01
Legacy
The archive remembers.
We gather Father Fortin’s courses, syllabi, writings, and the memories of those who knew him—preserving not only a body of work, but a way of teaching.
- Oral histories
- Course archive
- Selected writings
Boston College · Founded 2025
A conversation betweenAthens & Jerusalem
Our premise
Father Fortin did not ask students to choose between faith and reason.
He invited them to inhabit their tension: to read old books closely, pursue first questions honestly, and bring philosophy, politics, and theology into a single, demanding conversation.
The Ernest Fortin Society is a student-led home for that conversation. We preserve his teaching, gather living memories, and create occasions where serious inquiry can begin again.
Three movements
Remember. Reflect. Encounter.
02
Reflection
Conversation continues.
The Nocturnal Council is our recurring reading and discussion circle. Meeting records and After Conversation essays carry its questions beyond the room.
- Nocturnal Council
- After Conversation
- Meeting records
03
Encounter
Ideas become occasions.
Lectures and public conversations introduce students to the enduring questions of Athens and Jerusalem—and to the people who still live by them.
- Public lectures
- Student scholars
- Memorial conference
Political philosophy is where philosophy, politics, and theology come together to thresh out the fundamental problems of human life.— Ernest L. Fortin, A.A.
The living archive
Those who remember, in their own words.
Our oral-history project records conversations with students, colleagues, and friends of Father Fortin. These publication editions preserve their words while giving the collection a common visual home.
Follow new releases01
JF
Fr. John Franck, A.A.
On Fortin’s life and teaching at Assumption
02
MAG
Mary Ann Glendon
On Fortin, friendship, and intellectual community
03
GK
Grant Kaplan
On Nietzsche, Christianity, and Fortin’s classroom
04
PM
Paul McNellis, S.J.
On the teacher, thinker, priest, and friend
A record of encounter
A young society with work already behind it.
In spring 2026, EFS convened three public lectures across medieval philosophy, Alfarabi, and Plato. Together, they show the range of the Society’s inquiry and its ability to bring students and scholars into sustained conversation.
Weekly reflection
The Nocturnal Council
Read slowly.
Question freely.
Leave changed.
Named for the council in Plato’s Laws, our reading group brings students together around texts that illuminate the relation between philosophy, revelation, law, and the common good.
Each gathering leaves a record: a concise account of the questions raised, followed by optional “After Conversation” reflections from participants.
Join a future meeting20022027
In preparation
The 25th Anniversary Memorial Conference
A gathering of former students, scholars, and a new generation of readers to consider Father Fortin’s life, teaching, and continuing significance.
Program and date to be announced.
Stay in the conversation
Receive new interviews, lectures, and invitations.
Join the EFS mailing list for occasional news from the archive, Nocturnal Council, lecture series, and memorial conference.
Questions or proposals? Write to fengpe@bc.edu.