
Francis X. Maier
Senior Fellow
Francis X. Maier is a Senior Fellow in the Catholic Studies Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Mr. Maier’s work focuses on the intersection of Christian faith, culture, and public life, with special attention to lay formation and action.
Francis X. Maier is a Senior Fellow in the Catholic Studies Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Mr. Maier’s work focuses on the intersection of Christian faith, culture, and public life, with special attention to lay formation and action.
Mr. Maier served as senior adviser and special assistant to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., for 23 years in Denver and Philadelphia. He previously served as editor in chief of the National Catholic Register and as a story analyst and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and New York University’s School of the Arts, he is a former Fellow of the American Film Institute’s Conservatory for Advanced Film Studies, and the inaugural Senior Research Fellow (2020–22) at Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government. He is a cofounding board member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Collegium Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture and a board member of the Napa Institute and the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).
His bylined work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, First Things, National Review, The American Spectator, The Catholic Thing, Crisis, This World, America, Commonweal, the New York Times Sunday magazine, Christian Science Monitor, and other national and foreign outlets. His book True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church, will be released by Ignatius Press in early 2024.
The World Beyond Our Window
Francis X. Maier

The world beyond the window of our lives as Christians is a long line of ordinary souls in an extraordinary story; a story of salvation stretching back into history and on into the future toward a loving God.
The Catholic Thing / September 27, 2023
Take the Red Pill
Francis X. Maier

We can’t be the creatures of dignity God made us to be; we can’t be leaven in the world; we can’t serve Jesus Christ and see clearly what needs to be done in the world, if we’re lumps of its sleeping debris.
The Catholic Thing / September 14, 2023
Leaders, Good and Otherwise
Francis X. Maier

Life in the Church is a long way from life in the military. But the basic principles of leading people translate well.
The Catholic Thing / August 31, 2023
Inside the USCCB: An Interview with Jayd Henricks
Francis X. Maier

Jayd Henricks is President of Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal.
What We Need Now / August 22, 2023
Critics, Enemies, and the Difference
Francis X. Maier

The strengths and weaknesses of a pope are magnified a hundredfold by the importance of his ministry and its global, very public stage.
First Things / August 21, 2023
The Revenge of Unintended Consequences
Francis X. Maier

There’s a sort of classical tragedy quality to Francis. His strength is also his weakness.
The Catholic Thing / August 21, 2023
Thoughts on Catholic Higher Education and Culture
Francis X. Maier

Msgr. James Shea is president of the University of Mary and an author of the highly regarded “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age.” He shares his thoughts on Catholic higher education, today’s culture, and Church renewal in this WWNN interview with Francis X. Maier.
Articles
What We Need Now / July 25, 2023
Everything Solid Melts into Air
Francis X. Maier

Microsoft, Apple, Google, and similar corporations have sparked a culture-wide upheaval resulting in social fragmentation and bitter antagonisms.
Articles
The Catholic Thing / July 20, 2023
Hey, Mr. Spaceman
Francis X. Maier

The best of science fiction is implicitly theological.
Articles
The Catholic Thing / July 6, 2023