“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” These wise words from philosopher priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin embody the annual summer Saint Martin’s University Spiritual Life Institute.
Founded in 1982 by beloved Saint Martin’s Professor Fr. Kilian Malvey, O.S.B., the series is now facilitated by Associate Prof. Ian Werrett, Ph.D., a member of the university’s religious studies faculty. The Institute is offered as an undergraduate course in religious studies, for continuing education credit and for members of the community. The 2015 Institute will be July 6-10 on the Saint Martin’s University campus.
This year, the speakers showcase ‘Illustrated Manuscripts, Scribal Practices and the Transmission of Scripture.’ Guest speakers Stephen Delamarter, Ph.D., Hanna Tervanotko, Ph.D., and Katie Bugyis, P.D., will spotlight many diverse global and historical traditions of written scripture.
They will delve into the roles people have played in producing Scripture — its writing, editing and copying – and the various ways in which their activity is reflected in scribal practices, as well as the material evidence that remains. “Each of our speakers approach the daily subtopics from a slightly different angle, and the result is often quite dynamic and powerful,” Werrett says of the Institute’s format. “This year, we have speakers who are experts in Ethiopic scribal practices, medieval Catholicism and ancient Judaism. A program like the Spiritual Life Institute provides residents with a rare opportunity to be exposed to a variety of ideas and concepts that they wouldn’t ordinarily encounter; whether a person of faith or not, attendees will find the discussions to be enlightening, challenging and relevant.”
Despite its academic-sounding title, the Spiritual Life Institute is open to everyone, regardless of faith, background, or education level. In recent years, the Institute has drawn approximately “two-thirds undergraduate students and one-third continuing education students,” Werrett says. “The mix of traditional students and continuing education students provides a nice balance and can, on occasion, stimulate some very interesting conversations.”
Enrollment can be for one day or the entire week, further facilitating the Institute’s ability to draw people from a wide spectrum of viewpoints. Forms are available online here.
Previous years’ topics have addressed subjects such as “For God and Glory: The Religion of Sports,” “Putting Children and Families First” and “The Crisis in American Health Care: What Price Is Justice?”
Franklin Roosevelt once said, “There are as many opinions as there are experts.” This is especially true when studying thousands of years of scriptural tradition.”
Competently addressing such issues is no easy task. “One of the things folks probably don’t know is that we have regularly brought leading experts to the University. Some of these people, like Reza Aslan, Charles Kimball, Amy-Jill Levine, and George Nickelsburg, are internationally recognized scholars and are frequent guests on news programs and talk shows,” Werrett says. “It is a real treat for our students to be exposed to so many well-known public intellectuals, and we have been quite fortunate to have these scholars agree to join us over the years.”
Werrett is proud that “to my knowledge, there is no other program like the Spiritual Life Institute being offered in the Puget Sound region.”
There is no deadline to register for this event, and continuing education credit is available. The Institute is $40/day or $200 for the entire week for those enrolling for continuing education credit. Details about academic or CE credit can be found here.
Questions can be directed to Werrett by calling 360-438-4290 or emailing iwerrett@stmartin.edu.
