Online For Alumni For Clergy General Audience

The Synod on Synodality is an initiative of the Catholic church aimed at fostering a more inclusive and participatory church. Convened by Pope Francis in 2021, it is a multi-year process that seeks to engage all members of the church—laypeople, clergy, and religious alike—in a deep reflection on how the church can better listen, dialogue, and collaborate at all levels.

In anticipation of the closing of the Synod on Synodality on October 27, the Fons Vitae Initiative at Duke Divinity invites you to join a webinar to explore the theology of synodality, the local reception of synodality, and the prospects and challenges of ecumenical participation in the Synod on Synodality.

Presenters

Kristen Colberg Headshot
Kristin Colberg, PhD
Associate Professor of Theology, St. John’s University and School of Theology, College of Saint Benedict

Kristin Colberg is an associate professor of theology at Saint John’s University and School of Theology and the College of Saint Benedict. Her research and writing focus on questions related to ecclesiology and ecumenism. She has been appointed by the Vatican as a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and the theological commission supporting the Synod on Synodality. She lives in Saint Joseph, Minnesota with her husband, Shawn, and two daughters, Mary Clare and Catherine.

Alessandro Rovati
Alessandro Rovati, PhD
Associate Professor of Theology, Belmont Abbey College

Alessandro Rovati is Department Chair and Associate Professor of Theology at Belmont Abbey College, where he also serves as the Director of the Diaconal Formation Program. He is the Synod Coordinator for the Diocese of Charlotte, has led the association for early-career moral theologians New Wine New Wineskins, and now convenes “The Art and Practice of Teaching Theology” section of the College Theology Society. A member of the Journal of Moral Theology’s Editorial Board, Dr. Rovati’s scholarship focuses on Christian Ethics, Moral Theology, and Catholic Social Teaching, but his interests and writing go beyond those fields. His work has appeared, among others, in the Journal of Moral Theology, Newman Review, Quaestiones Disputatae, and the Church Life Journal.

Elizabeth Newman
Elizabeth Newman, PhD
Adjunct Professor of Theology, Baptist House of Studies, Duke Divinity School

Elizabeth Newman is Adjunct Professor of Theology at Duke University Divinity School and teaches in The Baptist House of Studies, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, VA.  She began her teaching career at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN (1990–2002) before joining the faculty of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (2002–2019) where she served as the Eula Mae and John Baugh Professor of Theology and Ethics. Her most recent book is Living the Liturgy, Enlarging the Baptist Vision (Baylor, 2024). She currently serves as Chair of the Baptist World Alliance Commission on Baptist Doctrine and Christian Unity and is the BWA Fraternal Delegate to the Synod on Synodality.

Peter Casarella outdoors next to a table with books
Peter Casarella, PhD
Professor of Theology, Duke Divinity School; Executive Director, Fons Vitae

Peter Casarella is Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School; he is also Executive Director of the new Catholic initiative at Duke Divinity, Fons Vitae. Peter’s research focuses on systematic theology, as well as world religions and world church. He served as president of The American Cusanus Society, The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians in the U.S., and the Academy of Catholic Theologians. In 2022, Professor Casarella received the Virgilio Elizondo Award from the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States for his research and critical theological reflection on Hispanic/Latino presence in the U.S. Catholic Church.

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