“I’m more well-rounded because of the experiences I’ve had at Saint Mary’s."
Summer 2024 Conferences
Register for the "Teresa of Ávila and Peacemaking in a Nuclear Age" Conference here: [Click Here For Registration]
Conference Description
How can a 16th century mystic help people in the 21st century in making peace? Inspired by the work of Vilma Seelaus, O.C.D. who believed that Teresa’s spirituality could be a resource for creating peace today, this four-day seminar explores this question through presentations on Teresa of Avila’s life, communal conversation on Teresa’s writing, time for contemplative prayer and ritual. Teresa walked a way of peacemaking amid the patriarchal oppression of her time and offers a way to embody peace for human transformation in the urgency our times.
Conference Registration Costs
Event Registration: $200 per person (covers meals and events July 15-18) [Click Here For Registration]
Campus Housing: $198 per person (covers room in campus residence hall for three nights, July 15-18)
In addition to campus housing, there are two hotels on the campus of Saint Mary's College — The Inn at Saint Mary's and the Hilton Garden Inn — conference attendees traveling from out of town can elect to stay at one of those hotels if they so choose. Reservations can be made directly through the hotel website and staff.
Conference Format
To take up Teresa’s wisdom we will engage in communal lectio divina. The presentations, time for prayer and group reflection are to enable contemporary appropriation of Teresa’s classic texts for being peace in our time. During these four days, we will meet in small groups to discuss these materials in greater depth, in a contemplative rhythm of personal and communal reflection.
We recommend participants engage with Teresa’s writings as well as the work of Sr. Vilma Seelaus, O.C.D. in advance of the gathering. Upon confirmation of registration, each participant will receive access to these materials in preparation for the seminar.
Keynote Speakers
"Teresa, Peacemaking, and Vilma’s Contribution to Interpreting Teresa"
Mary Frohlich, RSCJ, PhD, taught Spirituality at Catholic Theological Union of Chicago for twenty-eight years. She is currently a Visiting Scholar at the School of Theology and Ministry of Boston College. She has published many essays on Carmelite topics and was a frequent presenter at the Carmelite Summer Seminars when they were a regular occurrence. Her latest book is The Heart at the Heart of the World: Sacred Heart Spirituality in Ecozoic Perspective (Orbis 2024).
"Teresa and Conflict Resolution: Insights from Vilma Seelaus, OCD”
Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, PhD, a native of Chicago, IL, is an Associate Professor of Systematic Theology in the Theology Department at Boston College and a vowed member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Monroe, Michigan). Professor Hinsdale received her PhD from the University of St. Michael’s (Toronto) and has taught theology at the undergraduate, seminary and doctoral levels for over forty years. Her specializations are Theological Anthropology, Ecclesiology and Feminist Intercultural Theologies. She is co-editor (with Stephen Okey) and contributor to the T & T Clark Handbook of Theological Anthropology(Bloomsbury, 2021), the author of Women Shaping Theology (Paulist, 2006) and many other articles. She is a past president of The Catholic Theological Society of America and in 2024 she received the Yves Congar Award for Excellence in Theology from Barry University.
“Tilling Teresa’s Garden; Reflections on Vima Seelaus Compost Heap”
Maria Teresa Morgan, PhD is Associate Professor of Theology at St John Vianney College Seminary where she also coordinates the Humanities program. She is a resident columnist and member of the editorial board of ElIgnaciano.com. Dr Morgan has authored over twenty articles. Her chapter, “The Sentinel,” appears in Desire,Darkness and Hope: Theology in a Time of Impasse; Engaging the Thought of Constance FitzGerald, OCD. Her recent contribution “Mephibosheth and Me; An Interpretive Ignatian Prayer of Memory and Imagination” is included in Praying for Freedom; Racism and Ignatian Spirituality in America (edited by Laurie Cassidy, Collegeville, litpress.org, 2024).
“Peacemaking in a Nuclear Age: Carmelite Insights for Our Own Time”
Margaret R. Pfeil, PhD, holds a joint appointment in the Theology Department and in the Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame. She is a Faculty Fellow of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion. Her research interests include Catholic social thought, racial justice, ecological ethics, ecumenical dialogue, and peace studies. With Tobias Winright, she co-edited Violence, Transformation, and the Sacred: They Shall Be Called Children of God (Orbis Books, 2012). With Gerald Schlabach, she is co-editor of Sharing Peace: Mennonites and Catholics in Conversation (Liturgical Press, 2013), and with Laurie Cassidy and Alex Mikulich she is co-author of The Scandal of White Complicity in U.S. Hyper-incarceration: A Nonviolent Spirituality of White Resistance (Palgrave, 2013; paperback edition, 2016). With Fr. Don McNeill, CSC, she edited the volume, Act Justly, Love Mercifully, Walk Humbly with Your God (Andrews McMeel Universal, 2016).With Darrin Snyder Belousek, she co-edited the volume, Intercessory Prayer and the Communion of Saints. Mennonite and Catholic Perspectives (Pandora Press, 2022). She is a co-founder and resident of the St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker Community in South Bend, Indiana.
