25-26 programming
Semester 1
Interpreting the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke
Dr. Michael Peppard
Dates
September 29, 10am - 12pm and 2:30pm - 4:30pm
October 6, 10am – 12pm and 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Abstract: This course will introduce the ways that scholars interpret the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, three stories of Jesus’ life in the New Testament which bear narrative similarity to each other. Special attention will be given to their historical contexts within ancient Judaism and the Roman empire, parable interpretation, theological legacies, and the ethical visions of these texts.
Bio: Michael Peppard is a scholar and teacher who brings to light the meanings of the Bible and early Christian materials in their social, political, artistic, and ritual contexts. A professor of theology at Fordham University, he received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University, with prior degrees from Yale Divinity School, its Institute of Sacred Music, and the University of Notre Dame. He is the award-winning author of three books, most recently How Catholics Encounter the Bible.
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Monasticism and Spirituality
The Rev. Christine Lee, Sr. Lysanne Guilbault and Sr. Marie-Farouza Maximos
Dates
September 30, 9:30am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
October 7, 9:30am - 12pm & & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Abstract: Discover the rich legacy of traditional monasticism in its various forms and traditions. The Rev. Christine Lee will begin with an experiential framing of Ignatian Spirituality during our morning session. The other sessions will sample some influential eastern and western spiritual figures of the early church such as the monks of Gaza, especially John, Barsanuphius and Dorotheus, and some female figures who left their mark on the monasteries of Jerusalem, Benedict and the benedictine monks, the mendicant monastic orders, such as the Franciscans and the Dominicans and the lay community movement of the Beguines. A chronological overview will be a starting point for further inquiry of why traditional monasteries and community life, how were they related to the society and how can these witnesses teach present-day new forms of monasticism and community life experience.
Bio: Marie-Farouza is a consecrated sister of the Chemin Neuf Community. She holds a Master in Fine Arts, in Near Eastern Languages and in Theology. Among her ministries and interests, she is engaged in research in the liturgies of the Eastern Churches but also in works of writing, drawing and photography.
Christine has been a priest in the Episcopal Church since 2012 and priest-in-charge of St. Peter's since October 2019. She is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute and received her Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Trinity International University in Chicago. She completed a year of Anglican Studies at the General Theological Seminary and is a Doctor of Ministry student at Fuller Theological Seminary, focusing on leading congregational and organizational change.
Lysanne Guilbault is a consecrated sister of the Chemin Neuf Community and is part of the leadership team of the Community at the Crossing, with an academic training in theology and Judaic studies/Jewish-Christian relation from Lyon, Jerusalem and Rome.
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The Sacred Liturgy - The Wonderful Exchange of the Human and Divine
The Rev. Dr Matthew S.C. Olver
Dates
October 27, 10am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
October 28, 9:30am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Abstract: The Eastern and Western churches agree that the Eucharist sits at the heart of the Christian life, as the principal act of worship that Christians offer when they gather on the Lord’s Day. This seminar explores the nature of Christianity as a religion with a ritual at its center and how to think about the relationship of ritual to human persons. We will also look specifically at the Holy Eucharist, the liturgies used by Catholics and Anglicans, and how our churches articulate our understandings of this central Sacrament.
Bio: The Rev. Matthew S.C. Olver, Ph.D., is the executive Director and Publisher of The Living Church Foundation, Senior Lecturer in Liturgics at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, and a priest in the Episcopal Church since 2006.
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What is the Orthodox Church?
The Dr. Rev. Nicolas Kazarian and Sherin Salama from the Foccolare Movement
Dates:
November 10, 10am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
November 11, 9:30am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Abstract: Discover with the Rev. Dr. Nicolas Kazarian the rich history, theology, and spiritual life of the Orthodox Church. Explore its ancient traditions, liturgical worship, iconography and understanding of the Church as the Body of Christ. Ideal for seekers, students, and all who wish to deepen their knowledge of Eastern Christianity. A special visit of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero will complete the presentation.
On the next day, enter more deeply in the Orthodox tradition through the lens of the Coptic Orthodox Church as Sherin Salama will give a general idea of its history and of its unique spiritual heritage that emphasizes on martyrdom, church fathers, monasticism, liturgy and tradition of fasting.
Bio: The Rev. Dr. Nicolas Kazarian is the Ecumenical Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and parish priest at St. Eleftherios in Manhattan, with academic training in theology and geopolitics from Paris, Cyprus, and Geneva. A scholar and educator, he has authored books and numerous articles on Orthodoxy, ecumenism, and interfaith dialogue.
Sherin Salama joined the Focolare Movement in 1997. As a Coptic Orthodox Christian, she collaborated extensively with Centro Uno, the Secretariat of the Focolare Movement for Christian Unity, drawing from her personal ecumenical experiences and insights from the Desert Fathers and their Apophthegmata. Since 2011, she has been an external member of the Abba School – the Focolare Movement’s Center for Theological, Philosophical, and Cultural Studies.
