Mary FioRito

EPPC Cardinal Francis George Fellow Mary Hallan FioRito is an attorney, public speaker, and radio show and podcast host. Her areas of expertise are human life issues, primarily abortion law and policy, post-abortion aftermath, and the Consistent Ethic of Life.  She holds a degree in English Literature from Loyola University Chicago and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois.

In 1993, she was selected by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin to serve as Director of Pro-life Activities for the Archdiocese of Chicago, where she served for seven years. Ms. FioRito was responsible for all programs related to abortion, post-abortion counseling, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Ms. FioRito was named the Archdiocese of Chicago’s first female Vice-Chancellor in 2000, the same year she was honored by Newsweek Magazine as one of their “Women of the New Century,” highlighting her contribution to the nation’s conversation about abortion law and policy. In 2003, she was promoted to the position of Executive Assistant to the late Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., a role she held until the time of the Cardinal’s death in April 2015. She joined the EPPC shortly thereafter.

Ms. FioRito’s professional experiences give her a wealth of knowledge and insight into issues affecting the Catholic faith and its impact on women and the family. She regularly lectures and participates in a variety of academic and professional conferences. Speaking appearances include Legatus chapters, pregnancy resource center dinners, bar associations, and women’s conferences.

For more than two decades, Ms. FioRito has been a sought-after presenter and debater on the college and university speaking circuit. Venues include Princeton University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Arkansas, Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame, Northwestern University School of Law, and Colby College. She is known for her cordial, civil and persuasive advocacy of the pro-life position.

In addition to her expertise on the abortion issues, Ms. FioRito’s essays and opinions on topics ranging from perinatal hospice to the role of women in the Catholic Church have been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, National Review, and many religious publications. She is the contributor to two books: Breaking Through: Catholic Women Speak for Themselves, edited by Helen M. Alvare, and Promise and Challenge: Catholic Women Reflect on Complementarity, Feminism, and the Church, a selection of essays by Catholic women scholars edited by Mary Rice Hasson.

Ms. FioRito’s television and radio appearances include all major Chicago area news outlets, NPR, EWTN, and other local and national religious media. She is regular contributor to Relevant Radio’s Morning Air program, and the host of a weekly Chicago-area radio show, Winds of Change, which airs on EWTN’s local AM and FM stations. She also hosts the EDIFY podcast, a project of CatholicVote.

Ms. FioRito is also the concurrent Cardinal George Fellow at the deNicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, where she advises the Women and Children First initiative.

She serves on the Board of Directors of and is a consultor to numerous arch/dioceses, and pro-life and charitable organizations, including Aid for Women, a pregnancy resource center and maternity home, and Life House, a maternity home and women’s shelter serving the Black community on Chicago’s South Side. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work on behalf of the Catholic Church and the pro-life movement, including the Woman of the Year Award from St. Joseph College Seminary and the Catholic Press Association’s 2022 Henry Hyde Award.

She and her husband are the parents of three daughters and live in the Chicago area.

 

 

Close bio