“What Is Man That You Are Mindful of Him?”
Human Nature and Person Today
October 1-3, 2026
Call for Papers
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.
Human Person and Nature 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), 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), and 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).
The conference will feature several sets of concurrent break-out sessions. Scholars are encouraged to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words exploring the theme of the conference through the lens of their own research. Following the conference, break-out session presenters will be invited to submit their work for consideration to a conference proceedings publication.
Deadline for submission: February 1, 2026
To submit an abstract or for more information, please email [email protected].