Join nearly 1,000 Leonine 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 WASHINGTON
FIRST-YEAR LEONINE FELLOWS
2022-2023 DC Leonine Fellows
2021-2022 DC Leonine Fellows
2020-2021 DC Leonine Fellows
2019-2020 DC Leonine Fellows
2018-2019 DC Leonine Fellows
2017-2018 DC Leonine Fellows
2016-2017 DC Leonine Fellows
2015-2016 DC Leonine Fellows
2014-2015 DC Leonine Fellows
2013-2014 DC 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
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 Washington, DC.
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 with The Little Sisters of the Poor in Washington, DC.
Alumni Events
Fellows join a community of over 300 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.
Washington, D.C. applicants require a minimum of 3 years of professional and/or graduate school experience. In previous years, most Washington Fellows have had five-nine years of work or graduate school experience before joining the Leonine Forum.
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.
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.
First-Year Fellows will meet one evening per month during the academic year (September-June), usually on the first Wednesday of the month.
The basic format for each Session is as follows:
5:30pm — Mass/Adoration
6:00pm — Reception & Conversation
7:00pm — Lecture and Q&A
8:00pm — Dinner & Discussion
9:00pm — Evening ends
The DC Leonine Forum Sessions will take place at the Catholic Information Center, located at 1501 K Street NW.
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.
There will typically be a Leonine Alumni event every month ranging from happy hours, lectures, and exclusive access to premier seminars, dinners, and more.
Applications consist of a cover letter, resume, 1-3 letters of recommendation, and a brief video to be uploaded by each applicant.
The emphasis on community building, and the frequency of events, requires participants to live within a commuting distance to the Washington, DC area.
While there is no guarantee of acceptance, those who have shown continued interest in the Forum will receive additional consideration.
Let us know by contacting us here
Contact us here.