What is a Charism?
A charism, simply put, is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
According to the theological principle of charism, new ministries emerge in response to the needs of the church at a given time and take shape precisely around the gifts of those called to serve in a particular way.
Margaret Pfeil, Professor, University of Notre Dame
From our Trustees in Catholic Higher Education development series, Dr. Moya Dittmeier, former Executive Director of the Conference for Mercy Higher Education, reflects on how founding charisms offer stable ground in the ever-changing landscape of Catholic higher education.
Select Resources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church: Part One: The Profession of Faith, Section 2, Chapter 3, Article 9, Paragraph 2: 799-801
- Elizabeth Eisenstadt Evans, 2017, “Sisters who Blazed Trails in Higher Education Preserve Heritage, Charisms of Catholic Universities,” Global Sisters Report.
- Susan Sanders, RSM 2010, “Charisms, Congregational Sponsors, and Catholic Higher Education,” Journal of Catholic Higher Education, 29:1.
The ACCU Charism Cabinet
Purpose
To build a community of peers that fosters learning through the sharing of best practices, new initiatives, and charism-related opportunities and challenges in support of ACCU member colleges and universities.
History
The ACCU Charism Cabinet was first convened in the early 2000s and regular meetings began at the 2012 Annual Meeting. The ACCU Charism Cabinet meets to exchange ideas and discuss relevant issues, often bringing in external speakers to strengthen and support respective charism groups and ACCU member institutions.
The Charism Cabinet meets three times each year: in person at the ACCU Annual Meeting and via a virtual platform in the spring and fall. These meetings are coordinated by a designated ACCU liaison throughout the year.
For more information about the ACCU Charism Cabinet, contact Lorraine Sloma-Williams, Ed.D.
2026-27 ACCU Charism Cabinet Members
- Julia Cavallo, Executive Director, Conference for Mercy Higher Education
- Patti Epsky, Executive Director, Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities
- Michele Murray, President, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
- Allison Leigh, Executive Director, Association of Marianist Universities
- Chris Haug, Provincial Assistant and Director of Apostolic Mission & Charism, Congregation of Holy Cross
- Debi Haug, Executive Director, Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities
- Martha Malinski, Executive Director, Association of Colleges of Sisters of Saint Joseph
- Catherine Muscente, Vice President for Mission and Ministry, Molloy University; Dominican Higher Education Council
- Tom Southard, Executive Director, Christian Brothers Conference
- Lorraine Sloma-Williams, Director of Executive Educational Programming, ACCU
Our Member Charisms
Below is a directory for some of the associations for the charisms of our ACCU member colleges and universities.
