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Virtuous Autonomy: Freedom and Dependence in a Technological Age (An Intellectual Retreat)


  • YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park, CO, 80517 United States (map)

Schedule:

  • Begins with check-in at 3:00pm on Friday, August 7th

  • Concludes with check-out at 1:00pm on Monday, August 10th

Presenters:

  • Prof. John O’Callaghan - University of Notre Dame

  • Prof. Jim Madden - Benedictine College

  • Fr. Ephrem Reese, O.P. - Thomistic Institute

Conference Titles: 1. The Image of God in Modernity ||| 2. True Freedom and its Counterfeits ||| 3. The Danger of Technology to Human Flourishing ||| 4. The Virtues of Healthy Dependence ||| 5. Freedom in Friendship and Community ||| 6. Divinization and the Gradation of Freedom

Description: "What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?" 

The heart of the human person is a great mystery. Uniquely among embodied creatures, we have the capacity to conceive of our end as such and to chart a course accordingly. But in the wake of our freedom comes a flood of difficulties. We often experience our lives as a confluence of forgetfulness and recollection, of discovery and evasion, of self-knowledge and self-deception. Living well is not so easy as it may seem.

In the modern world, the details of this mystery have been obscured by philosophical errors stressing false autonomy and contemporary challenges subverting true agency with technology. Adrift on chaotic waters, we struggle to navigate our way towards a happy harbor. In this retreat, we will consider men and women as made to the image of God and ordered to the good life. Conferences will seek to clarify the task of human freedom, especially in relation to others, taking into account the peculiar challenges of our contemporary setting.

The retreat will have seminars and discussions framed by the traditional elements of a retreat (Mass, adoration, Divine Office, etc.). This event is primarily for the leaders of Thomistic Institute student chapters, but is open to other students and young adults who express interest. For more information, contact Katie Brizek at kbrizek@dhs.edu.

Retreat Schedule

Friday, August 7th

3:00 pm          Check-In

4:15 pm           Traveler’s Mass

5:00pm           Dinner

6:15 pm           Introductions, Logistics, and Conference #1 – O’Callaghan

7:30 pm           Eucharistic Adoration and Compline (Confession available)

8:45 pm           Recreation

Saturday, August 8th

7:30 am           Lauds

8:00 am          Breakfast

8:45 am          Conference #2 – Madden

10:00 am        Mass

10:45 am        Conference #3 – Madden

12:00 pm        Lunch

3:00 pm          Conference #4 – O’Callaghan

4:15 pm           Break

4:30 pm          Quodlibetal Questions

5:30 pm          Vespers

6:00 pm          Dinner

7:15 pm           Eucharistic Adoration and Compline (Confession available)

8:30pm           Recreation

 

Sunday, August 9th

8:00 am         Breakfast

8:30 am         Lauds

9:00 am         Conference #5 – Madden

10:30 am        Mass

12:00 pm        Lunch

1:00 pm          Free Time

6:00 pm         Dinner (Optional)

8:00 pm         Eucharistic Adoration and Compline (Confession available)

9:00pm          Recreation

 

Monday, August 10th

7:30 am          Lauds

8:00 am          Breakfast

9:00 am          Holy Hour

10:00 am        Conference #6 - Reese

11:30 am         Mass

12:00 pm        Lunch

12:30 pm        Departure

*Registration has been closed.

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Second Annual Student Leadership Conference

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September 1

The Virtue of Prudence and the Moral Life