2026 Providence Catholicism & Culture Symposium

Please join us for “After MacIntyre: Catholic Thought, Culture, and the Good Life” in recognition of the most important Catholic philosopher of the last half-century, Alasdair MacIntyre.

Jonathan J. Reyes is currently the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at the Knights of Columbus where he has served in roles related to faith formation, communication, and Hispanic outreach. Dr. Reyes studied European History as a Rackham Fellow at the University of Michigan and earned a PhD in European History from the University of Notre Dame, focusing on the historical vision of Christopher Dawson. Dr. Reyes has previously served as Assistant General Secretary and Executive Director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, President/CEO of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Denver, and Vice President for ministry and formation for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Reyes helped to found the Augustine Institute in Denver, serving as its first President and is the founder of Christ in the City, a national ministry for serving the homeless. Reyes previously taught history at Christendom College, where he also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Reyes has served on various boards including the University of Mary, FOCUS and Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St Paul.

Michael Baxter is Associate Professor of the Practice, Faith Formation and Service at the McGrath Institute, University of Notre Dame. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from the University of Notre Dame, and his PhD in Theology and Ethics from Duke University. He has held prior teaching appointments at Regis University, DePaul University, and the University of Notre Dame. He has published essays in Pro Ecclesia, Modern Theology, Nova et Vetera, America, Commonweal, Notre Dame Magazine, and Church Life Journal. Dr. Baxter was co-founder of Andre House in Phoenix and the Peter Claver Catholic Worker in South Bend. He also served as director from 2001 to 2012 of the Catholic Peace Fellowship, an organization supporting conscientious objectors to war through education, counseling, and support. He is currently completing a book of essays titled Blowing the Dynamite of the Church: Radicalism Against Americanism in Catholic Social Ethics (Cascade Press).

Peter Wicks is Scholar-in-Residence at the Elm Institute. Educated at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, he came to the United States as Jane Eliza Procter Visiting Fellow at Princeton’s Graduate School before pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of Notre Dame. He taught in the Ethics Program at Villanova University before joining the Elm Institute at its launch in 2015. His research focuses on contemporary applications of Aristotelian ethical and political thought, the history and philosophy of higher education, and the psychology and ethics of argument and persuasion. He is the author of Begin With Wonder: A Commonplace Book and the co-editor, along with Kelvin Knight, of Alasdair MacIntyre on Practical Philosophy: Essential Works. He is Executive Secretary of the International Society for MacIntyrean Enquiry, a faculty affiliate of the Yale Program for Biomedical Ethics, and a Lecturer at Yale University, where he teaches a seminar on the psychology and ethics of argument and persuasion.

“I can only answer the question ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question ‘Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?’”

–Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory

The Portsmouth Institute welcomes individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing Catholic thought in contemporary culture to partner with us as sponsors of the 2025 Providence Catholicism & Culture Symposium. Those interested can email Executive Director Dr. Darryl De Marzio at institute@portsmouthabbey.org