�ֲ���ý

Contact:
Dr. Amanda Staggenborg
amanda.staggenborg@mtangel.edu

(SAINT BENEDICT, Ore.)- �ֲ���ý welcomed leading international scholars July 13–17 for the Fellowship of Scholars, a recurring program of the �ֲ���ý Institute, where they discussed and studied Freedom and Grace, a work by St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). The conference brought together scholars from 9 countries in Europe, North America and Asia to examine the work’s significance and its implications for ongoing scholarship.

“The idea of the Fellowship of Scholars is unique from other academic conferences, in which scholars may just drop in for their particular presentation, and then jet off to their next engagement. The Fellowship is imbued with the character of our Benedictine values of prayer, beauty, and community life, so the scholars get to spend quality time throughout the week in ongoing dialogue and discussion, have meals and social time together, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere that the Abbey has to offer,” says Br. Matthew Sislow, OSB, coordinator of the �ֲ���ý Institute.

Among the participants were Fr. Christof Betschart, OCD, outgoing Dean of the Pontifical Institute for Spirituality (the Teresianum) in Rome; Dr. Mette Lebech of Maynooth University in Ireland and General Editor of Edith Stein Studies; and Fr. Thomas Gricoski, OSB, of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, president of the International Association for the Study of the Philosophy of Edith Stein (IASPES).

A central focus of the conference was the growing recognition of Freedom and Grace, recently translated into English for the first time by Dr. Joseph Papa of �ֲ���ý Seminary, as a pivotal early work in Stein’s intellectual and spiritual development. Previous scholarship assumed it to be a later work, but recent scholarship shows that Stein wrote it in 1921, prior to her baptism. Throughout the week, participants discussed and analyzed Stein’s interpretations and research.

Invited scholars presented on various aspects of Dr. Papa’s research on Freedom and Grace. The conference was fully underwritten by the �ֲ���ý Institute.

Conference Participants

• Dr. Joyce Berkman — University of Massachusetts Amherst (via Zoom)
• Fr. Christof Betschart, OCD — Teresianum, Rome
• Dr. Tim Burns — University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis
• Dr. Anthony Calcagno — King’s University College, Ontario (via Zoom)
• Harry D’Agostino — St. Bernard’s School of Theology & Ministry
• Fr. Tonke Dennebaum — University of Mainz, Germany
• Dr. Valentina Gaudiano — Sophia Institute, Florence
• Fr. Thomas Gricoski, OSB — Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, Indiana
• Dr. Sean Haefner — �ֲ���ý Seminary
• Dr. John Hopkins — Saint Martin’s University, Lacey, Washington
• Yashi Jiang — Independent Scholar, Macau
• Dr. Mette Lebech — Maynooth University, Ireland
• Dr. Ronny Miron — Bar-Ilan University, Tel Aviv
• Fr. Pier-Giorgio Pacelli, OCD — ICS Managing Editor, Washington, D.C.
• Dr. Joseph Papa — �ֲ���ý Seminary
• Dr. Michele Petersen — St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa
• Dr. William Tullius — American Public University
• Dr. Anna Varga-Jani — Collegium Professorum Hungarorum, Budapest
• Dr. Mariéle Wulf — Tilburg University, Netherlands
• Dr. Joshua Yuan — University of St. Francis, Macau

About �ֲ���ý and Seminary

�ֲ���ý, a Benedictine monastic community founded in 1882, is dedicated to a life of prayer, work, pastoral ministry, hospitality and education. �ֲ���ý Seminary, an apostolate of �ֲ���ý and the largest seminary in the West, forms men for the Roman Catholic priesthood. The Abbey Foundation of Oregon supports the monastic community’s mission of service to the Church.