Civic Virtues, Freedom and Justice
Election year rhetoric tends to be as cyclical and hyperbolic as the election cycle itself. 'This is the most important election of your life.' 'Democracy is at stake.' 'If the other party wins, we're all doomed.' And of course, there's the ever present command in the form of a four letter word: Vote! Such rhetoric is certainly heated, but sheds precious little light on what it means to be a good citizen in day to day life. Does our political life as citizens solely consist of the duty to vote once every four years? Or are there certain civic virtues that we can cultivate in daily life that can contribute towards the preservation and promotion of the common good?
The American left tends to elevate justice, usually social justice, as the greatest political good, while the American right claims that freedom reigns supreme above all other political goods. But is this division which fuels much of our contemporary political polarization warranted? Are freedom and justice opposed? If not, how do you reconcile the two and provide a path to peace in our fractured polis? In Civic Virtues, Freedom and Justice, Collegium's Young Catholic Leaders Initiative will seek to advance the claim that both freedom and justice are necessary to a well functioning society and should be cultivated through civics education.
The day will begin with breakfast and a keynote lecture by Fran Maier, Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, on the principles undergirding Catholic Social Teaching and how they can help heal our political divisions and foster freedom and justice. After seminars and breakout discussions in the morning, we'll have lunch and make care packages for the homeless. In the afternoon, we'll have a panel discussion with Chris Roberts, principal of Martin Saints, Dr. Ángel Alvarado, Venezuelan politician and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, and Prof. Catherine Wilson of Villanova University on the practical application of Catholic Social Teaching with respect to freedom and justice in the context of secondary education, elected office, and higher education.
Schedule:
9:00am-9:30am Registration and Breakfast
9:30am-10:30am Introductory Remarks, Keynote Lecture (Fran Maier), Q&A
10:30am-12pm Seminars and Breakout Discussions
12pm-12:30pm Lunch
12:30pm-1:30pm Service Project
1:30pm-2:15pm Panel Discussion (Chris Roberts, Ángel Alvarado, Catherine Wilson)
2:15pm-3pm Seminars and Breakout Discussions
High school students and teachers are invited to register for this day-long workshop. Members of the public are also welcome to attend.
Participants will receive a copy of Fran Maier's new book, True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church, published by Ignatius Press in February 2024. Dr. Maier will also be available to sign books.
High school teachers can get 6 hours of professional development credit through Act 48 by attending Civic Virtues, Freedom and Justice.
Date: Saturday, March 23
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: Penn Newman Center (111 S 38th St)
Click the button below to register as a high school student.
Click the button below to register as a high school teacher.
If you are neither a high school student nor a high school teacher, but would like to attend, please click the button below to register.