Amate House is a year-long social justice leadership development program for college-educated adults between the ages of 21-29. Our program model includes full-time service, faith formation, professional and leadership development, and community living. Based on their professional interests, Amate House matches young adult leaders with full-time volunteer positions in non-profit organizations, schools and ministries in Chicago’s most under-resourced communities. These young people live together in an Amate House residence and receive faith formation based on Catholic Social Teaching as well as intensive leadership development programming.
Amate House’s mission is to develop young adult leaders into life-long social justice advocates who serve their communities while deepening their faith. Ultimately, we aspire to build a more just and loving society through leadership development for the Church and the world.
Amate House was established in 1984 as a volunteer program for young adults by three seminarians from the Archdiocese of Chicago, along with other lay and religious men and women, with the objective of transformation through service. The founders chose the name “Amate,” the Latin imperative “to love,” because they envisioned a program in which young adults would put “love into action,” and answer the call to holiness by providing support and service to fulfill the needs of the city and the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Amate House is a member of the Catholic Volunteer Network.