the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society was founded in 1992 by Michael Novak, Rocco Buttiglione, Father Richard John Neuhaus, Father Maciej Zięba OP and George Weigel to deepen the dialogue on Catholic social doctrine between North American students and students from the new democracies of central and eastern Europe.
The seminar follows the template of Pope John Paul II’s 1991 encyclical, Centesimus Annus, exploring the three-fold foundations of the “free society”: a democratic polity, a free economy, and a vibrant public moral culture. With John Paul II, the seminar places priority on the moral culture. Drawing on the full tradition of Catholic social doctrine, the seminar addresses the classic themes of the Church’s social doctrine while also considering the challenges of our current circumstances: the moral crisis of global capitalism, secularization and the family, the rise of Islam in Europe, religious freedom, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, bioethics and the “culture of life” etc.
In addition to more than two weeks of intense intellectual work, the seminar includes visits to sites that highlight Poland’s distinctive history and culture: Częstochowa, Auschwitz, the old Jewish quarter of Cracow, the shrine of St. Faustina, Wawel Castle and cathedral, and a walking tour of “Karol Wojtyła’s Kraków”. The program also offers an opportunity to partake in prayer and daily mass.
Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, there is no tuition or room-and-board charge for the seminar, but participants are expected to assume the costs of their own transportation to and from the seminar. The entire program is conducted in English.
We would like to invite you to the 32nd edition of The Summer Seminar, organized by The Tertio Millennio Institute, The Ethics and Public Policy Center (Washington, DC), and The Knights of Columbus. Especially we invite students involved in the life of their universities or social, political, or religious communities and organizations.
Taking place between July 1st and July 19th 2024 in Cracow, it is available to students and graduates from North America and Europe. Each year’s seminar group includes 30-36 students.
Classes, given in English, will regard issues revolving around culture, politics, and the economy of the free society, democracy, and capitalism. Lectures reflect on its contemporary history in view of the social teaching of the Church, particularly in reference to John Paul II (Centesimus Annus, 1991).
The school is open to people of all denominations and beliefs.
We support 11 fellowships for Poland and 11 for East-Central Europe, which include tuition fees, lodging, meals, and excursions.
Students will have to cover only the travel expenses to and from Cracow!
The deadline for applications is April 30th, 2024
is a former president and now Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC. He is the author and editor of numerous books. Amongst his recent works are the internationally acclaimed Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II and Letters to a Young Catholic, dedicated to the alumni of the Tertio Millennio Seminar.
Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is an American author and a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. She explores issues relating to American society, culture, religion, and philosophy. She is also widely hailed as “one of the most acute and creative social observers of our time” (Francis Fukuyama).
is a fellow in the Catholic Studies Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Mr. White’s work focuses on the application of Catholic social teaching to a broad spectrum of contemporary political and cultural issues.
is the Warren Professor of Catholic Studies and Research Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa. He is the author of A Critique of the New Natural Law Theory and The First Grace: Rediscovering the Natural Law in a Post-Christian World.
from the Pontifical University in Cracow, is one of the world’s top experts on John Paul II’s Christian anthropology. He is the author of Destined for Liberty: The Human Person in the Philosophy of Karol Wojtyła/John Paul II.
is a priest of the Archdiocese of Kingston, Ontario. He holds a Masters degree in economics and politics from the University of Cambridge and is a frequent contributor to various publications including The National Post, The National Catholic Register, and First Things.
he is the President of the Tertio Millennio Institute Foundation. He has been associated with the Institute for 6 years. He started his adventure with the Institute from the Winter School in 2016. He coordinated the nationwide project Gift for 100 related to the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Paul II. Currently, the Plenipotentiary of the Lower Silesian Voivode for the development of civil society and non-governmental organizations. Since 2014, he has been a councillor of the Świdnica City Council.
currently a master’s degree in applied mathematics, which she completed at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. She was involved in the service of the Light-Life Movement.
Associated with the Tertio Millennio Institute since 2020. Project coordinator at the Institute. She participated in summer school for the first time in 2021 as a staff member. She is interested in social activities and science. Her hobbies are sports, music, and dancing.
graduate of political science at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Wrocław, councillor of Osobowice-Rędzin housing estate in Wrocław, founder and president of the SKYRIS Foundation, running the Academy of Student Self-Government. Coordinator of the National Competition of the Pontifical by Tertio Millennio Institute. Social activist.
