Early Admission is open February 16 to February 27, 2026. Early admission is only offered to those on our waitlist. 

Open enrollment is open from March 2, 2026 to June 15, 2026, or when enrollment has reached capacity. There are a limited number of spots available in each cohort for a total of 100 fellows.

PAX Fellowship In-Person Connection + Contemplative Retreat 

August 28-30, 2026 (U.S. Fellows), August 29-30 (Canadian Fellows)

Writing as Spiritual Formation Virtual Session Dates:

Session 1: Sept 8, 2026 (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

Session 2: Sept 22, 2026 (4:30 PM PST/7:30 PM EST)*

Session 3: Oct 6, 2026 (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

Session 4: Oct 20, 2026 (4:30 PM PST/7:30 PM EST)*

Session 5: Nov 3, 2026 (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

Session 6: Nov 17, 2026 (4:30 PM PST/7:30 PM EST)*

Session 7: Jan 5, 2027 (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

Session 8: Jan 19, 2027 (4:30 PM PST/7:30 PM EST)*

Session 9: Feb 2, 2027 (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

Session 10: Feb 16, 2027 (4:30 PM PST/7:30 PM EST)*

Session 11: Mar 2, 2027 (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

Session 12: Mar 16, 2027 (4:30 PM PST/7:30 PM EST)*

Session 13: Mar 30, 2027 Keynote & Survey (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

Session 14: April 13, 2027 Showcase (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

Session 15: April 27, 2027 Goodbye Session (4 PM PST/7 PM EST)

*Please note the dates when this cohort meets at an adjusted start time.

The PAX Fellowship Connection + Contemplation Retreat kicks off the PAX Fellowship and is an integral part of the experience as a PAX Fellow.

U.S. Start Date: Friday, August 28 at 4:30pm

U.S. End Date: Sunday, August 30 at 1:00pm

Location: Franciscan Renewal Center
5802 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85253
Just 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Canadian Date: Saturday, August 29
Time & Location: TBD in the Greater Toronto Area

Lodging, meals, and materials are included in the cost of tuition. Fellows are responsible for their own travel arrangements to the retreat.

Additional details will be included upon admittance to the PAX Fellowship. Should you have any questions about the Retreat and the impact it has on your cohort, please reach out to our Fellowship Director, Rachel, at fellowship@madeforpax.org.

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)

  If your financial picture is such that paying more would not be feasible, please select this tuition tier and know that we welcome you with open arms.

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

  Suggested dues for the PAX Fellowship

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

  If your season allows you to comfortably pay this amount, you'll help offset the lower tier for those for whom tuition represents a greater barrier to access.

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

  If your financial picture is such that paying more would not be feasible and you’d like a three part-payment plan, please select this tuition tier and know that we welcome you with open arms.

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 in the application to be considered for additional 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.

Hospitality and Belonging

PAX draws from 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.

View syllabus for the Writing as Spiritual Formation Cohort here.