Röpke-Wojtyła Fellowship Applications Close June 13

06/06/2023

The Röpke-Wojtyła Fellowship is a program hosted by The Catholic University of America for Catholic undergraduate seniors from any institution across the United States.

The purpose of the program is to educate future Catholic intellectuals and business leaders in the study of market order and social thought — and in particular Catholic social thought as it compares to more secular scholarship. SLU student Clarissa Emanuel was a 2022-23 fellow. 

Emanuel (A&S '23) traveled to Rome, Italy with 13 other Catholic seniors from across the United States to engage in scholarly debate and dialogue about Catholic Social Thought, the role of business, and the makings of a good and just society. Emanuel, who majored in Philosophy and minored in Political Science and Catholic Studies, is originally from St. Louis.

These competitive year-long fellowships are awarded to students based off academic merit, intellectual honesty, and the capacity to contribute meaningfully to discussion. Fellows begin the year at the Catholic University of America's DC campus with texts on the human person and anthropology, virtually discuss property and financial markets in the winter and conclude in the summer by presenting papers on topics that emerged throughout the year. 

"The Röpke-Wojtyła Fellowship offers students the rare opportunity to build a scholarly network of peers across the country who are passionate about their faith and desire to build a more just and equitable government and economic system that aligns with a lived religion," Emanuel said. "Throughout the year, I fostered academic connections and personal friendships with peers who were very different than me. We often disagreed on politics, economics, and the role of Church and state. We went to universities with different missions. We had distinct personalities and temperaments. However, the core of what we believed — our faith — is what held our community together."

The fellows had daily Mass and meals together. The group also prayed before Pope Paul VI's tomb at St. Peter's Basilica then discussing his encyclical Populorum Progressio a few hours later. 

"Being the only Jesuit-educated fellow in the program, my ability to articulate and apply my Ignatian worldview to conversations about business and society was sharpened and peaked my peers' interest about Ignatian spirituality," Emanuel said. "I interned last summer for SLU's Center for Research on Global Catholicism, which also enriched my understanding of the faith. Connecting with scholars from around the globe make tangible the diversity of the Church and its need for healing, reconciliation, and further study. My education and formation at Saint Louis University prepared me in ways I never expected. The most pointed lesson was to first listen. Everything else falls into place after you listen." 

Applications for next year's cohort close on June 13, 2023. 

Find more information, or to apply, visit the Catholic Univeristy of America website.