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.
2023-2024 CHICAGO
FIRST-YEAR LEONINE FELLOWS
2022-2023 Chicago Leonine Fellows
2021-2022 Chicago Leonine Fellows
2020-2021 Chicago Leonine Fellows
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
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
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.
Additional intellectual, spiritual, social and community service opportunities will be organized throughout the year.
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.