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Annual Conference on the Renewal of Catholic Education Attracts Record-Number of Attendees

HANNAH NAUGHTON

ICLE President Michael Van Hecke addresses the 2024 National Conference attendees before the opening plenary.

The National Conference helped me to refocus and engage my vocation as a Catholic educator. It reminded me of my love and sense of mission of introducing souls to Christ.”
— ICLE National Conference attendee

The energy and joy of the 462 attendees at the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education’s National Conference last week at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, demonstrated the momentum of the renewal movement in Catholic education.  

ICLE’s 12th annual conference for PreK-12 Catholic educators, clergy, superintendents, and scholars was its largest ever, and centered on the theme: “Behold the Beauty of the Lord.” This yearly gathering invites participants to deepen their understanding of the nature and purpose of Catholic education and its roots in the liberal arts tradition—a tradition developed centuries ago by the Catholic Church. By stepping away from the secular model, Catholic schools are reclaiming their heritage in a tradition that formed many of the holiest saints and keenest minds in history. The result is vibrant communities of faith and learning.

“To be able to have time and space to not only receive from the talks but also to process them with colleagues and other ICLE friends I’ve made over the years was a great gift,” said Sr. Teresa Marie, C.K., who teaches second grade at St. Teresa Catholic School in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

This year’s conference welcomed hundreds of participants, representing 160 schools and organizations, 56 dioceses, 34 states, and three countries. The event was greatly blessed with a record number of religious and clergy in attendance, including three bishops, 18 priests, 32 women religious, and two deacons. Dozens of schools also streamed the event online.

“We are graced with seeing how deep this renewal is in the heart of the Church by the presence of so many religious and clergy represented here this week,” said Michael Van Hecke, President of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education.

Several of the clergy and religious who attended this year’s conference.


The Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of Columbus, delivered this year’s keynote address, titled “The
Imago Dei and Imago Christi: The Role of Catholic Education.” In this talk, Bishop Fernandes addressed the theme of beauty as it relates to the image of God, and spoke to the profound call that Catholic educators have to share the beauty of Christ with their students.

“[Christ’s] presence reaches young people now, not only through the clergy, but through you educators,” Fernandes said. “It is really the beauty of Christ— the beautiful Shepherd—that attracts and saves the world.”

The Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes delivered the keynote address at this year’s conference.


Bishop Fernandes was joined by more than 50 other speakers, whose rich talks on beauty and other topics engaged participants. Some were tailored to teachers and offered practical strategies for immediate implementation in the classroom, such as “From Bland to Beautiful: Improving Student Essays,” “Rich Encounters with Truth: Unit Planning from Multiple Sources,” and “Lifting Our Gaze: Better, More Beautiful Math.” Other talks were tailored toward school leaders and offered ideas for forming authentically Catholic school culture, such as “How to Make the Eucharist the Heart of Your Curriculum,” “Living and Teaching the Liturgical Year,” and “Reaching Parents: How School Leaders Connect with Millennial Parents.”

National Conference attendees had the opportunity to participate in one of 25 different Socratic-style seminars on the third day of the conference. With texts from C.S. Lewis, Sir Isaac Newton, Plato, Shakespeare, Flannery O’Connor, G.K. Chesterton, and J.R.R. Tolkien, the hardest part was only being able to attend one!


The beauty of the conference was most evident in the daily liturgical and sacramental opportunities, with Daily Mass, Confession, Adoration, and Morning Prayer woven throughout each day’s schedule. Masses were celebrated by the three bishops and 18 priests in attendance at the gathering. The Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas, and the Most Reverend James D. Conley, Bishop of Lincoln, joined Bishop Fernandes, in addition to Abbot James Albers, OSB, of St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison. Participants even had the opportunity to join the monks at St. Benedict’s Abbey Church for the Liturgy of the Hours. 

Fr. Alberto Hadad, SCV, Headmaster of the Colegio San José de Cajicá served as the Principal Celebrant at the Votive Mass of St. Joseph on Wednesday, July 10. The Mass took place at St. Benedict Parish Church in Atchison, KS.


“It was the most fruitful experience of my life,” stated a conference attendee in their event evaluation. “Through prayer, formation, and communion through with, and in the Eucharist, I feel more alive, free, and full.”

The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education’s 13th annual National Conference will be held July 15-18, 2025, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Learn more about the National Conference here, and click here to be notified via email when registration opens.