Summer Seminars for Undergraduate Students

June 7–10, 2023

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Applications open on January 15, 2023, and close on April 29, 2023
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 7–10th: 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.
Apply NOW

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.
Apply NOW
SACRED PAGE SEMINAR
This seminar is a concentrated experience of reading the Bible rigorously, thoughtfully, and faithfully.

Course Description

He Taught Them in Parables:  Jesus's Teaching in Luke
The parables of Jesus have captivated the imaginations of Christians—and many non-Christians—for two millennia. Many can recall quickly the basic story of the “Good Samaritan” or the “Prodigal Son.” Yet Jesus’s parables are meant not merely to captivate but to teach, not to be remembered simply as stories in their own right but within the context of the rest of Jesus’s ministry.

This year’s Sacred Page Seminar focuses on interpreting Jesus’s parables in the Gospel of Luke. We will consider what “parables” are and how they invite us to perceive truth. And, with the help of Pablo Gadenz’s recent commentary and select readings from the Church Fathers, we will delve into Christ’s parables in Luke to hear and understand his teachings about prayer, almsgiving, mercy, and repentance.
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JAMES PROTHRO
Assistant Professor of Theology and Sacred Scripture

Instructor

Dr. Prothro has taught a wide range of topics, especially in the New Testament,  and holds degrees in biblical languages, in classical Greek and Latin, and in theology.  He is engaged in thinking and writing about the life of the apostle Paul, biblical theology, and the doctrine of biblical inspiration and how it helps us understand how to read the Bible for all its worth.

Dr. Prothro earned his Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of Cambridge.
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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 open on January 15, 2023, and close on April 29, 2023. Interested students are encouraged to apply early as space is limited and students will be admitted on a rolling basis.
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“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
“The Augustine Institute City of God Seminar was an amazing look into St. Augustine’s rich and very culture-appropriate work.  I learned in a practical way how to begin applying Augustine’s teachings to address areas of improvement within my own spiritual life.  It was a unique opportunity to think seriously about formation past college and what the future could look like studying at the graduate level.  I would highly recommend!”
       
—Will, Wisconsin

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