Past Events

The Liberty and Markets program offers a deeper look into the core issues at the intersection of truth, liberty, and economics for alumni of

Pacifica Christian’s The Great Conversation series continues with Acton’s own co-founder and president, Rev. Robert A. Sirico. The well-known writer and commentator on religious, political, economic, and social issues will join with Pacifica Christian’s David Bahnsen for an evening conversation on The Free and Virtuous Society. Together, we will explore how we best take care of the least in harmony with free markets.

Acton Film Series: Dog Days: One Nation. Underdog.

One of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century, C. S. Lewis was a scholar at Oxford University for three decades and then a professor of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Cambridge University until the end of his career. An atheist throughout his early life, he converted to Christianity in 1931. He is not generally known as a political or economic commentator and usually avoided partisan commitments. Yet, in spite of his indifference to politics as such, he did often give prescient analysis of a variety of political topics.

Catherine Ruth Pakaluk, Ph.D., the 2015 Novak Award winner, will present her new academic paper and receive the $10,000 prize at the 15 th Annual Calihan Lecture. Catherine Pakaluk is Assistant Professor of Economics at Ave Maria University and Founder-Director of the Stein Center for Social Research at Ave Maria University. She currently works in the areas of demography, family studies, the economics of education and religion, and the interpretation of Catholic social thought.

Tired of Agenda? Let's Talk Truth! Sound, intelligent, informed answers. Please join us for a unique opportunity to engage with a panel of experts on today's hottest issues.

The goal of this conference is to introduce participants to classic authors and key concepts in free market economics. The intention is to go beyond basic matters of supply and demand and efficiency concerns to consider the broader social and institutional ramifications of a free market system. Participants will examine concepts such as the division of labor, the religious roots of capitalism, and economic crises, among others.

GOING THE DISTANCE: Navigating the Path To Pastoral Vitality Frequently discussed are the pastoral hazards of acting out, burning out and falling out. Yet there is emerging clarity about the essential domains of “pastoral persistence” – and they have remarkable parallels in the writing of the Apostle Paul. There is a path to pastoral vitality – and through it many clergy are experiencing greater meaning and longevity in ministry.

This conference will aim at obtaining greater understanding of the claims for individual and political liberty contained in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence has come to be seen as a text that is central not only to our political order, but to understanding ourselves as a people. One argument, long advanced, contends that the Constitution can only be understood in light of the animating principles of equality as enunciated in the Declaration of Independence.

Schedule Appetizers, Beverages, Cash Bar 5:00pm – Doors Open 5:30pm – Art Discussion 6:15pm – Meet & Greet, View Art