Please complete every question in this application to the best of your ability. If there is a question you are unable to answer, please indicate why. Refrain from using AI to answer any questions.

Please allow at least 30 minutes to complete the entire application. If needed, you may save your progress and finish your submission later.

* Please submit your preferred email for our future communications with you.

Attendance

The Fellowship begins at the Connection and Contemplation Retreat in Scottsdale, AZ (for U.S. Fellows) on August 28 beginning at 4:30pm MST and ends at 1:00pm MST on August 30th, 2026. For Canadian Fellows, the in-person retreat is on August 29-30 in GTA (details TBD). Additional details about the retreat will be given upon admittance to the Fellowship. The cost of the retreat--lodging, meals, and materials--is included in the tution price of the fellowship. Fellows are responsible for arranging and paying for their own travel to and from the retreat. 

If an extenuating circumstance prevents in-person attendance to the retreat, please email fellowship@madeforpax. Retreat attendance is a core part of the Fellowship experience and is required of all Fellows unless truly unavoidable. 

The virtual session dates of the fellowship are from September 8, 2026 to April 27, 2027. There will be a total of 15 bi-weekly virtual sessions with a break from November 18, 2026-January 4, 2027 in observance of Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year's.

The virtual sessions will take place on Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm PST / 7pm-9pm EST. Attendance to all sessions is required, and no more than 2 absences are acceptable to maintain enrollment in the fellowship. 

All Virtual Session Dates:

• September: 8, 22, 2026

• October: 6, 20, 2026

• November: 3, 17, 2026

• January: 5, 19, 2027

• February: 2, 16, 2027

• March: 2, 16, 2027

• March 30, 2027 - Panel & Survey

• April 13, 2027 - Showcase (90 mins)

• April 27, 2027 - Goodbye Session (90 mins)

Two virtual spiritual direction sessions are provided to each Fellow, one per semester. Fellows will be required to schedule and commit to attending their own sessions with their assigned Spiritual Director.

Additionally, Fellows will be required to attend one summer info session on zoom. The dates and times of the info sessions will be announced in May/June, and attendance will be taken. 

Tuition
Tuition per fellow is $2,000. While this figure reflects the true cost of architecting the fellowship, we believe that the opportunity for mentorship and instruction belongs to all Christians of color and are committed to reducing financial barriers to participation. That’s why we’re offering tiered tuition with scholarships ranging from $1000 - $1300, affording you the agency to choose tuition that best aligns with your current financial circumstance.

These tuition tiers are made possible by the generosity of donors and foundations. 

Alumni: $700 - two payments of $350 (scholarship amount of $1300)

Tier 1: $800 - two payments of $400 (scholarship amount of $1200)

Tier 2: $900 - two payments of $450 (scholarship amount of $1100)

Tier 3: $1000 - two payments of $500 (scholarship amount of $1000)

Tier 4: $800 - three payments at $200, $300, and $300 (scholarship amount of $1200)

The first tuition payment is due within 3 days of acceptance into the Fellowship and is non-refundable. A Stripe payment link will be included with your acceptance letter. For all additional payments, your payment method on file will be automatically charged 25 business days after the first payment has been submitted, and is non-refundable. For Tier 4, your third payment will be charged 25 days after your second payment and is non-refundable.

Beyond our tiered tuition, if finances prohibit your participation, then we encourage you to consider asking your family, church, mentor, or employer to support your continued education by sponsoring your enrollment in the fellowship. Link to a Sponsorship Letter Template will be included with your acceptance letter. 

Financial Aid

If tuition continues to be a barrier beyond the scholarship tiers and the sponsorship letter, you may answer the financial aid question below to be considered for an additional $200 of aid toward Tier 1 or Tier 4 tuition. Financial aid requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and awarded as funds are available. You will be notified via email on the status of your financial aid request.

Values

Hospitality and Belonging

PAX holds to Franciscan spirituality rooted in radical hospitality for all God’s image bearers. We honor each person’s God-given uniqueness, background, story, and identity, believing they can encounter the Divine through the created world, others, and experiences. We strive to uplift voices from diverse perspectives through embodied faith expressed under the tent of belonging. We welcome, accept, and affirm every individual’s worth as a reflection of God’s love made plain in creation. Our Franciscan way embraces the primacy of Christ and the richness of Christian faith expressed through incarnational presence. In our effort to pursue justice, peace, and care for all creation, we reject supremacy that harms image bearers or God’s beloved world.

Wonder and Wisdom

We understand that with diversity comes disagreement and tension. Therefore we value thoughtful dialogue and embrace tension, as these are key components of contemplative Christianity. We challenge PAX Fellows to wonder with the topics presented in the PAX Fellowship, and encourage thoughtful prayer and reflection. Our aim is to support Fellows in a deeper relationship with the Divine and others. Fellows are expected to interact constructively with those holding different denominational and theological perspectives. We recognize the difference between healthy disagreement and harmful behavior, therefore we do not allow bullying, harassment, hatred, or violence.

Contemplation and Action

We are contemplative activists. Our practice holds silence and stillness as sacred tools for transformation; personally and collectively. We draw from Black and Brown Christian faith traditions that have long practiced deep reflection, communal prayer, and creative resistance first practiced by the Desert Mothers and Fathers of North Africa and later embodied by the Civil Rights Movement. Contemplation for us is not withdrawal from the world, but a way of grounding our action in love, justice, and presence. Rather than emptying our minds, we fill our mind and heart with the knowledge and presence of Christ in our contemplative practice.

Photography Release

By participating in the PAX Fellowship, you grant the organization permission to use any submitted profile photos, as well as any photographs or videos taken during Fellowship events, for purposes including but not limited to social media, digital platforms, promotional materials, and other organizational communications.

This release applies to both individual and group images, and no compensation will be provided for their use. If you have any concerns regarding the use of your image, please contact us prior to the start of the Fellowship.