MP630ME JDI Summer Seminar





The Summer Seminar 2023 (MP630ME)

The Church has devoted much energy aimed at embracing the fullness of the Body of Christ and building community. This year’s Summer Seminar will explore a unique aspect of communio among the faithful: that of people with special needs and gifts.

During this seminar, students will read various theological approaches to the problem of disability, the spirituality of making sense of living with disability while engaging with the pastoral possibilities that emerge from the Church’s ministry toward people with disabilities.

A day of presentations and moderated discussions kicks off the seminar - Building The Church: Incorporating Special Needs and Gifts into the Body of Christ - on June 10.

The keynote speaker will be Fr. Matthew Schneider LC SThD, a priest with the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi. He has just completed his doctoral thesis in Moral Theology through Regina Apostolorum in Rome. He teaches theology at Belmont Abbey College, is an accomplished speaker and prolific writer including this book, God Loves the Autistic Mind: Prayer Guide for Those on the Spectrum and Those Who Love Us, published by Pauline Press. He is one of the few openly autistic priests and we are thrilled to have him as the keynote speaker for this year's seminar. Check out his blog: https://frmatthewlc.com.

During this one-day immersion, students will explore the topic of incorporating the disabled into our Church. The topic will be introduced with presentations from two speakers deeply experienced on the topic. Students will then have the opportunity for discussion with our guest panelists and detailed conversation about the articles and books in the bibliography.

Format: All conferences will be presented via Zoom video conference. The Zoom links may be accessed in the JDI’s online learning management platform (under the “MP730ME – JDI Summer Seminar Workshop” section).

Again this year, we are able to offer a one-credit registration (MP630ME) for those students who would like to join the seminar without the expectation of presenting research or taking an active part in live discussion.

Please see (MP730ME) for more details.