In 1999, the Catholic Studies Project assumed responsibility for managing the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society, an annual program founded in 1992 with the encouragement of Pope John Paul II. The seminar brings students from the new democracies of east central Europe together with American students for an in-depth introduction to Catholic social doctrine, especially as mirrored in the social teaching of John Paul II. Thirty-five students (ten from the U.S. and twenty-five from east central Europe) participate every July; the seminar is held at the Dominican priory in Kraków, Poland. The 400 graduates of the seminar now form a potent international network of young Catholic business leaders, professionals,  government officials, scholars, and pro-life activists. A seminar reunion was held in Rome at the beginning of the Great Jubilee of 2000; the 150 participants were received in private audience by Pope John Paul II, who remains a strong supporter of the program. The twelfth meeting of the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society will be held in Kraków from July 1-18, 2003.

In 2002, the Catholic Studies Project co-sponsored a series of academic conferences in Rome with the Pontifical University “Regina Apostolorum.” The conferences explored some of the most urgent questions of the new century, including the life issues, the challenge of biotechnology, and the evolution of the Church’s social doctrine in the light of 21st century realities. The conference papers will be published as a book in 2004.