Praxis Program 2023 Summer Workshop in Burgundy, France

This June 11-19th, the Praxis Program of the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership conducted its sixth Summer Workshop Abroad for faculty, in Paray-le-Monial, in the Burgundy region of France.  Now in its tenth year, the Praxis faculty development program is co-sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies. It consists of monthly meetings on topics relevant to the Catholic mission of the university and its integration, and a workshop abroad in the summer.  Seventeen faculty and administrators participated in the workshop, including the Vice-President for Mission and Ministry, Rev. Colin Kay M.Div., along with colleagues from other Praxis-modeled programs at Boston College and St. Mary’s University, San Antonio.

The week-long workshop, with the theme, “Educating for Cosmopolis: Mediating Mission and the University Culture,” was led by Praxis Program Director, Linda Garofalo, and Co-Director, Danute Nourse. It consisted of lectures and discussion on the theme, based on the philosophical and theological work of Bernard Lonergan which reflects the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and included opportunities for spiritual exploration and refreshment.  The workshop objectives were to explore the integration of Lonergan’s Generalized Empirical Method (GEM) and the University’s mission, as well as the role of the supernatural values of faith, hope and charity in the participants’ life and work.

Daily sessions included lectures by Patrick Byrne, Professor Emeritus, Philosophy Department, Boston College; James Greenaway, San Jose–Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy, St. Mary’s University; and Gregory Floyd, Faculty, Department of the Core and Director, Center for Catholic Studies, Seton Hall University, along with Robert White, Director of the Academie Cor Iesu.

In addition to the workshop, the program offered an immersion experience in the spirituality of Paray-le-Monial, the center of the Sacred Heart devotion, and the third most visited pilgrimage site in France after Lourdes and Lisieux.  It was there that the Sacred Heart of Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675, and our visit coincided with the annual feast day on June 16, presided over by the Bishop of Autun, Mgr. Benoit Riviere.  Thousands came to the outdoor Mass and procession through the cloistered gardens of the Sisters of the Visitation.  

Workshop participants also enjoyed the local Burgundy culture, its extraordinary food and wine, and tours of sites in Autun and Taize, as well as the renowned vineyards.  The group was welcomed at a reception by the Mayor, M. Jean-Marc Desme, who described the history of the town and the special message of the Sacred Heart to the world. The farewell dinner included the Chairman of the Board of the Academie Cor Iesu, M. Eric Chevalier.

For more than fifteen years, Seton Hall has partnered with Professor Robert White, of the Academie Cor Iesu, based in Paray-le-Monial, to create and implement extraordinary study trips abroad for faculty, students, and Boards with experiential, theological and historical emphasis.

For more information on the Academie Cor Iesu, please visit the link here. 

Categories: Education