Dear Holy Apostles Community:

We are inviting university students from across the U.S. to participate in an intensive training seminar at the beginning of the new year. The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) in partnership with the Museum of the Bible will be hosting the 2nd Annual Statesmanship and Religious Freedom Seminar in two parts in 2021. Part 1, which will allow students to participate virtually from their own location (AT NO COST), will include four asynchronous training sessions from January 18 through February 13. Students who fulfill the requirements of Part 1 will receive badges certifying their completion of religious freedom leadership training. Part 2 will provide an opportunity for 20 students, competitively selected from those who complete Part 1, to participate in three additional days of on-site training in Washington, D.C., May 19-21, 2021. ALL COSTS FOR PART 2 WILL BE COVERED EXCEPT TRAVEL TO AND FROM DC. 

The seminar, an educational and interactive experience developed by RFI in collaboration with the Museum of the Bible, will explore the critical role religious freedom plays in a free society and the role key historical figures (e.g., Roger Williams, Thomas Jefferson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Tom Lantos) have played in protecting this fundamental human right. The impact of these leaders and key historical events will be illuminated by exposure to exhibits throughout the museum. Part 2 will add supplemental classroom instruction, private tours of sites in our nation’s capital that relate to the figures or themes of the seminar, and meetings with leaders and institutions in D.C. that advance religious freedom in the U.S. and around the world.  Hotel lodging, food, and travel costs around Washington are included for Part 2.

Students from across the country participated in the initial seminar in January 2020. The deadline to apply for 2021 has been extended due to continuing complications across the U.S. related to COVID-19. Students who wish to apply must do so before January 8, 2021. We will begin notifying participants in December. The application process is fairly simple. See the information embedded in this link to access the application page.

The seminar may be a natural fit for Holy Apostles students who would like to participate in intensive training about religious freedom. It is a very important time for tomorrow’s leaders to understand how religious freedom supports other fundamental freedoms in America and how that freedom contributes to other social goods in a free and stable society. The seminar will also provide an opportunity for interaction with students from other universities across the country. 

Please contact Andrew Kubick at [email protected] if you need additional information.