Dear friends,

Greetings from Hyde Park in Chicago!

It’s Kevin Considine again. I think I have figured out the monthly newsletter model. It takes time and practice. Keeping my fingers crossed and lighting some candles.

As July is here, there are several things to tell you about. First, I joined a team of excellent colleagues for a roundtable presentation on June 24th about small church communities and trauma healing.

Second, I would like to introduce you to Kevin O'Gorman, the inaugural St. Gaspar scholar pursuing the Certificate in Reconciliation and Restorative Justice at CTU. Third, a group of CTU students and faculty embarked on the second Pilgrimage for Racial Justice and several RRJ students participated. Recent RRJ grad, Maura Rocks, offers a reflection below. Finally, my new book is being published this Fall and the Book Launch will be on October 20th.

As summer continues, I will keep you posted with updates and developments from the Schreiter Institute. And, if you are in Chicago on July 26th, there is a powerful event taking place (and it's free!) Please have a look at the sites of the Precious Blood Family Members linked below. And, as always, please reach out to me with any questions, comments, or suggestions: kconsidine@ctu.edu

Sincerely,

Kevin



FREEDOM TO HEAL:

SMALL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES AND TRAUMA HEALING

Presentation to 2025 Annual Meeting of American Academy of Religion: June Online Sessions

Kevin was one of four experts who presented on on the perils and possibilities of trauma-healing occurring through small Christian communities, along with:

Stephanie Edwards

The Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium

Carina Yépez,

School of the Art Institute of Chicago,

National Museum of Mexican Art ,

and Firebird Community Arts

Callid Keefe-Perry,

Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry

Our group looked at how theology, ethics, the arts, and spirituality help with understanding the difficult relationship between trauma healing and building small ecclesial communities. Kevin based his talk on his forthcoming book, Analogy of the Wound (Bloomsbury/T&T Clark 2025), Stephanie based her talk on her book, Enfleshed Counter-Memory (Orbis 2024), and Carina based her talk on her series, Mujeres, currently being installed at the Art Institute of Chicago. Callid responded to the presentations based on his own work in moral injury, creativity, and aesthetics and facilitated conversation with the audience. The point of the roundtable was to better understand different ways suffering and affliction show up in daily life and the challenges and opportunities for small church communities to become spaces for healing.

WELCOME TO KEVIN O'GORMAN

--INAUGURAL ST. GASPAR SCHOLAR TO PURSUE RRJ CERTIFICATE !

Kevin O’Gorman has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the St. Gaspar Scholarship in Precious Blood Spirituality at Catholic Theological Union. The award is given to a lay student pursuing a master’s degree with a focus on reconciliation and restorative justice. Sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, U.S. Province, this competitive scholarship is designed for individuals committed to the theological and pastoral dimensions of Precious Blood spirituality. We look forward to working with him beginning in the Fall.

CTU PILGRIMAGE FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

The Schreiter Institute has collaborated with Catholic Theological Union in a supporting role to help organize CTU's Pilgrimage for Racial Justice. The "test run" was in Spring 2024 and in Spring 2025 it became a May-term immersion course under the guidance of faculty member, Dr. C. Vanessa White.

Recent MA/MDiv/RRJ grad Maura Rocks wrote about her experience of the pilgrimage to Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, AL with a cohort of CTU students. In this reflection, she connects her experience of pilgrimage to social healing. You can also watch CTU's Instagram Reel about it and read Pathways@CTU Director, Dr. Karen Ross's article about her experience

Kevin's new book arrives this Fall! There will be a book launch (in-person and on Zoom) on Monday October 20th at 12pm CST. Join us for a lunch conversation and book discounts. Kevin will briefly talk about the book, and responses will be offered by Steve Bevans SVD and Karen Elliott CPPS. And then we all will eat and chat. Stay tuned for more info, including how to register.

Community Event in Chicago!

7th Annual Historic Bike Tour of Bronzeville and Bridgeport: Sites Related to the 1919 Chicago Race Riot

Join The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CRR19), Organic Oneness, Illinois Tech, and supporting partners on Saturday, July 26th, 2024 at 35th and State Parking lot for the 6th annual CRR19 Bike Tour. Check-in will be from 9:15am - 9:45am. Tour departs at 10am.

View the first five embedded glass markers, created by our art studio partner, Firebird Community Arts, near our launch location at 35th and State.

Following check-in and opening remarks from our partners and elected officials, the 2-hour bike tour will travel through the Bronzeville and Bridgeport neighborhoods. On the bike tour, you will learn about the history of Eugene Williams and how his unjust racist killing sparked the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 - the worst incident of racial violence in City history and among twenty-five such incidents across the nation that came to be known as the Red Summer.

After the ride, you will enjoy a free lunch, music, and opportunity to engage with local organizations and resources tables.

The event is free with an option for donations.

Precious Blood Spirituality

Precious Blood Spirituality forms the soul of the Schreiter Institute. Do you want to hear more on how it has been understood through Scripture in the past year?

Check out the weekly Wednesday Whispers and the Resources on the Precious Blood Spirituality Institute's Website