“What Is Man That You Are Mindful of Him?” Human Nature and Person Today
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Date: October 1 - 3, 2026
Location: Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Location: Sacred Heart Major Seminary
With the dogmas of the Trinity and Incarnation, Christianity brought to the fore the notion of
“personhood” as a thematic subject of reflection and exploration. The notion of personhood not only illuminates the nature of the Godhead and of Jesus Christ, but also sheds light upon the human person. What are we to make of advances in technology and artificial intelligence, which seem to threaten human dignity and thereby give one pause to ask anew: what makes human beings not something to be surpassed to make room for the “posthuman,” but truly the pinnacle of creation, made in imago Dei? Sacred Heart Major Seminary’s annual conference aims to explore this question.
“personhood” as a thematic subject of reflection and exploration. The notion of personhood not only illuminates the nature of the Godhead and of Jesus Christ, but also sheds light upon the human person. What are we to make of advances in technology and artificial intelligence, which seem to threaten human dignity and thereby give one pause to ask anew: what makes human beings not something to be surpassed to make room for the “posthuman,” but truly the pinnacle of creation, made in imago Dei? Sacred Heart Major Seminary’s annual conference aims to explore this question.
Featuring
Human Nature and Person Today will feature keynote lectures from:
Dr. Angela Franks, Associate Professor of Theology, Catholic University of America, author of Body and Identity: A History of the Empty Self (University of Notre Dame Press, 2025), speaking on "The Embodied Person as Both Liquid and Solid."
Dr. David C. Schindler, Professor of Metaphysics and Anthropology, Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, author of Retrieving Freedom: The Christian Appropriation of Classical Tradition (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022), speaking on "Recalling the Heart of the Human Person."
Dr. Michael Waldstein, Professor of Theology, Franciscan University of Steubenville, author of Glory of the Logos in the Flesh: Saint John Paul’s Theology of the Body (Catholic University of America Press, 2021),speaking on "Person, Substance, and Relation: Philosophical and Theological Foundations."
The conference will feature several sets of break-out sessions. Following the conference, break-out session presenters will be invited to submit their work for a conference proceedings publication.
The conference will feature several sets of break-out sessions. Following the conference, break-out session presenters will be invited to submit their work for a conference proceedings publication.
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