In this time of rising authoritarianism and political violence, Jeanné Lewis, the chief executive officer of Faith in Public Life, draws on the strength and faith of ancestors, saints, and loved ones to “stay persistent and hopeful about what’s possible,” she says.
Three people who inspire Lewis—her grandmother, Octavia Butler, and St. Catherine of Siena—all “survived similar situations or worse. They were able to create new communities and were able to imagine new worlds or drive systemic change in conditions that were far more difficult than what I am facing now.”
Faith in Public Life’s mission is to build power among faith leaders from different traditions through community organizing and other actions, working to create an inclusive and equitable country.
Shared values of dignity, respect, and solidarity are ones that Lewis sees across religious traditions. “That is fundamental to everything that I do. I find that with many people of faith who are trying to make the world a better place, these shared values are fundamental to why we do our work,” she says.
Lewis, a cradle Catholic, grew up in Washington, D.C. Her first job out of college was as a faith-based community organizer. She was familiar with interfaith spaces when she was part of a Black-Jewish dialogue for three years in college.
Lewis went on to get a master’s degree in peace-building and conflict resolution. Although she focused mainly on conflict that happens in the United States, she traveled internationally, where she met people who had been “brokering peace across religious divides all around the world,” she says.
This interfaith dialogue left a deep impression on Lewis—throughout her career she found ways to always be part of that work by volunteering for various organizations, such as the D.C. Interfaith Leadership Summit. Before becoming CEO of Faith in Public Life three years ago, Lewis served on their board for six years.
Right now, Faith in Public Life is focused on political violence and the rise of authoritarianism in the United States, Lewis says. Political violence, according to Lewis, is violence against an individual or group of people because of their identity or violence against elected officials for political gain. “One of the important approaches to resist authoritarianism is to be in community and to focus on shared goals and act collectively,” she says. Faith in Public Life is committed to this.
The organization is currently recruiting congregations and houses of worship across the country to pledge in advance that they will not comply with “unjust policies from the administration or other actors that want to harm or criminalize immigrants and our communities,” Lewis says.
Three women who inspire Jeanné Lewis
Octavia Butler
“Her writing imagine[s] the ability of young people, particularly young Black women and disabled people, to help bring about a better world.”
St. Catherine of Siena
“She really tried to hold the church accountable to its mission. She spoke truth to power. I don’t necessarily see my vocation as reforming the Catholic Church per se. But I do think the work we do with faith leaders around the country, calling one another and other leaders into deeper moral integrity, resonates with St. Catherine.”
Her grandmother
“My grandmother was a cradle Catholic, but she actually left the Catholic Church and started her own church in her 50s. I would attend that church in the summers when I visited her. She is probably the most consistent and genuine person I know in terms of living her values. I often find myself these days [asking], ‘What would my grandmother do or say in this situation?’ ”
In Los Angeles and many cities, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is trying to “force or coerce institutions to comply or share information about immigrants, or allow access to immigrants in our communities, without legal authority to do so,” Lewis says. “These congregations have pledged not to comply in advance with that.”
Faith in Public Life held direct actions in four cities where faith leaders across many traditions came together and denounced ICE’s treatment of immigrants. They also spoke about the pledge they made. Lewis says Faith in Public Life has also organized trainings with congregations about how to exercise their rights.
Faith leader often refers to clergy, but “not exclusively,” Lewis says. “We’ve had several [Catholic] sisters who’ve partnered with us on different work. We’ve had lay Catholics—I’m a lay Catholic—who’ve partnered with us in different work, who are scholars or historians or authors or leaders.”
Lewis is a parishioner at St. Augustine Church in Washington, D.C., a historically Black Catholic parish. St. Augustine’s commitment to “serve one another and serve the city at large resonates with my values,” Lewis says. “I draw on the hospitality and the generosity that people show to me as I think about how I want to lead Faith in Public Life and lead more generally in my life.”
Because the work can be heavy—responding to deep injustices and increased political violence—“for people of faith, prayer is really important in order to bolster us to stay active and focus our attention on how and when to act,” Lewis says.
Mentors and spiritual directors have instilled the necessity of prayer in Lewis, especially in the context of her work. “When you feel like you have to do more externally, do an equal amount internally; pray more,” she says. “When I pray, particularly very deeply and very vulnerably, sharing my fears and my worries and my insecurities with God, I find that God always provides. Even if what God provides is a word of encouragement from another person, or a glimmer of hope or an opportunity that I hadn’t previously been able to perceive or discern.”
A few years ago, Lewis sponsored someone who was going through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). While delving into the catechism and Catholic social teaching at meetings, she was reminded of the “anointing that we as Catholics receive at confirmation: The invitation to join Jesus as priest, prophet, and king,” she says, a mandate to “live out our spiritual gifts and offer them in service of the world.”
For lay Catholics, “because our church is hierarchical, sometimes we forget as laypeople that we have in fact received that anointing,” Lewis says. “I hope to remind every lay Catholic that we are empowered to serve and improve this world for the better. And we are accompanied by the greatest advocate, which is the Holy Spirit.”
Lewis also encourages lay Catholics, “whether or not you consider yourself a faith leader,” to join Faith in Public Life’s efforts, whether at an action or other political engagement. Lewis also hosts a podcast called Wrestling Out Loud: Faith and Liberation, where she and others talk about faith, justice, and community.
“This is a moment, I believe, that God is calling each of us to really reflect on what our spiritual gifts are and what our purpose for existence in this world is, and to be courageous in living it out,” Lewis says.
This article also appears in the November 2025 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 90, No. 11, pages 45-46). Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
Image: Courtesy of Jeanné Lewis
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