Our new cohorts are now underway!
We are not accepting applications at this time, but fill out our Interest Form, and we will let you know when we start accepting applications for new cohorts.

Questions? Send us a quick note!

Application Overview

Alumni of CLA have described the experience as providing a powerful sense of community for young adults. 

CLA takes place over a two-year time period and includes:

• An annual retreat
• Monthly meetings including discussion with your peers on relevant themes
• Occasional presentations from guest speakers on topics ranging from Ignatian spirituality to leadership to ethics
• Mentoring – you will have the opportunity to engage experienced professionals with whom to discuss the challenges of life, leadership, and faith.
• Spiritual Direction – CLA will introduce you to talented and caring spiritual directors to help facilitate your faith-journey.
• A capstone project culminating in the second year that is an opportunity for you to create a project that expresses what you have learned in CLA and to apply it to the world in concrete ways

But, perhaps most importantly, CLA’s greatest gifts are the relationships you form with members of your cohort. Many cohorts self-organize social time outside of meetings and occasional community service. Your cohort can truly become a supportive and close-knit community!

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The Application

The CLA Application includes:

• Your biographical info
• A few short-answer questions
• Two references
• Application Questions (these are a bit longer)

We encourage you to respond thoughtfully to the Application Questions. Also, we strongly suggest composing your responses in another program, then copying them into the online application.

Download the CLA Application Questions

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More about CLA and the Application Process...

Selection Process

Upon completion of the application, each person will be reviewed by a selection committee and informed of their status in a timely manner.

The selection process is competitive and considers a number of factors, including professional experience, leadership potential, and dynamics in a group setting. Failure to be selected should never be interpreted as a personal or professional critique. Rather, due to our intention to create diverse cohorts it occasionally happens that potentially strong candidates will be wait-listed. Often, such applicants will be given priority consideration the following year.

Also, given the goals and organization of CLA, there are occasions when someone is not a good fit for the program. In such instances, they will not be accepted or wait-listed. This is not an indication by CLA of the quality of any individual, rather an assessment of the likelihood that we can offer the candidate that which they are looking for in the program.

CLA Fees

The tuition is $525 for each year of the program. Participant fees cover less than 25% of CLA’s annual budget. The remainder is provided by support from the USA Northeast and Maryland provinces of the Society of Jesus, and local fundraising by supporters of CLA. Expenses include the cost of the weekend retreats, monthly meals, group facilitation, guest speakers, and reading materials.
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Once accepted, you will be asked to make a nonrefundable deposit of $250.00. Final payment will be due no later than July 2nd, 2018. Please note, if you need to arrange a payment plan, please contact CLA Program Director, Sr. Lisa Buscher at lbuscher@contemplativeleaders.org to discuss arrangements. Failure to make the deposit or full payment will result in discharge from CLA unless previous arrangements have been made.

Financial Assistance

As stated above, participant fees cover less than 25% of CLA’s annual budget. Even so, we are conscious that not everyone is in a position to pay $525 per year for two years. Though very limited, some scholarship funds are available, and you will have the opportunity to apply for them if needed. Please be advised that additional information will be required if you apply for financial aid.