About the Institute
Our mission
The St. Irenaeus Institute exists to make the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the Church and the university in the greater Milwaukee area. Under the patronage of St. Irenaeus, the early patristic expression of that tradition animates our work even as we reflect upon the entire intellectual patrimony of the Church, from theology and philosophy, to the arts and sciences. We serve students, scholars, priests, and lay Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
In order to re-present this timeless yet traditioned deposit in the contemporary context and to facilitate the Church’s intellectual engagement with the academy, the Institute is housed by the Newman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and sustained by the local Catholic community. At the same time, we welcome fellow scholars and Christians from other academic institutions and ecclesial affiliations who share a commitment to that faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Our founding
The St. Irenaeus Institute for Catholic Thought grew out of a small gathering of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Driven by a desire to learn the Christian faith as taught by its early exemplars, this group met to read and discuss the writings of the Church Fathers. It was fittingly named Fides Patrum (the Faith of the Fathers). Interest quickly grew, however, and we realized this initiative needed to expand into something more than a reading group.
Conversations with local scholars, university representatives, Archdiocesan employees, and Fides Patrum participants revealed the need for a broader institute devoted to promoting Catholic intellectual formation in the Milwaukee area.
The St. Irenaeus Institute was born from this desire. It carries forward Fides Patrum’s commitment to the “faith of the fathers” by prioritizing the study and teaching of the patristic heritage common to all Christians, while expanding this mission into a broader vision of cultivating the Catholic intellectual tradition in a variety of ways throughout the Archdiocese.
Our people
aaron.ebert@st-irenaeus.org
Aaron Ebert is the Executive Director of the St. Irenaeus Institute for Catholic Thought. A revert to the Catholic faith and a scholar of patristic theology, Aaron has a deep love for both the Church and the academy and a desire to see the Catholic intellectual tradition become a vital part of both. Aaron has a Ph.D. from Duke University, an M.T.S. from Duke Divinity School, and a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Montevallo (AL). He and his wife, Deb, have six children and make their home near Dousman, Wisconsin where they maintain a small farm.
Joshua is founder and editor of Wiseblood Books and co-founder of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of St. Thomas, Houston. He regularly publishes essays in such journals as The Los Angeles Review of Books and FirstThings, America and Public Discourse,The Hedgehog Review and Plough, the University of Notre Dame's Church Life Journal and the University Bookman. He is the author of ten books with two more coming soon: Faith in the Furnace of Doubt: Dana Gioia's Visionary Poetics is forthcoming from Catholic University of America Press (2025), and More than a Matter of Taste: The Moral Imagination and the Spirit of Literature is forthcoming from Word on Fire (2026).
Micah Hogan is a PhD candidate at Marquette University and currently serves as a visiting instructor of ascetical theology at Nashotah Theological Seminary. He is ordained in the Anglican Church in North America and serves as curate at St. Edmund's Anglican Church in Milwaukee. His research focuses on Greek and Byzantine patristics and various Christian Platonisms.
Board of Directors
Support us
The work of the St. Irenaeus Institute depends upon the prayers, participation, and generous giving of Catholics and other Christians, like you, in the greater Milwaukee area. Please pray for us, reach out to us with questions and interest, and consider making a one-time or recurring donation to our work.
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