Catholic Citizens of Illinois is an Illinois not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 by the late journalist, broadcaster, professor and public policy advocate Thomas Roeser, and Mary Anne Hackett, a prominent life-long right to life activist and instructor. Our mission is to provide Catholic laypeople with information and resources to enable them with charity and clarity to bring the Catholic faith and culture into the public square. We carry out this mission by hosting prominent speakers at our monthly luncheons on topics of current interest to faithful Catholics and by regular communication via this website and electronic communication with our members.
Joe and Emily Sullivan are a husband and wife who have joined legions of young faithful families in the Catholic “homestead” movement. Both graduates of Thomas Aquinas College in California, they are the owners of Ex Libris, a small hog and chicken farm in New Hampshire where they raise exceptional heritage breeds in an environmentally sustainable way. Their goals are both self-sufficiency and community mindedness. They will address the way this intentional, traditional and wholesome lifestyle enables them to live and practice their faith in all areas of their lives and to nurture their children, their livestock, their land and their community in accordance with the God-given nature of each. Their educational credentials in philosophy and technology equip them to discuss their lives and work from a broad and holistic perspective. This talk will be of interest to all Catholics, but may resonate particularly with young adults so please consider inviting your children and grandchildren to join us for this event.
John Horvat, Vice-President of Tradition, Family and Property – On the 250th year of our nation’s birth, America at the same time finds herself both (1) the most prosperous country in history, and (2) in the middle of a great moral crisis unlike any we have seen before. This presentation will deal with our needs as a nation — what we should ask from Our Lady and why we must have the certainty that she will come to our aid.
Fr. Thomas Koys, pastor of St. James Sag Bridge Mission Church, author and historian will speak about the life and imminent beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
Prof. Christopher Kaczor is President of the American Catholic Philosophical Association and Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University. He is a fellow at the Word on Fire Institute, a corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and consultor to the USCCB. He is a prolific author on a broad range of topics and has written books on St. Thomas Aquinas, false myths about the Catholic Church, marriage, bioethics, how to retain one’s faith in college, and the psychology of human happiness.
From the time of his creation from the dust of the earth and the breath of God, man has yearned for knowledge of and union with his Creator. These longings have taken shape in myth and legend, in philosophy and ritual. God has revealed Himself partially in both nature and in direct revelation. Only in the fulness of time, did He reveal Himself definitively in his only begotten Son.
The overwhelming interest in the writings of Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, especially by young people, reveals that this longing for meaning persists even in our secular and cynical age. Prof. Kaczor, who has written a bestselling book on the Jordan Peterson phenomenon, has considered what Peterson gets right, what he gets wrong and how the truth of Christianity, as revealed in both natural reason and the Scriptures is the authentic foundation of all truth, happiness and human flourishing.
Historian Prof. Thomas Madden of St. Louis University will present on misunderstandings about the Crusades. Since the time of Mohammed, Islam has presented a threat to Christianity. Prof. Madden’s lifetime of study of the Crusades reveals that these conflicts, far from being wars of aggression by Christians against Muslims, were defensive wars against the incursions and depredations of Islam in Christian lands. In light of the current operations in Iran and the ongoing peril of radical Islam, this should be a particularly interesting and timely talk.
Matthew Giambrone, publisher of Hearth & Field magazine will talk about the Catholic inspiration for his beautiful new journal featuring thoughtfully written essays, stunning artistic images and gentle homey recommendations for living a fully human life and savoring the daily graces that God grants in our families, workplaces and communities.
