Catholicism & Culture Symposia

Providence Catholicism & Culture symposium

Pilgrims of Hope | 2025 Providence Catholicism & Culture Symposium

March 6, 2025 | 5:30 PM

5:00PM: Doors Open
5:30PM: Symposium
7:00-7:45PM: Reception

Hosted at the University Club
Providence, Rhode Island
Co-Hosted by the Humanities Program at Providence College

Francis X. Maier

Francis X. Maier is a senior fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC. His work focuses on the intersection of Christian faith, culture, and public life, with special attention to lay formation and action. His book True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church (Ignatius) was published in February 2024. Mr. Maier served as senior adviser and special assistant to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., for 23 years in Denver and Philadelphia. He is a cofounding board member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Collegium Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture; a board member of the Napa Institute and the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS); and a consulting editor with First Things magazine.

Fr. Ryan Connors

Father Ryan Connors is a priest of the Diocese of Providence and Rector of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence. He is the author of Rethinking Cooperation with Evil: A Virtue-Based Approach (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2024) and Moral Theology: An Introduction (Cape Girardeau, MO: ECT Press, forthcoming). His essays have appeared in several scholarly journals including The Thomist, Nova et Vetera, and National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly.

Peter Nguyen

Peter Nguyen is the current Executive Director of the St. Thomas More Teaching Fellowship. Hailing from New Orleans, he received his Bachelor’s of Arts in Philosophy from Tulane University. In 2017, he arrived in Boston as a FOCUS Missionary at Harvard University, serving 3 years as a missionary and a team director. After his work with FOCUS, he helped to found a non-profit, the Institute for Priestly Evangelization, that would work with seminarians and priests in the New Evangelization. He received his Master’s of Theological Studies from the Clough School of Theology and Ministry and taught Middle School Math and Science at a parochial school in the Archdiocese of Boston. This introduction into Catholic education led to his work with the St. Thomas More Teaching Fellows.

Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5)

“Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation and doubt. Often we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope.”

–Pope Francis, Spes non Confundit

The Portsmouth Institute welcomes individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing Catholic thought in contemporary culture to partner with us as sponsors of the 2025 Providence Catholicism & Culture Symposium. Those interested can email Executive Director Dr. Darryl De Marzio at institute@portsmouthabbey.org