2023–2024 Speakers

Leo Guardado, Ph.D.

Leo Guardado, Ph.D.

Bio

Guardado’s life experiences shape his pastoral, research, and teaching foci: sanctuary, healing, and nonviolence. When he was 9, civil war forced Guardado and his mother to migrate from El Salvador to Los Angeles, California, where he grew up. Guardado worked ecumenically in Arizona borderlands with communities committed to humanitarian and pastoral responses to persons in the process of migration, and then pursued Notre Dame’s interdisciplinary Ph.D. between the theology department and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Currently, he is assistant professor of theology at Fordham University, where his courses and publications give voice to forced migration as one of the most urgent issues facing us today.

Events: October 11-12, 2023

Church as Sanctuary: Healing Refuge in an Age of Forced Displacement
Lecture – Open to all
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 • 7 p.m.
Forum, Otto Shults Community Center

We Become Neighbors: Accompanying Migrants in the Borderlands
Student Workshop – Registration Required 
Thursday, October 12, 2023 • 4 p.m.
Medaille Hall, Formal Lounge

Robert Wicks, Psy.D.

Robert Wicks, Psy.D.

Bio

A doctorate in psychology from Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital prepared Wicks to develop expertise in the areas of resilience, self-care, integrating psychology and spirituality, and the prevention of secondary stress (the pressures encountered in reaching out to others) — topics he presents on internationally. Known for his work with relief workers responding to genocide, health care professionals working with military veterans, and communities shattered by violence, Wicks’ vocation is “to speak calm into chaos by individuals and groups experiencing great stress, anxiety and confusion.” He received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Counseling Association’s Division on Spirituality, Ethics, and Religious Values in Counseling.

 

Events: November 9-10, 2023

The Simple Care of a Hopeful Heart: Strengthening Your Inner Life in Challenging Times
Lecture – Open to all
Thursday, November 9, 2023 • 7 p.m.
Forum, Otto Shults Community Center

Mentoring Yourself in Uncertain Times: Enhancing Resilience, Compassion, and Mindfulness
Student Workshop – Registration Required 
Friday, November 10, 2023 • 2:30 – 4 p.m.
Forum, Otto Shults Community Center

Sophfronia Scott, M.F.A.

Sophfronia Scott, M.F.A.

Bio

Scott’s writing, both fiction and nonfiction, has captured the attention of readers across our nation. She began her career as an award-winning journalist for Time with “Twentysomething,” the groundbreaking cover story identifying the demographic group known as Generation X. Her first novel, All I Need to Get By, was nominated for best new author at the African American Literary Awards, and her book The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton received the International Thomas Merton Society Louie award. Founding director of Alma College’s MFA in Creative Writing, Sophfronia invites her students into a critical dialogue around her belief in friendship, love, and joy and her conviction that words can change minds.

Events: February 17-18, 2024

The Color of Thought and the Heart of Nonviolence: Developing a Personal Practice
Student Retreat - Registration Required
Saturday, February 17, 2024 • 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. with breakfast and lunch
Golisano Academic Center 151

Keep It Light, Keep It Moving: Riding a Wave of Joy to the Bright Shores of Change
Lecture – Open to all
Sunday, February 18, 2024 • 3 p.m.
Forum, Otto Shults Community Center

Sr. Lucy Kurien

Sr. Lucy Kurien

Bio

Keynote speaker for the 2023 Spiritual Directors International Essence Conference, Sr. Lucy Kurien began life far from such a prestigious setting. Born in the state of Kerala, India, with little access to education, Sr. Lucy moved at the age of 12 to Mumbai for a better education and at the age of 19 joined the Holy Cross congregation. Over time her desire to work directly with the poor grew. Traumatized by the death of a woman who had sought her help, Sr. Lucy founded “Mother’s Home”Ashram in 1997, despite few financial resources. Today “Mother’s Home” serves destitute women, children, and men, regardless of caste or religion, across three states in collaboration with the Interfaith Association for Service to Humanity and Nature, which Sr. Lucy founded in 2017.

Events: March 7-8, 2024

Walking Joyfully to Justice Together: The Story of the "Mother's Home" Ashram, India
Lecture – Open to all
Thursday, March 7, 2024 • 7 p.m.
Forum, Otto Shults Community Center

Serving Humanity & Nature Each Day: A Way of Life at the "Mother's Home" Ashram, India
Student Workshop – Registration Required
Friday, March 8, 2024 • 2:30 – 4 p.m.
Medaille Hall, Formal Lounge