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 nearly 1,000 Fellows across the country 

Become part of a larger community of leaders committed to integrating the teachings of the Church within their professional and civic lives. Sign up to receive a notification when 2024 applications open in the Spring.

Application Interest Form

2023-2024 CHICAGO

FIRST-YEAR LEONINE FELLOWS































2022-2023 Chicago Leonine Fellows

John Adams
Eimer Stahl LLP
Caroline Beecher
The Rome Experience
Jonathan Blevins
Little Flower Media
Michael Cunningham
Moelis & Company
Michaela Fox
The Merry Beggars at Relevant Radio, Inc.
Brendan Jubulis
Daniel Judge
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Emily Kaiser
Publicis Sapient
Jacob Kelley
NielsenIQ
Chantal Lacouture
Gore Creek Asset Management
MaryKate Lawler
Registered Nurse
Rebecca Lewis
Sidley Austin LLP
Taylor Luiso
PEAK6 Investments LLC
Therese Madigan
Thomas Norman Rajkovich Architect
Marissa Mullins
Loyola University Health System
David Murphy
University of Notre Dame
Chris Paolelli
Saint Viator High School
Samantha Rill
Boylan Catholic High School
Laura Roman
Corporation for Social and Educational Development
Margaret Schmitt
Home
Mark Schmitt
Schmitt's Landscape Co
Brian Ward
JPMorgan
Elizabeth Weicher
Weicher Household
Peter Weicher
Dimensional Fund Advisors
Greg Werner
Aon, Plc.
Ania Wojtowicz
Grant Thornton

2021-2022 Chicago Leonine Fellows

Peter Atkinson
Relevant Radio
Naomi Atkinson
Self-Employed
Molly Field
UnityPoint-Health Meriter
Vanessa Geiger
Helping Hand Center
Jordan Hill
Eimer Stahl LLP
Molly Hill
Venable
Tom Kelly
SJS Investment Services
Emily Kelly
Kelly Household
Sydney Kilcoin
John Deere
Claire Anastasia Kitz
Willis Towers Watson
Juliana Lacouture
DWS
Genevieve McCarthy
Bearing Tree Inc.
Amy Mulvey
The Harris Poll
Tommy Ryan
Nufarm Americas Inc.
Eleanor Schneider
Home
Sofia Skok
Tucker Ellis LLP
Brian Smith
Auth0
Jenna Spaeth
Able Psychiatry
Grace Spiewak
Aurora University
Philip Taffet
Jump Trading
Luke Waggoner
Axiom Consulting Partners
Austin Walker
Lumen Christi Institute
William Weicher
Syngenta Seeds, LLC
Lydia Whitten
Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family

2020-2021 Chicago Leonine Fellows

Matthew Binder
Sidley Austin
John Brooks
Hillsdale College
Zachary Cascarano
Evanston Fire Department
Lawrence Daufenbach
Daufenbach Camera
Katie Joy Daufenbach
Oak Street Health
Emily Davis
Loyola University of Chicago
Vicente Del Real
Big Shoulders Fund
Adrienne DePrisco
Institute for Humane Studies
Michael Field
Credit Suisse LLC
Mark Franzen
Lumen Christi Institute
Tom Hittinger
Midwest Vision Partners - an Alpine Investors company
Benton Howser
ATLAS WME
Michelle Lacouture Perry
Seton Education Partners
Taylor Meehan
Bartlit Beck LLP
Ethan Munsill
Sidley Austin
Eliza Nagle
Shore Capital Partners
William O'Hara
Sweeney, Scharkey & Blanchard LLC
Matthew Paprocki
Illinois Policy Institute
James Perry
JEM Underwriting Managers
Anthony Pienta
The Altum Fund
Ephram Shaffer
Gallup

PROGRAM DETAILS

INTELLECTUAL FOUNDATION

During the first semester of the program, Fellows engage with a curriculum that emphasizes primary Church documents, practical secondary analyses, and gain an intellectual foundation on topics including: Faith and Reason, Christian Anthropology, the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching, Charity and Truth, Justice and Mercy, and Catholicism and the American Experiment.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

During the second semester, Fellows explore how core Social Teachings of the Church relate to their professional and civic lives, including topics such as entrepreneurship, business, finance, culture and the arts, poverty, economics, immigration, ecology, public policy and civic engagement, bioethics, health care, religious liberty, and more.

Spiritual Development

Fellows have the chance to supplement intellectual endeavors with regular opportunities for Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, confession and spiritual direction.

Community Service

Understanding that we are called to love our brothers and sisters, Leonine Fellows are committed to practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in Chicago.

Alumni Events

Fellows join a national community of over 500 Fellows, and have regular opportunities to participate in local Leonine alumni events – including happy hours, retreats, lectures, roundtable discussions and exclusive access to premier seminars, dinners, and more.

PROGRAM DETAILS

INTELLECTUAL FOUNDATION

During the first semester of the program, Fellows engage with a curriculum that emphasizes primary Church documents, practical secondary analyses, and gain an intellectual foundation on topics including: Faith and Reason, Christian Anthropology, the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching, Charity and Truth, Justice and Mercy, and Catholicism and the American Experiment.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

During the second semester, Fellows explore how core Social Teachings of the Church relate to their professional and civic lives, including topics such as entrepreneurship, business, finance, culture and the arts, poverty, economics, immigration, ecology, public policy and civic engagement, bioethics, health care, religious liberty, and more.

Spiritual Development

Fellows have the chance to supplement intellectual endeavors with regular opportunities for Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, confession and spiritual direction.

Community Service

Understanding that we are called to love our brothers and sisters, Leonine Fellows have the opportunity to participate in monthly service activities as a group in New York City.

Alumni Events

Fellows join a community of over 140 Leonine Alumni, and will have the opportunity to participate in regular Alumni events — including happy hours, lectures, roundtable discussions and exclusive access to premier seminars, dinners, and more.

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 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.

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 one evening per month during the academic year (October-June), generally the first Thursday of the month.

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

Chicago Leonine Sessions will take place at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture (2936 N Southport Ave, Chicago IL 60657)

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!

The emphasis on community building, and the frequency of events, requires participants to live within a commuting distance to the Chicago area.

Additional intellectual, spiritual, social and community service opportunities will be organized throughout the year.  

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

MARIA MONTSERRAT ALVARADO
EWTN News
SALLY BLOUNT
Chicago Catholic Charities
FR. STEPHEN BROCK
University of Chicago
JOSEPH E. CAPIZZI
Catholic University of America
THERESA FARNAN
Person & Identity Project
MARY RICE HASSON
Ethics and Public Policy Center
JOHN KETCHAM
Manhattan Institute
FRANCIS RUSSELL HITTINGER
University of Tulsa
FRANCIS X. MAIER
Ethics and Public Policy Center
WILLIAM MATTISON
University of Notre Dame
MICHAEL MILLER
Acton Institute
VINCENT PHILLIP MUNOZ
University of Notre Dame
JONATHAN REYES
Knights of Columbus
SCOTT RONIGER
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
CARTER SNEAD
de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture
FR. GABRIEL TORRETTA, OP
University of Chicago
STEPHEN WHITE
Ethics and Public Policy Center