In October, Sacred Heart Major Seminary will host an academic conference examining the theme of personhood and its meaning in the age of AI and other emerging technologies, and exploring the significance of God’s unique creation in the human person.

Following last fall’s successful academic conference, “Nicaea at 1700: The First Council and the Way Together,” this fall’s conference will be titled, “What Is Man That You Are Mindful of Him? Human Nature and Person Today,” and will take place Oct. 1-3.

“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 conference website explains. “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?”

Keynote lectures, as well as break-out sessions with presentations of academic papers on the theme, will offer valuable insights to attendees. 

“This conference gives us the ability to explore the nuances and consequences of Church doctrine — of the Church’s teaching about who the human person is and what human nature actually is — and the way this doctrine speaks to our culture,” said Dr. Kevin Clarke, dean of Sacred Heart’s Institute for Lay Ministry. 

The conference will bring together many voices, offering an array of viewpoints on an important subject, Dr. Clarke said.

“This allows us to see where the tensions are and where the conversation is not yet finished, so to speak,” Dr. Clarke said. “We also have doctoral students who will present papers at the conference, and so we get to hear students’ perspectives as well. The whole academic community will be represented.”

Keynote speakers include: 

• Theologian Dr. Angela Franks, associate professor of theology at The Catholic University of America. She is the author of “Body and Identity: A History of the Empty Self” (University of Notre Dame Press, 2025). Dr. Franks serves as the president of the Academy of Catholic Theology and will present her talk, “The Embodied Person as Both Liquid and Solid” at the conference.
• Philosopher Dr. David C. Schindler, professor of metaphysics and anthropology at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. Dr. Schindler will deliver a keynote titled, “Recalling the Heart of the Human Person.” He has published more than a dozen books, including “Retrieving Freedom: The Christian Appropriation of Classical Tradition” (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022).
• Theologian Dr. Michael Waldstein, professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Dr. Waldstein is the author of “Glory of the Logos in the Flesh: Saint John Paul’s Theology of the Body” (Catholic University of America Press, 2021), which built on his earlier work, “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body,” a scholarly translation of Pope St. John Paul II’s vision of the human person. At the conference, he will speak on "Person, Substance, and Relation: Philosophical and Theological Foundations."
  
   

“I’m really excited about these speakers,” Dr. Clarke said. “Each one is going to bring a dimension of his or her own work into the conversation that will be extremely edifying and challenging for our participants.” 

More than 25 break-out presenters will provide additional ideas and topics for attendees to consider and discuss.

In addition to the academic offerings, the three-day conference will include opportunities to socialize and share meals to foster dialogue and fellowship.

“The fellowship is part of the excitement of going to a conference, to have coffee and meals with professors and Sacred Heart faculty,” Dr. Clarke said. “Especially after the COVID pandemic, we’re realizing how important that fellowship is in academic life. To be leisurely in one another’s presence and talk about our ideas is a very enriching experience.”

To learn more and register

“What Is Man That You Are Mindful of Him? Human Nature and Person Today” is open to all ages and backgrounds. Young people, including college students and anyone with a desire to engage in thought and dialogue on the topic, are encouraged to attend.

To learn more about the speakers and register for the conference, visit https://www.eventcreate.com/e/whatisman. Cost is $200; register by June 30 for a $50 early bird discount.