IREPM's Summer 2008 Conference Week, July 7-11, 2008 will explore Contemporary Spirituality. The Conference Week course, The Meaning of Saints, will be taught in the evenings by Robert Ellsburg and will explore the role of saints in the Catholic tradition and the forms of holiness demanded in our own time. Examinig traditional saints as well as a number of holy witnesses of our time (Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Oscar Romero), the course will reflect on the biographical narrative as a spiritual text, and how this relates to our own "call to holiness" (Vatican II).

During Conference Week many social and worship events will provide opportunities for participants to reflect on and converse about the week's topics. The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) will also lead a series of afternoon workshops on The Arts of Public Life - Power, Justice, Self-Interest and the World As It Should Be.

The second week course, A Spirituality of Our Time, taught in the evenings July 14-18, 2008, by Joyce Rupp, OSM, recognizes that a life with God is a relationship lived in a world in which suffering touches every life in some way. This world includes ethnic factions, massive injustice issues, active terrorism, troubling environmental situations, millions of refugees, challenging ethical issues and church discordance.

This course approaches spirituality through the wide-angle lens of compassion, viewing it from Scripture, various religions and other sources including science, medical studies, sociology and psychology. Students may enroll in either week separately for one credit each or for audit or may enroll in both weeks for two credits or for audit.

Updated: April 9, 2008
Maintained: Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry
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