About the Institute

Our mission

The St. Irenaeus Institute exists to make the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the Church and the Academy 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).

Executive Director Aaron Ebert and Founder Joshua Miller standing smiling

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
Executive Director

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 Miller

Founder of the St. Irenaeus Institute, Ph.D. candidate in Historical Theology at Marquette University, and seminarian at St. Francis de Sales Seminary.

Fr. Justin Kizewski

Director of Intellectual Formation at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee and priest from the Diocese of La Crosse.

Matthew Levering

James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and Mundelein Seminary.

Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent

Associate Professor of Theology at Marquette University, specializing in Syriac Studies and Early Christianity.