and ability to contribute to the Fellowship program and the alumni community. FASPE values and seeks to create inclusive environments, and welcomes applicants of all religious, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds as well as gender identities. FASPE seeks Fellows who are interested in engaging in discussions with their co-Fellows and faculty, and who have the intellectual and emotional maturity to discuss difficult and controversial issues responsibly and respectfully in small group settings.  All applications are welcome and reviewed.

DATES FOR THE 2025 CLERGY & RELIGIOUS LEADERS PROGRAM: June 20, 2025 - July 4, 2025

To view photos of the 2024 Clergy program and to read about the experience, please go here.

FASPE Clergy & Religious Leaders Fellows examine topics such as:

• the complicity of clergy in the execution of Nazi policies, including by failing to speak out
• the role of confession, apologies and reconciliation
• the right and responsibility of religious leaders to be ethical educators
• pastoral leadership in a diverse community
• religious faith, exclusivism and the temptations toward prejudice and intolerance
• interfaith work and dialogue
• navigating multiple loyalties to institutional authorities, religious doctrine and policies, lay leaders, community needs and more
• end-of-life decisions and discussions (structured as an interdisciplinary session with Medical Fellows) tactics to address ethical issues

An army chaplain blesses Wehrmacht soldiers in German-occupied Poland, 1941.German Federal Archive / BArch, Bild 146-2005-0193 / Walter Henisch / CC-BY-SA 3.0

FASPE Clergy Fellows now serve diverse faith communities as clergy, chaplains, theologians and educators. Through their shared FASPE experience, Fellows form long- lasting relationships and deep bonds that grow over time. Clergy Fellows participate in formal and informal networks that provide support throughout their careers.

FASPE Clergy was initially developed by a committee of professors, priests, rabbis and scholars and in consultation with faculty at Georgetown University and Yale University.