Join St. Ambrose Academy for one of our Fall 2026 Spotlight Faculty lectures. This year we have a special focus as our nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of our founding!
Each of these evening events is a new way to engage with our phenomenal educators who make a difference in the classroom each day. Their deep educational backgrounds and passion for their subject matter make for interesting discussions and through this series, you’ll get to know some of the men and women who help make St. Ambrose Academy a place where students can explore, grow, be challenged, and build a foundation for a successful and happy life.
The Classical Republican Roots of the Declaration of Independence with Dr. Geoffrey Ludvik
When: Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Location: St. Ambrose Academy (702 S. High Point Rd Suite 209, Madison)
RSVP: By Monday, October 19, 2026. All ages welcome.
The Declaration of Independence and Catholic Social Teaching with Dr. Constance Nielsen
When: Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Location: St. Ambrose Academy (702 S. High Point Rd Suite 209, Madison)
RSVP: By Monday, November 16, 2026. All ages welcome.
Many misconceptions exist regarding the Church’s views on the tradition of “liberal democracy.” Isn’t the Church monarchical? Wasn’t the King chosen by God? Didn’t Pope Leo XIII condemn “Americanism”? Isn’t democracy the product of the Enlightenment the Church so consistently criticizes? And yet, Leo said that the form of government should be chosen by the governed, the tradition adamantly defends private property, and the Declaration clearly declares rights as given to each individual by God.
In this talk, Dr. Nielsen will examine the tensions and the points of contact between Catholic Social Teaching’s presentation of the role of government and the American experiment.
The American Revolution Through British Eyes with Dr. Alan Fimister
When: Tuesday, December 1, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Location: St. Ambrose Academy (702 S. High Point Rd Suite 209, Madison)
RSVP: By Monday, November 30, 2026. All ages welcome.
What have Britons thought of the American Revolution? Is it viewed as a unique disaster or bump on the road to global empire, a wakeup call for a nation that had forgotten its own principles of limited and responsible government or an abiding wound that would ensure the World Wars when they came would be ruinously expensive?
With the help of Edmund Burke, Samuel Jonson and Elizabeth II, Dr. Fimister will attempt a provisional answer to these questions.