CHICAGO
PARTNERING WITH
In monthly sessions held at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, Leonine Fellows are led by Catholic thought leaders from around the Chicago metropolitan area. During these sessions Leonine Fellows will grapple with some of the most important questions at the intersection of Catholicism and public life.
CHICAGO
In monthly sessions held within the Loop, Leonine Fellows are led by Catholic thought leaders from around the Chicago metropolitan area. During these sessions Leonine Fellows will grapple with some of the most important questions at the intersection of Catholicism and public life.
Join over 1,000 Leonine Fellows across the country
Become part of an active network of leaders committed to integrating the teachings of the Church within their professional and civic lives. Applications will reopen in Spring 2025 for the 2025-2026 First-Year Fellowships.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, there is no required cost to participate in the Leonine Forum. You will, however, have an opportunity to donate to help defray the substantial costs of the Forum.
No. The Leonine Forum exists to equip the emerging generation of leaders in the core tenets of the Catholic Church’s social teachings. While our curriculum is intentionally rooted in the Catholic faith and intellectual tradition, we are open to Fellows of various faith backgrounds interested in understanding the Catholic Church more deeply.
The ideal letter of recommendation comes from a respected source who can speak to your professional achievement and personal character. Another current applicant should not be a recommender.
No. Your recommender does not need to be Catholic, as long as he or she can speak well to your professional achievements and personal character.
Applications consist of a cover letter, resume, 1-3 letters of recommendation, and a brief video to be uploaded by each applicant.
First-Year Fellows will meet approximately one evening per month during the academic year (October-June), on Thursdays.
The basic format for each Session is as follows:
6:15pm — Mass
7:00pm — Reception & Conversation
7:30pm — Lecture and Q&A
8:30pm — Dinner & Discussion
9:30pm — Evening ends
Priority will be given to applicants who intend in good faith to make it to at least 80% of the events (missing no more than two). The Leonine Forum is built on the community of Fellows, and when one is missing, the whole group feels it.
Yes. In the month leading up to each Session, Fellows will be given a packet of reading material (40-80 pages) selected by the Faculty Leaders to read in advance. Tolle Lege!
God will know.
The emphasis on community building, and the frequency of events, requires participants to live within a commuting distance to the Chicago area.
Yes, Leonine Fellows join a large local community and an active national network of Alumni with ongoing opportunities to be formed and to serve as virtuous leaders.
Let us know by contacting us here.
Contact us here
When spouses apply in the same year, they are accepted or declined together. In the former instance, the cohort cap increases to accommodate spouses’ joint participation in the Leonine Forum.
PAST SESSION LEADERS
EWTN News
Ethics & Public Policy Center
Chicago Catholic Charities
University of Chicago
Catholic University of America
Opus Dei
Bain & Company
Person & Identity Project
Ethics and Public Policy Center
Manhattan Institute
Institute for Human Ecology
Ethics and Public Policy Center
University of Notre Dame
Acton Institute
University of Notre Dame
Illinois Policy Institute
Knights of Columbus
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
University of Notre Dame Law School
University of Chicago
Ethics and Public Policy Center
