FR. CLETE KILEY

Congress 2025
Written By Bethany Collins

Areas of expertise:

  • Labor & Unions

  • Immigration Policy

  • Faith & Politics

Workshop: Called to Communion: Solidarity in an Age of Division

When we stand together, no force can divide us. In every workplace and every community, those in power use fear and division to weaken the bonds of solidarity among working people. Immigration is one powerful example of how leaders—whether in business or government—pit us against each other to maintain control. But as Catholics, we know that every person is created in the image of God, and our liberation is bound together. "If one member suffers, all suffer together" (1 Cor 12:26). True freedom can only be won in solidarity, where no one is left behind.

Bio:

Fr. Clete Kiley, D.Min., is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago ordained in 1974. He has served in the Archdiocese as the Director for the Department of Personnel Services, as a seminary rector and pastor, and as a member of the College of Consultors. He also served on the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and as President of The Faith & Politics Institute in Washington, D.C.

He currently serves as the Chaplain of the Chicago Federation of Labor, and as a Special Advisor to Cardinal Cupich and as a Senior Advisor for UNITE HERE International Union, particularly for immigration policy. Fr. Kiley is a Trustee of the UNITE HERE Health Trust (a Taft-Hartley Fund).

He was appointed to the Board of Misericordia in 2022 by Cardinal Cupich. He is also a member of CSPL’s Clergy Council.

Bethany Collins
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