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“The Singing Prophet: Psalms and Theology in the Book of Isaiah”
The Rev. Peter A. Heasley
Dates
December 8, 10am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
December 9, 9:30am - 12pm & 2 :30pm - 4:30pm
Abstract: Among the prophetic books, there is perhaps no closer bond of oracle to song, and of psalm to response, than we find in the book of Isaiah. Around twenty musical interludes—hymns of praise, summons to praise, and promises of songs to come—unite what many have come to see as a work spanning several centuries. We study the book of Isaiah through some of these hymns, so we may learn to face the One to whom we sing, and who sings to us in return.
Bio: The Rev. Peter A. Heasley, S.Th.D., is pastor of the Roman Catholic Church of Corpus Christi and Notre Dame in Manhattan. He teaches Scripture at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers and is the author of Prophetic Polyphony (Mohr Siebeck, 2020), about allusion to the psalms in Second Isaiah.
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Semester 2
The Architecture of Prayer
Amanda Iglesias, AIA
Dates
January 12, 10am - 4:30pm
Abstract: Architecture and theology have this in common: both seek to advance the frontiers between knowing and being. Historically, architecture has found its ripest periods of expression at the commission of the Church. Similarly, mature theological thought finds its fullness not merely in the printed word, but in the world of the senses, as experienced in art, architecture and music. In the words of Pope Benedict: "the two greatest arguments for the truth of Christianity are the lives of the saints and the art that the church has produced." Over the course of this seminar, we will embark on a pilgrimage of church architecture, both historic and contemporary, global and local.
Bio: Amanda Iglesias, AIA is an architect, curator, and liturgical consultant in New York City. She is the curator of "The Architecture of Prayer," an international survey of contemporary church architecture. Amanda’s research and curation via The Iglesias Project seeks to enliven the church’s sense of possibility and architectural imagination. Amanda holds a BA in Studio Art from Wheaton College, a Master of Architecture from Yale University, and a Master of Philosophy in Architecture and Urban Studies from the University of Cambridge. She was a 2024-25 local member of the Community at the Crossing.
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The Trinity
Fr. Jean-Sébastien Laurent
Dates:
February 2, 10am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
February 3, 9:30am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Abstract: The mystery of the one and triune God has defined Christian theology since its inception. In this class, we will explore the complex debates that shaped Trinitarian theology in the patristic and medieval periods. We will also discover some of the contemporary theological and ecumenical issues.
Bio: Fr. Jean-Sébastien Laurent is a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Chemin Neuf Community. He has been leading the Community at the Crossing for the past three years.
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From the First Century to the Twenty-First: The Timeless Ethics of Jesus' Parables
Dr Amy-Jill Levine
Dates
March 9, 10am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
March 10, 9:30am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Abstract: Discover anew the well-known parables of Jesus such as the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the Laborers in the Vineyard by exploring their rich historical context, their connections to Jewish teaching, and their meanings for today.
Bio: Dr. Amy-Jill Levine (Vanderbilt University; Hartford International University for Religion and Peace), a world-renowned scholar of biblical studies and Jewish-Christian relations, received in 2023 the Hubert Walter Award for Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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‘Being Human’: Exploring the Conversation between Faith, Theology, Science, and Psychology
The Dr. Rev. Charlie Bell
Dates:
March 23, 10am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
March 24, 9:30am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Abstract: What does it mean to be a human being? This is the question that has puzzled and excited thinkers in every age, and has been answered in a whole host of ways. In our sessions, we will reject the idea that either the science supersedes the theology, or conversely that the theology can ignore the science. What we will do is take the insights from contemporary scientific thinking and ask: how might these insights engage with the theological tradition? What might theology have to offer to the ‘why’ of human life in the light of so much ‘what and how’ that science can better help us understand? How might we use human knowledge constructively to learn more about who we are and what we are called to be?
Bio: The Rev. Dr. Charlie Bell is a Church of England priest and a forensic psychiatrist. He is Associate Vicar of St John the Divine, Kennington, in Southwark, England, and the Fellow in Medicine and Public Theology at Girton College, Cambridge. He is Visiting Scholar at Sarum College and a Research Fellow and Associate Tutor at St Augustine’s College of Theology.
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Faith and Justice
Ernest J. Miller, FSC, D. Min.
Dates:
May 12, 9:30am - 12pm & 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Abstract: The Catholic social tradition (CST) is a rich treasure that summons us to live the gospel mandate to achieve the common good in our times, that is, the reign of God. This social doctrine not only affirms the inviolable dignity of all persons, but also emphasizes the responsibility to protect the human dignity of persons whom society marginalizes and minoritizes—engaging in ways that honor their full humanity. A critical encounter of the Catholic social teaching tradition should disturb and challenge us to accept the prophetic task of faith doing justice, striving to dismantle all forms of systemic oppression that distort the image of the Body of Christ, the People of God.
Bio: Brother Ernest is a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, commonly known as the De La Salle Christian Brothers. He currently serves as Director of the Adrien Nyel Project within the Office for Mission and Ministry in the Lasallian District of Eastern North America. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.