Rev. Jarod Fenske, a 2023 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has been chosen for the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE). Selected from a competitive pool of international applicants, Fenske is one of 14 participants in the 2026 Clergy & Religious Leaders Program.
This summer, Fenske and fellow participants will travel to Germany and Poland for a two-week seminar examining the ethical failures of clergy and other professionals during the Holocaust. The Clergy & Religious Leaders Fellows, collaborating with Medical and Journalism Fellows, will explore how ethical constructs and norms differ and align across their respective professions.
“FASPE is offering an increasingly rare and precious moment in which individuals of differing backgrounds and ideologies can share and grow in their respective fields,” Fenske said. “It is an honor to partake in a discussion that seeks the equitable and ethical treatment of all, so that we can each bring these ideas back with us for the benefit of others.”
The FASPE program examines the complicity of clergy and other professionals in carrying out Nazi policies. Discussion topics include the failure to confront atrocities, postwar reconciliation and the ongoing need for ethical leadership. Designed to foster moral reasoning and vocational integrity, the program equips participants with new insights for their future professions. The annual FASPE Journal features select participant essays addressing contemporary ethical challenges.
Fenske serves as associate pastor at Peace Lutheran Ministries in Antigo, Wis. With an emphasis on interpersonal relationships, he is helping guide his congregation through a time of transition and planning while seeking to grow its outreach to the community.
“I am pleased to hear that another one of our students has been selected for the prestigious FASPE Fellowship,” said Dr. Joel C. Elowsky [1], dean of Advanced Studies. “As an alumnus of Concordia Seminary class of ’23, Rev. Jarod Fenske will represent us well. It is heartening to know that our former students are pursuing such endeavors. We have much to offer from our tradition, and I am sure he will represent us well. Congratulations, Pastor Fenske.”
Fenske is the seventh seminarian to receive a FASPE Fellowship. Previous recipients are Paul Flo [2] (2016), Christian Einertson [3] (2018), Jess Biermann [4] (2019), Kendall Davis (2020*), Joshua Armstrong [5] (2024) and Christian Dollar [6] (2025).
*2020 Fellowship programs were deferred to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) [7]. To learn more, visit csl.edu [8].