Most Rev. James Conley (Bishop of Lincoln) moderated a panel discussion on July 16 in the style of the Integrated Humanities Program (IHP) at the University of Kansas. Panelists included Howard Clark, Dr. Thomas Foster, Alan Hicks, and the Most Rev. Paul Coakley (Archbishop of Oklahoma City).
“Attending the national conference was a deeply moving experience, filled with daily prayer, Mass, and Adoration. I felt spiritually renewed and profoundly connected to Christ in a way that renewed both joy and purpose for education.”
— ICLE National Conference attendee
Lincoln, NE July 18, 2025— “If the seeds that are sown are to grow, they need to land in good soil,” ICLE President Dr. Ryan Messmore told the record crowd at this year’s Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE) National Conference at the Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. “Jesus explains that the good soil is a heart open to understanding, a heart filled with love. That’s what we want for our teachers and our students—education that forms the heart as well as the mind.”
More than 500 PreK-12 Catholic educators, clergy, superintendents, and scholars gathered at the 13th annual National Conference, July 15-18, to discuss and renew the work of reclaiming the Catholic church’s vision for education.
Messmore explained that Catholic liberal education is best understood as “Catholic liberating education.”
“We’re trying to liberate students from ignorance, from being slaves to their passions and the trends of the day,” he said. “Instead, we’re liberating them to flourish as children of God, as people who were created in His image to think, to create, to make culture, and to enjoy the good, the true, and the beautiful.”
Clergy and religious who attended this year’s conference.
Attendees shared their renewing experiences. “The conference was an amazing combination of spiritual encouragement, and practical methodology to take back to my staff,” said Katherine Pomroy, Principal of Aquinas Academy in Menomonee Falls, WI. “It was a combination of a retreat and a resourceful mini course on Catholic liberal education.”
ICLE’s 13th annual conference was its largest ever, and centered on the theme: “Cultivating the Heart.” 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.
This year’s conference welcomed hundreds of participants, representing 187 schools and organizations, 63 dioceses, 42 states, and three countries. The event was greatly blessed with a record number of religious and clergy in attendance, including five bishops, 33 priests, 25 women religious, and four deacons. Nearly thirty schools also streamed the event online.
Messmore said the theme of “Cultivating the Heart,” came naturally after reflecting on Christ’s parable of the sower. Fittingly, it is displayed in the image of the Sower atop the Nebraska State Capitol.
A hall of vendor tables of the ICLE’s Premier Partners enlivened the conference with rich resources and conversation. ICLE is blessed to partner in 2025 with organizations and apostolates, each playing a unique role in expanding the return to truth, goodness, and beauty by supporting the efforts of PreK-12 Catholic schools and educators.
The Most Rev. James D. Conley, Bishop of Lincoln, is a bold leader in the renewal of Catholic education and a friend to the ICLE. His enthusiasm paved the way for the conference location. “Bishop Conley understands that liturgy and worship are at the heart of Catholic education,” said Messmore. “Having St. Mary’s Church across the street from the State Capitol, just blocks from our venue, was a perfect fit.”
Bishop Conley’s commitment to a Christ-centered vision for schools mirrors ICLE’s approach, which emphasizes integrating faith across all academic subjects rather than isolating it in theology classes or devotional practices. A highlight of the conference was a panel discussion, moderated by Bishop Conley, in the style of the Integrated Humanities Program at the University of Kansas. Panelists included his college roommates Howard Clark, Dr. Thomas Foster, Alan Hicks, and the Most Rev. Paul Coakley (Archbishop of Oklahoma City).”
Conley was joined by 57 other speakers, whose rich talks on Catholic liberal education methodologies, culture, and today’s education trends engaged participants. Some were tailored to teachers and offered practical strategies for immediate implementation in the classroom, such as “Why and How to Memorize A Lot!,” “Science and Discipleship,” and “Homer and the Integrated Humanities in the Middle School Classroom.” Other presentations were tailored toward school leaders and offered ideas for forming Catholic school culture, such as “The Transforming Power of a Catholic Worldview,” “Cultivating Hearts in the Soil of History,” and “Pedagogy of Love: The Preventative System of St. John Bosco.”
What tills the soil of our students’ minds to prepare them to receive reading instruction? What tools and techniques of reading instruction bear the most fruit? How can we protect against the rocks of confusion that can clutter the soil and prevent maximal reading development? Dr. Caitlin Dillon, Senior Literary Specialist at ICLE, addressed these topics in her breakout session entitled, “Soil for Our Souls: Cultivating Rich Reading Instruction”
Other plenary presenters included the Most Rev. Thomas A. Daly of the Diocese of Spokane, recent past chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee of Catholic Education; Jonathan Pageau, Owner and CEO of Symbolic World; and Dr. Pamela Patnode of The Saint Paul Seminary Catechetical Institute. Mary Pat Donoghue, Assistant General Secretary of the USCCB’s Office of the General Secretary, and John DeJak, Executive Director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Catholic Education, also addressed the crowd.
The beauty of the conference was most evident in the daily liturgical and sacramental opportunities, with Daily Mass, Confession, Adoration, Morning Prayer and Visio Divina prayerful reflections on artwork woven throughout the schedule.
Thursday’s Mass was celebrated at the Newman Center – St. Thomas Aquinas Church with the beautiful music of a choir made up of attendees.
“I so appreciate the Sacramental dimension…surrounding the faith-centered talks, and exercises.” said one attendee. “I plan to work to immerse my students in the experiences of the faith. I am inspired and hopeful in this important mission. I feel better equipped and identified to realize I am not alone in this, and I’m grateful for ICLE.”
— ICLE National Conference attendee
Masses were celebrated by the five bishops and 33 priests in attendance at the gathering. Participants even had the opportunity to make a mini pilgrimage to the Father Flanagan sites at Boys Town (Omaha, NE) and attend Mass and Holy Hour at the Newman Center – St. Thomas Aquinas Church at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“This conference – the beauty, the intellectual depth, the love and joyful people. It reminds me that I am deeply grateful to be Catholic,” stated a conference attendee in their event evaluation. “I attend a lot of conferences. This is my favorite by a mile. It is the best planned, organized, and run, and it is just the right balance of learning, fellowship, and retreat.”
Participants were inspired by the conference theme, “Cultivating the Heart,” and the shared objective to form students in the transcendentals – truth, goodness, and beauty.” “We’re forming the whole person—head, heart, and soul,” Messmore said. “That’s what Catholic liberal education is all about.”
ICLE’s 14th annual National Conference will be held July 14-17, 2026, at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Learn more about the National Conference here, and click here to be notified via email when registration opens.