WASHINGTON —The Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation will welcome Dr. Ilia Delio, OSF, known for her vision of the interconnectedness of life, as guest speaker at Shalem’s 11th Gerald G. May Seminar, April 29-30, 2016 in Rockville, MD.
Dr. Delio is the author of fifteen books, including The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution and the Power of Love, which received the 2014 Silver Nautilus Book Award and a third place Catholic Press Association Award for Faith and Science.
She currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University, where she is a tenured full professor of theology with an emphasis on constructive systematic theology. Dr. Delio is well-known for her interest in evolution, physics and neuroscience and how they impact theology. With a doctorate in pharmacology from Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School and a doctorate in historical theology from Fordham University, she uniquely weds the worlds of science and theology.
“Evolution discloses a new God,” Dr. Delio says, “an immanent-transcendent fullness of love that inspires us to create anew, a new earth with a new God rising from within.”
For the Gerald May Seminar, Delio will be offering a Friday evening talk, “Have We Lost Our Minds (Literally): Ecology in an Age of Technology” and a Saturday workshop/retreat, “Consciousness & Christogenesis: Teilhard’s Two Energies.”
Friday evening she will reflect on how computer technology builds on both mindless matter and other-worldiness, contributing to a new type of dualism today. She will help us examine a new consciousness of presence, engagement and participation—a new way of thinking and being—for the sake of the Earth.
On Saturday, the focus will be on Teilhard de Chardin and his vision of evolution as empowered by the presence of God. Dr. Delio will look at the meaning of Christogenesis in Teilhard’s vision, and through him, she will help us explore the meaning of love at the heart of the cosmos.
“Dr. Delio brings a fresh, new voice to this event,” says Margaret Benefiel, Shalem’s executive director. “She encourages us to look at ourselves, our world and our universe in a very connected way and to claim a cosmic spirit that has love at its center.”
Both the lecture (7-9 PM Friday) and workshop (10 AM-4 PM Saturday) will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville in Rockville, MD. Advance registration is requested as space is limited.
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Ilia Delio, OSF is a Franciscan Sister of Washington D.C. and the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University. Formerly Director of Catholic Studies at Georgetown University, she also was a Senior Research Fellow at Woodstock Theological and Professor and Chair of Spirituality Studies at Washington Theological Union. She holds a doctorate in Historical Theology from Fordham University and is the author of fifteen books, including Care for Creation; The Emergent Christ; The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution and the Power of Love; and From Teilhard to Omega: Co-creating an Unfinished Universe.
The Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation has provided in-depth support for contemplative living and leadership for over 40 years, offering a wide variety of programs and resources for spiritual directors, clergy, lay leaders and individuals who want to open themselves more fully to God in their daily lives and work. This Seminar is offered in memory of the life and legacy of Gerald (Jerry) May, Shalem’s Senior Fellow for Contemplative Theology and Psychology. More information about the event, costs and registration are at: http://shalem.org/
