Michael Severance earned his B.A. in philosophy and humane letters from the University of San Francisco, where he also studied at the university's St. Ignatius Institute, a great books program. He then pursued his linguistic studies in Salamanca, Spain where he obtained his Advanced Diploma in Spanish from Spain's Ministry of Education before obtaining his M.A. in Philosophy and Modern Languages from the University of Oxford. While living in Italy, Michael has worked in various professional capacities in religious journalism, public relations, marketing, fundraising, as well as property redevelopment and management. As Istituto Acton's Operations Manager, Michael is responsible for helping to organize international conferences, increase private funding, as well as expand networking opportunities and relations among European businesses, media and religious communities, while managing the day-to-day operations of the Rome office.
Posts by Michael Severance
August 26, 2022
Who would ever have guessed this would happen? Well, it did. And in the quiet month of Rome’s roasting August, when the city experiences a near-total exodus to cooler climes. Very few journalists, in either the religious or secular press, noticed.
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December 30, 2021
For over 20 years, the Acton Institute’s Rome office has enjoyed a number of extremely impressive academic fellows as part of its prestigious scholarship programs offered to graduate students at pontifical universities.
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September 26, 2021
On Sept. 24, the Archdiocese of Caracas announced the passing Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Venezuela. The Sept. 24 press release stated he was “one of the most influential people” in a majority Roman Catholic nation ravished by a Marxist political economy, widespread military corruption, and abject poverty.
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September 07, 2021
What’s the foundation of a good education system? Creativity and courage, according to Rod Dreher, author of the bestselling book “Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents.” Dreher argues it is these creative and courageous educators who will best “dare to disrupt” the Marxist domination of students’ and teachers’ freedom of speech and critical thinking.
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June 21, 2021
“Should I or shouldn’t I do AU?”
That is the question I have heard hundreds of times regarding attending Acton University Online 2021. More than 2,400 people have already made up their own minds and have registered to participate in our annual summer gathering of minds this coming June 23-24 (10:00 am-5:00 pm EDT) for a conference ranked the best international academic event hosted by think tanks that consistently defend the free economy.
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March 30, 2021
Kim Tan.
Jubilee and social justice: A dangerous quest to overcome inequalities. Abingdon Press. 2021. 102 pages.
Kim Tan, the co-founder of the Transformational Business Network, has just published his latest book:
Jubilee and Social Justice. Continue Reading...
May 31, 2020
In a May 30 article I published for the Italian media outlet
Nouva Bussola Quotidiana, “Minneapolice”, repression and anger behind the violence, I explain that plenty of kindling was laid during American COVID-19 lockdowns for heated unrest that has erupted nationwide following George Floyd’s killing.
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May 26, 2020
The Acton Institute’s Rome office is sponsoring an online seminar on Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m., Central European Time: “‘Banned’ wagon? Why dissenting freethinkers are censured on social media.” The topic is most timely as independent voices–doctors, scientists, economists, activists, and journalists whose duty it is to be inquisitive–are being silenced by social media giants like Facebook and YouTube.
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May 22, 2020
In an article I published today in
Catholic World Report, “The profitable Vatican Museums remain closed, look toward a June opening,” I posed some tough questions to Rev. Kevin Likey, a priest of the Legionaries of Christ from Flint, Michigan, who is currently serving as the director of the Vatican Museums Patrons’ Office.
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May 18, 2020
Today, May 18, is a very good day, indeed. It is a heroic day for the Italian Catholic Church on the 100th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s birth. There could not be a better birthday gift from a saint who, fluent in 13 languages, was a veritable Paraclete-on-earth.
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