Summer Seminars for Undergraduate Students

June 12-15, 2024
Applications close on May 1, 2024
Join the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology in Denver, Colorado, for a four-day experience that combines academic study, prayer, the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, and faith-filled community.

Our Summer Seminars include two different seminars for rising college seniors that run simultaneously on June 12–15th: the Sacred Page Seminar, which is dedicated to the study of Scripture, and the City of God Seminar, which explores the writings of St. Augustine in the context of today’s culture.

Who Should Attend

We invite rising college seniors with a lively interest in studying the Bible or the writings of St. Augustine.

This is an apt opportunity if you are exploring the possibility of graduate studies in the field of Biblical Studies, Theology, or Pastoral Theology, or we welcome your attendance if you simply desire to deepen your Catholic faith in an environment of intellectual and spiritual fellowship.

Features

  • An integrated experience of study, prayer, and fellowship with fellow Catholic college students
  • Seminar-style discussion
  • Daily Mass, plus other communal prayer
  • Hiking in the Colorado Rockies
  • Fellowship with Augustine Institute faculty and students

Instructors

The Sacred Page Seminar is led by Prof. James Prothro,
and the City of God Seminar is led by Prof. Carl Vennerstrom. Both will be joined by several other faculty members of the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology.

Cost

Lodging and meals will be provided by the Augustine Institute, and participants will receive a stipend to defray the cost of travel to Colorado. The course’s required texts will be mailed to participants in early May.

Who Should Attend

We invite rising college seniors with a lively interest in studying the Bible or the writings of St. Augustine.

This is an apt opportunity if you are exploring the possibility of graduate studies in the field of Biblical Studies, Theology, or Pastoral Theology, or we welcome your attendance if you simply desire to deepen your Catholic faith in an environment of intellectual and spiritual fellowship.

Features

  • An integrated experience of study, prayer, and fellowship with fellow Catholic college students
  • Seminar-style discussion
  • Daily Mass, plus other communal prayer
  • Hiking in the Colorado Rockies
  • Fellowship with Augustine Institute faculty and students

Instructors

The Sacred Page Seminar is led by Prof. Israel McGrew,
and the City of God Seminar is led by Prof. Carl Vennerstrom. Both will be joined by several other faculty members of the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology.

Cost

Lodging and meals will be provided by the Augustine Institute. The only cost to participants is transportation to and from Denver, CO. We will do our best to help participants get from Denver International Airport or Denver Union Bus Station to the Augustine Institute. The course’s required texts will be mailed to participants in early May.
SACRED PAGE SEMINAR
This seminar is a concentrated experience of reading the Bible rigorously, thoughtfully, and faithfully.

Course Description

“The God Who Repents and Does Not Change: From Noah’s Flood to Christ’s Cross”

How do we reconcile our faith in the transcendent, unchanging deity with God’s revelation, where he repents of making humanity? What does it mean when Scripture reports that God cannot repent and that God in fact does that very thing? What is God revealing to us about himself through this rhetoric of divine repentance?

This year’s Sacred Page Seminar focuses on the rhetoric of divine repentance in the Old Testament, especially regarding the flood narrative. We will be considering how the Old Testament itself guides us to navigate this philosophical conundrum, marshaling the principles of Dei Verbum and the insights of biblical scholarship to enter more deeply into God’s revelation. Finally, we will consider both how these texts drive us towards Christ and how Christ draws them up into his mystery.
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ISRAEL MCGREW
Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture

Instructor

Dr. McGrew has taught a range of topics, especially in Scripture, and holds degrees in Biblical studies, in Biblical Languages, and in theology. He specializes in the Book of Job and is interested in bringing Biblical Studies into a deeper dialogue with the Church's traditional, Christological readings of the Old Testament.

Dr. McGrew earned his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Marquette University.
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CITY OF GOD SEMINAR
This seminar explores the intersection of apostolic faith and contemporary culture through the thought of St. Augustine.

Course Description

The City of God, according to Saint Augustine of Hippo, has to be understood “both as it exists in this world of time, a stranger among the ungodly, living by faith,
and as it stands in the security of its everlasting seat” (City of God 1.preface).

Drawing especially on the wisdom of Saint Augustine, this course pursues a deeper understanding of our condition and calling as those who seek to “live by faith” in the context of secular modernity. What are the unspoken premises, questions, and longings that shape the worldviews of contemporary Americans?

What principles and practices are needed for Christians to respond credibly to those worldviews and to live in a manner commensurate with their heavenly citizenship (cf. Philippians 3:20)?
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CARL VENNERSTROM
Assistant Professor
of Theology

Instructor

Dr. Vennerstrom specializes in patristic theology in the languages of Greek, Syriac, and Armenian. Of particular interest are monasticism, scriptural interpretation, and the writings of Evagrius of Pontus.

He earned his Ph.D. in Early Christian Studies at the Catholic University of America.
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Application Details

The application for the Summer Seminars will close on May 1, 2024. Interested students are encouraged to apply early as space is limited and students will be admitted on a rolling basis.

“My expectations were high going in, and they were both met and surpassed by what I experienced. I met and engaged with like-minded peers and with intellectual and devoted teachers. I received a well-rounded experience of Colorado through touring the Augustine Institute, seeing Grad-students' homes, attending Mass, hiking, and having free time to visit friends and family in the area. 110% recommend.”            

—Bridget, Michigan
“A lovely combination of informative lectures, thoughtful discussions, and fun opportunities to meet like-minded Catholics, for anyone serious about growing in their faith in a holistic way-- intellectually, socially, spiritually-- this is a great introduction to the Augustine Institute.”
       
—Madeline, Texas