2024 American Catholic Press Benefit

The American Catholic Press (ACP) benefit is held on Friday, October 18, 2024. Reception begins at 6:00 p.m. with dinner starting at 7:00 p.m. The venue for this benefit is Olympia Fields Country Club, in Olympia Fields, Illinois. You get there by going south on I-57 Expressway, exiting eastbound at Vollmer Road, and turning south on Western Avenue. Just after Joe Orr Road, you turn west, on the west side of Western, onto Country Club Road. After about a quarter mile, you come to a watchman and a barrier; the club is gated. You identify yourself to the watchman at the gate; just say that you are there for the American Catholic Press benefit. The watchman then causes the barrier to go up. You then proceed forward and park in the lot in front of the main building, which you enter. No further identification is required. Click here for a local map of the area. Here is a link to a video of Olympia Fields Country Club.

The Gratiam Dei Award

The 2024 Gratiam Dei Award is given to Lou Panici.

Lou Panici

Luciano “Lou” Panici Jr. was born June 17, 1984, at St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights. He was raised with Catholic values in Italian-American home. Lou attended St. Agnes Catholic grade school and later Marian Catholic High School graduating in 2002. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois, Ubrana-Champaign in 2006 earning the distinction of Phi Beta Kappa scholar for excellence in his undergraduate studies. Lou then attended Northern Illinois University College of Law, graduating Cum Laude and earning his Juris Doctorate in 2009. He has been an associate with the Law Offices of Dennis G. Gianopolus, P.C. since his admission to the Illinois Bar.

Lou serves as the prosecutor for various municipalities throughout the south suburbs of Cook County, including his home town of Chicago Heights. He is a Bloom Township Trustee and is the Board President for the Bloom Township trustee of schools office, as well as Secretary of the Chicago Heights Police and Fire Commission.

Since 2013, Lou has administered the Senior Legal Program at the Bloom Township center providing free wills and estate planning for senior citizens that reside in Bloom Township, a program started by his father, Judge Luciano Panici, Sr. He has served as a board member and past Vice President of the South Suburban Bar Association which has provided pro bono legal services to litigants in the Markham courthouse and he has also participated in the bar association’s in-court bar program providing affordable legal services to criminal defendants.

Lou has actively participated in activities throughout the south suburban community including the City of Chicago Heights beautification project—a partnership with the Morton Arboretum that planted hundreds of trees throughout the City. Lou is dedicated to his Italian-Catholic heritage demonstrated through his service to the Amaseno Lodge No. 3 as their Vice President and is actively involved in organizing and hosting the organizations annual San Lorenzo / San Rocco festival to honor the patron saints of the town in Italy from which his family emigrated.

Lou has been married to his wife Christine for 12 years. Together they have two daughters, Isabella (9) and Gabriella (7). His children are both receiving a Catholic education and are being raised with the values that Lou was raised with…faith and family first.

The Henry Hyde Award

The 2024 Henry Hyde Award is presented to Thomas Olp.

Tom Olp

Thomas Olp, an accomplished attorney with expertise in labor, employment, and litigation, serves as Executive Vice President & Head of Election Integrity at Thomas More Society. A magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University, Tom earned his J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and his LLM from Georgetown University Law Center.

Beginning his career with the National Labor Relations Board, Tom later joined Montgomery Ward as a labor and employment lawyer. From 1985 to 1994, he practiced law in Washington, D.C., partnering with Finley Kumble and Ross & Hardies. Since 1994, he has held the position of Vice President and General Counsel for Connor-Winfield Corporation in Aurora, Illinois.

Tom started offering pro bono services to Thomas More Society in 2007 and became a board member in 2014. As a full-time attorney since 2015, Tom manages cases in Illinois and other states, covering a wide array of legal topics including sidewalk counseling, religious freedom, transgender issues, defamation, employment, and FOIA. With his extensive legal knowledge and unwavering commitment to election integrity, Thomas Olp consistently makes a significant impact in the pursuit of justice.