2025 Humanitas Summer Symposium
2025 Humanitas Summer Conference
Before and Above All Things:
Christian Perspectives on Healthcare
Join the Portsmouth Institute for its 16th Annual Humanitas Summer Conference
June 13-14, 2025
Portsmouth Abbey
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Featuring Keynote Addresses by RJ Snell and Susan Holman with an evening concert by The Hillbilly Thomists.
Gather with like-minded friends for a memorable weekend of learning, fellowship, and prayer.
Participate in important conversations at the intersection of faith and culture with Catholics leaders and public intellectuals.
Experience the Benedictine life of hospitality, study, and prayer.
Examine the Catholic intellectual tradition in small-group discussion sessions with expert teachers and scholars from Portsmouth Abbey School and Providence College.
“Grow in knowledge and grace” among friends in a beautiful, convivial, and uplifting setting at Portsmouth Abbey, nestled along the coast of Rhode Island’s scenic Narragansett Bay.
Receive a beautiful copy of readings published by our partners at Cluny Media.
Portsmouth Institute members enjoy special perks, including priority seating and members-only events over the weekend.
No academic expertise is required, simply a “love of learning and desire for God.”
Keynote Speakers
R.J. Snell
Editor-in-Chief of Public Discourse and Director of Academic Programs at the Witherspoon Institute
Susan Holman
Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University
Featured Speakers
Tommy Heyne
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Nancy Heyne
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Leah Libresco Sargent
Author, The Dignity of Dependence
Christina Valenzuela
Founder of Pearl and Thistle
Gina Noia
Assistant Professor, Ethicist,
Providence College
Patrick Clark
Associate Professor, Moral Theologian,
University of Scranton
John Meinert
Associate Professor, Moral Theologian,
Benedictine College
Schedule
Friday, June 13
3:30 PM
Check in for Overnight Guests
5:00 PM
Registration and Opening Reception
6:00 PM
Dinner and Keynote Lecture by Susan Holman
8:00 PM
Evening Hospitality
Saturday, June 14
7:20 AM
Holy Mass Available
7:30 AM
Continental Breakfast Available
8:30 AM
Panel I: Christ-Centered Health: Past, Present, Future
9:45 AM
Refreshment Break
10:00 AM
Panel II: Healthcare and Christian Anthropology
11:15 AM
Breakout Discussion I
12:15 AM
Midday Prayer
12:30 PM
Buffet Lunch
1:45 PM
Panel III: Biomedical Ethics and Catholic Higher Education
3:00 PM
Breakout Discussion II
4:00 PM
Afternoon Leisure
4:15 PM
Vespers
5:00 PM
Vigil Mass
6:00 PM
Evening Reception
6:45 PM
Dinner and Keynote Lecture by RJ Snell
8:00 PM
Dessert Reception and Concert
*Schedule subject to change
Why this Theme?
The presence of Christ is discernible throughout The Rule of St. Benedict. As Esther de Waal puts it, “The Rule presents no abstract or remote theological treatise on God and his mysteries. Instead it is pervaded with the idea of sacramental encounter with Christ in the circumstances of daily life and in material things, but most particularly in people.” No clearer example of this idea occurs than the opening sentence of Chapter 36 of The Rule which instructs that “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly be served as Christ.” More than simply reflecting an ethical and spiritual maxim, the Benedictine call to care for the sick meant that, up until the 13th century, Benedictine monasteries were perhaps the most important sites for medical treatment and the dissemination of medical knowledge throughout Europe.
The call to care for the sick is no less a pressing issue today than it was in the 6th Century. In the wake of Covid-19, it is easy to discern that the impact of the pandemic went far beyond the disease itself, exposing more bluntly than ever before a range of healthcare crises: high costs, disparities in access, and staff shortages, just to name a few. In addition to these more systematic issues, questions concerning the status of medical knowledge, of power and authority, and of human dignity have also come to the fore.
In the spirit of our patron, Saint Benedict, and in response to the crisis of healthcare today, the Portsmouth Institute’s 2025 Humanitas Summer Symposium will convene leading scholars, public intellectuals, and leaders to explore the challenges of contemporary healthcare and to recommit ourselves to serve Christ by heeding the Benedictine call to care for the sick. Questions we will address include: How ought we as Catholics understand health and illness, healing and suffering? What is the relationship between human suffering and our relationship to God? What does it mean to care and what is our responsibility to each other? What role do the humanities play in deepening our understanding of disease and the human experience? What does it mean to be a Catholic healthcare professional and how might Catholic education better serve the healthcare professions?
In addition to keynote lectures and panel presentations, participants will discuss timeless ideas of the Catholic intellectual tradition and apply those ideas to contemporary challenges in breakout sessions led by faculty members from Portsmouth Abbey School and Providence College. Abundant hospitality and the Benedictine monastic liturgies of Portsmouth Abbey will nurture a joyful environment of learning, fellowship, and prayer.
How do I register?
A summer symposium full weekend pass costs $595 per person.
The fee covers materials, meals, cocktail receptions, and all lectures and seminars over the weekend.
Clergy, religious, Benedictine oblates, young professionals and teachers at Catholic schools enjoy a discounted rate of $250. Students are able to register using the student rate of $175 with scholarships available.
Portsmouth Institute members enjoy members-only gatherings during the conference. Learn more and become a member here.
Guest passes are available at $150 per ticket for guests who would like to attend the evening receptions and programs but are not attending the seminars.
There are a limited number of scholarships available. Please contact us for details at institute@portsmouthabbey.org.
Sponsorship Opportunities
The Portsmouth Institute welcomes individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing Catholic thought in contemporary culture to partner with us as sponsors of the 2025 Humanitas Summer Symposium. Those interested can email Executive Director, Darryl De Marzio, Ph.D., at institute@portsmouthabbey.org and look at our sponsorship opportunities: 2025 Humanitas Summer Symposium Sponsorship Packet.
Do you offer overnight accommodations?
Single Occupancy: $175/night | Double Occupancy: $225/night
Linens including sheets and pillow are provided. Please note that this is DORMITORY STYLE accommodations, with common bathrooms and dorm room furniture. If you prefer more comfortable accommodations, please see our hotel listing below.
If you choose to stay in the dormitories, we advise that you bring the following:
Blanket
Shower Caddy
Toiletries and soap
Bathrobe and sandals (common bathrooms on each floor)
Summer Symposium Cancellation Policy: For a full refund of tuition fees, please cancel with at least three weeks advance notice from the event’s date. We reserve the right to substitute speakers and/or cancel part of or the entire event due to circumstances beyond our control.
Sponsors
Hosted in Collaboration with the Providence College Humanities Program
