Belmont Abbey College has announced plans to expand its footprint in the nation’s capital in a project aimed to amplify faithful Catholic voices in media, politics and culture.
The Benedictine college in Belmont, North Carolina, said Feb 28 it would expand its Belmont House in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, first established in 2021, by making its presence there permanent. The school also said it has plans for an Intentional Catholic Student Residency Program as well as new academic programs “dedicated to promoting the transformation of political life and discourse.”
“We are taking Catholic higher education to a new level, we are ensuring that as a faithful Catholic college our voice is heard in the public square,” Bill Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College, said in a statement. “These initiatives will play a significant role in effecting the change needed to foster a culture that upholds faith, community, and the common good.”
Efforts to expand the property, just 500 feet from the Capitol grounds, are part of a $45 million plan, the school said.
“This is only the beginning for the Belmont House,” Emmett McGroarty, Belmont House’s executive director, said in a statement. “The Belmont House will be an anchor for the faithful on Capitol Hill, bringing strong moral leadership and the teachings of the Church into the heart of politics and public life and serving as a home for Catholics on the Hill. We are proud to be a voice for truth, advocating for the restoration of faith in the public square.”
The college said it is dedicated to making “lasting impact on society by shaping leaders who will advocate for the common good with a firm foundation in Catholic social teaching. Abbey alumni are a testament to these values and boldly carry them into the public sphere, inspiring others to do the same,” pointing to recent alumni who were hired by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty the U.S. Senate; and President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Abbot Placid Solari, chancellor of Belmont Abbey College, added, “We are establishing a place in Washington, D.C., where, building on St. Benedict’s instruction to receive all guests as Christ, we can offer a space for people of good will to gather to discuss and promote religious liberty and the important contributions that faith communities can bring to public life.”
“As a Catholic college,” he added, “we can place the insights of the Catholic intellectual tradition and the Church’s social teaching at the service of those tasked with shaping the life of our country.”