Resident scholars engage in a wide variety of research with intellectual commitments that broadly fall under the category “ecumenical and cultural.” Recent scholars have studied and written on numerous topics, including: attention, work and well-being; end-of-life health care issues; the writings of the Apostle Paul in light of ancient sports; a translation of Yves Congar’s True and False Reform in the Church; the spiritual journey of a parent accompanying a transgender child; and a theology of Old Testament prophets.
Oriented to Christian faith, ecumenically understood, the Institute also welcomes applicants from other religious traditions.
Resident Scholar Commitments:
- Weekly Seminar: Each week, two hours are reserved for scholars to present and discuss their work with each other. Each scholar presents his/her work during one seminar each semester.
- Worship Leader: Each weekly seminar begins with worship. Each scholar is responsible for leading worship once during the semester. If a resident scholar is uncomfortable with this role, other arrangements can be made.
- Monday Lunches: The scholars, staff, and monastic liaisons from Saint John’s Abbey gather on the first Monday of each month over a brown-bag lunch for informal conversation.
- Public Contribution: Each resident scholar offers a public contribution to the intellectual life of Saint John’s University and/or Abbey, the College of Saint Benedict, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, the local/regional community, or the reading public on a topic related to his or her expertise. This may be a typical university lecture, a panel presentation, an information luncheon conversation, an interview with the Collegeville Institute staff, an article for Bearings Online to be posted on the Collegeville Institute website, or any other agreed upon format. If invited by faculty members, resident scholars are expected to be available to give up to, but no more than, three classroom presentations per semester at CSB/SJU. There is no remuneration for these public contributions or classroom presentations.In addition to these commitments, resident scholars and their families are invited to gather at the Butler Center on a weekly basis for a meal and socializing.