“Contemplative Prayer as a Pathway to Survival: Teresa of Avila and Dr. Barbara Holmes in conversation.”
Lori Stanley, MA, is the Executive Director of Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, CA. She has been a practitioner of Ignatian spirituality for 20 years and uses its tools to address social injustices and to answer the call to accompany, educate and empower others to discover God’s deep personal love for them. Lori has a MA in Pastoral Theology with a concentration in Spiritual Direction from Loyola Marymount University. She and her husband of 34 years have one adult daughter.
Tentative Conference Schedule
Monday July 15
Arrival: Check-in at LeMans Hall, Reception Desk from Noon onward
5-6:30 PM Dinner in the Noble Family Dining Hall, Student Center
7:00 PM Opening Evening Ritual in the Haggar Parlor
Keynote Talk: Mary Ann Hinsdale, “Teresa and Conflict Resolution: Insights from Vilma Seelaus, OCD"
Tuesday July 16
7:30 - 8:30 AM Breakfast in the Noble Family Dining Hall, Student Center
9:00 - 10:00 AM Morning Communal Lectio in Madeleva 206, 207, 208, 209
Note: In your registration packet you will find a group assignment and corresponding room number. Each group will discuss the same set of materials made available before the conference.
Break 10-10:30 AM COFFEE & SNACK BREAK
10:30-11:30 Keynote Talk in Haggar Parlor
Mary Frohlich, “Teresa, Peacemaking, and Vilma’s Contribution to Interpreting Teresa”
Please use this time before lunch for personal reflection.
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch in the Noble Family Dining Hall, Student Center
1:30-2:30 PM Keynote Talk in Haggar Parlor
Margie Pfeil, “Peacemaking in a Nuclear Age: Carmelite Insights for Our Own Time”
2:30-3:30 PM Second Gathering of Communal Lectio Group
3:30-4:30 PM Reflection Time:
Please use this time for personal reflection and processing. Coffee and snacks will be available in the Haggar Parlor.
4:30-5:15 PM Mass
5:30-7:30 PM Celebratory Feast in the Stapleton Lounge, Le Mans Hall
On this Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we will celebrate with a catered meal, desserts, and local musical entertainment.
Please use the remainder of the evening for rest and reflection.
Wednesday July 17
7:30 - 8:30 AM Breakfast in the Noble Family Dining Hall, Student Center
9:00 - 10:00 AM Morning Communal Lectio in Madeleva 206, 207, 208, 209
We will use the same format as yesterday.
10-10:30 AM Coffee and Snack Break in the Haggar Parlor
10:30-11:30 AM Keynote Talk in the Haggar Parlor
Lori Stanley, “Diving into the Deep: A Mystical-Contemplative Leap of Hope from the Pew”
Please use this time before lunch for personal reflection.
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch in the Noble Family Dining Hall, Student Center
1:30-2:30 PM Keynote Talk in the Haggar Parlor
Maria Teresa Morgan, Tilling Teresa’s Garden: Reflections on Vilma Seelaus’s Compost Heap
2:30-3:30 PM Second Communal Lectio
3:30-4:30 PM Please use this time for personal reflection and processing. Coffee and snacks will be available in the Haggar Parlor.
4:30-5:15 PM Mass
5:30-6:30 PM Dinner in the Noble Family Dining Hall, Student Center
Please use the remainder of the evening for rest and reflection.
Thursday July 18
7:30 - 8:30 AM Breakfast in the Noble Family Dining Hall, Student Center
9:00 - 10:00 AM Study Groups Meet in Madeleva 206, 207, 208, 209
Your group facilitator will guide a discussion around these questions:
-What has arisen for you during this time?
-What do you desire moving forward?
10-10:30 AM COFFEE & SNACK BREAK in the Haggar Parlor
10:15-11:15 Concluding Session in the Haggar Parlor
In this final session, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a facilitated process allowing insights to emerge in a prayerful way.
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch in the Noble Family Dining Hall, Student Center
Departure