On Thursday, April 9th, Catholic Law’s Center for the Constitution and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, together with Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government and Catholic University’s Carroll Forum for Citizenship and Public Life, co-hosted a symposium celebrating the nation's semiquincentennial. The day brought together leading scholars and public intellectuals from across the country to explore the relationship between the Catholic intellectual tradition and the principles of the Declaration of Independence, and to reflect on how both Catholicism and the Declaration continue to shape America's experiment in constitutional self-government, 250 years after its founding.

Among the day's highlights was an address by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recorded a brief speech to be shared live at the Conference. The Secretary’s remarks illuminated the deep historical roots of Catholicism in American life, arguing that the Catholic faith has been a defining thread in the nation's story from its earliest days of exploration through the founding era and beyond.

Secretary Rubio opened by reflecting on four centuries of Catholic presence on the continent, refuting the claim that the Catholic faith is a “foreign import” to the country. He pointed to Christopher Columbus as the first in a long line of Catholic explorers whose spirit of discovery laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the United States. He noted that the oldest permanent settlement in the country, St. Augustine, Florida, was founded by Spanish Catholics, and that Catholic missionaries, soldiers, and pioneers were among the first to explore and map nearly every region of the continent.

Turning to the founding era, Rubio challenged the view that the American Revolution was “merely a brainchild of the Enlightenment,” arguing instead that it represented a renewal of a deeper civilizational inheritance rooted in Christian moral order, natural law, and the philosophical traditions of Church Doctors like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. He also highlighted the patriotic contributions of American Catholics during the Revolution, noting that George Washington personally wrote a letter to thank them for their service.

Rubio closed by framing America as a place where Western Christian civilization was renewed and reborn, calling its history a testament to the enduring truths of the Catholic faith.

He concluded, “To look upon the history of this golden land is to see the face of God.”

You can watch the entire speech below.