Rev. Robert A. Sirico received his Master of Divinity degree from the Catholic
University of America, following undergraduate study at the University
of Southern California and the University
of London. During his studies and early ministry, he experienced a growing
concern over the lack of training religious studies students receive in fundamental
economic principles, leaving them poorly equipped to understand and address
today's social problems. As a result of these concerns, Fr. Sirico co-founded
the Acton Institute with Kris Alan Mauren
in 1990.
As president of the Acton Institute, Fr. Sirico lectures at colleges, universities,
and business organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad. His writings on religious,
political, economic, and social matters are published in a variety of journals,
including: the New York Times,
the Wall Street Journal,
Forbes, the London Financial
Times, the Washington Times,
the Detroit News, and National
Review. Fr. Sirico is often called upon by members of the broadcast
media for statements regarding economics, civil rights, and issues of religious
concern, and has provided commentary for CNN,
ABC, the BBC,
NPR, and CBS'
60 Minutes, among others.
In April of 1999, Fr. Sirico was awarded an honorary doctorate in Christian
Ethics from the Franciscan University of
Steubenville, and in May of 2001, Universidad Francisco Marroquin awarded him an honorary doctorate in Social Sciences. He is a member of the prestigious Mont
Pèlerin Society, the American
Academy of Religion, and the Philadelphia
Society, and is on the Board of Advisors of the Civic Institute in Prague.
Father Sirico also served on the Michigan Civil Rights Commission from 1994
to 1998. He is also currently serving on the pastoral staff of Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Fr. Sirico's pastoral ministry has included a chaplaincy to AIDS patients
at the National Institute of Health and the
recent founding of a new community, St. Philip Neri House in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Posts by Rev. Robert Sirico
February 11, 2019
At the end of January I had the pleasure to speak with my friend of many years Ricardo Ball about the ongoing crisis in Venezuela. The conversation was livestreamed from the Acton Institute allowing an international audience to listen in as we discussed recent developments from the streets of Caracas.
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January 25, 2019
The sinister and irreparable nature of gossip is memorably illustrated in the penance St. Philip Neri once gave to a woman who had confessed it to him. He told her to walk through the streets of Rome plucking a chicken.
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January 16, 2019
Decades ago, when I was first ordained a priest, I shared a prejudice that many people hold: I thought homeschooling families were odd. I believed schooling children at home deprived such children of opportunities to be with other children causing them to be less able to communicate with others, socially awkward and reclusive and narrow in their experience and understanding of the world that they would one day have to grow up in and navigate.
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January 11, 2019
Pope Francis’ recent Christmas message, ‘Urbi et Orbi’, was a meditation on the roots of fraternity in the incarnation:
What does that Child, born for us of the Virgin Mary, have to tell us?
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September 06, 2018
Richard (Rich) M. DeVos exemplified the value of hard work, free enterprise and expansive philanthropy in building flourishing communities. The Acton Institute mourns the passing of DeVos, 92, who for decades was known for leadership in business, his dedication to the promotion of liberty, and his courage in maintaining and defending the free and virtuous society.
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October 20, 2017
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Helen DeVos, the wife of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos, in Grand Rapids at the age of 90. She was one of those people who had an incalculable impact in building flourishing communities with her generosity and, yes, business acumen.
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August 08, 2017
It was with great interest that I have been following exchanges related to the now well-discussed article that appeared in the Vatican associated journal
La Civilta` Cattolica several weeks ago. Written by Fr.
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May 12, 2017
It was with deep sadness that I learned today of the passing of John F. “Jack” Donahue. Jack truly was a renaissance man, packing significant and lasting accomplishments into his 92 years.
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May 05, 2017
The following essay appeared Friday, May 5, 2017, at Crux.
In a recent message by Pope Francis to the Pontifical Academy of Social Science he outlines some moral concerns about a phenomenon he sees as invading (his term) “high levels of culture and education in both universities and in schools,” namely “libertarian individualism.”
On the first day of my philosophy classes, the professor admonished us that if we want to have an intelligent discussion or debate, we must begin by defining our terms.
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April 25, 2017
Longtime Acton Institute friend and supporter Kate O’Beirne passed away this past weekend. Below are Father Robert Sirico’s thoughts on this accomplished woman:
I feel like I have always known Kate O’Beirne, so the passing of this woman of keen intellect, sharp wit and fearless rhetoric in confronting the nostrums of our day leaves me feeling very, very sad.
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