July 13–15 OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT Hanceville, AL

Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 1 7/3/18 2:40 PM Table of Contents

Welcome...... 1

Map of the Shrine...... 2

Summit Schedule ...... 4

Workshop Descriptions...... 6

Speakers ...... 9

About the Avila Institute...... 12

Avila Summit Co-sponsors ...... 13

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Welcome to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the inaugural Avila Summit . On behalf of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, and the entire Avila team who have worked tirelessly with God’s help to serve you, I wish you a very pleasant stay and a fruitful retreat . In order to ensure a peaceful and holy atmosphere for you and all pilgrims, and to honor the norms of the shrine, we ask you to please maintain a spirit of quiet reverence throughout the grounds . While in the Main Church and Lower Crypt Church, please observe complete silence . Given the heat, we encourage you to dress comfortably, but modestly . The Shrine operates on the Vatican standard so please avoid sleeveless tops, tank tops, shorts, or mini-skirts/skirts above the knee . Ladies may wear slacks or jeans . Water is available throughout the Summit in multiple locations . Please stay hydrated . To properly honor the Lord and our hosts, please remain after Mass in the Main Church until the Blessed Sacrament has been exposed and the Nuns have finished singing. We have a photography and video crew covering the entire conference; apart from them, please refrain from taking pictures or video inside the Main Church and Lower Crypt Church . There are many lovely pictures and postcards which you may purchase at the Gift Shop of El Niño in Castle San Miguel . You are welcome to take pictures anywhere else on the grounds and we encourage you to share your experiences at the Summit with your friends and through social media . Staff members wearing brown lanyards are here to serve you . Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of them at any time if anything can be done to make your experience better . Most importantly, we have surrounded this Summit in prayer from its inception . As you read this, the religious housed within these are offering their prayers of adoration for you . Please immerse your time at the Avila Summit in prayer and try to disconnect, drawing your heart to our Lord . Make time for adoration, silence, and contemplation . God’s providence has been apparent to us in our preparation for the Summit, and it is no mere coincidence that He has chosen you to be here . He has promised that as you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you . It is our worship of Him—our very life in Him—that God will use to animate our culture . May this Summit be a time of renewal and inspiration for you . Yours in Christ,

Dan Burke | President and Founder | A vila Foundation Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation SpiritualDirection com. Divine Intimacy Radio

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1. Main Church 3. S hroud of Turin From the inlaid and Lower Church marble to • Shroud of the breathtaking Turin Replica nearly eight-foot • Lower Crypt monstrance, ev- Church ery detail of the • Sitting Area Temple leads • Restrooms the soul to contemplate the transcendent 4. D ivine Child beauty of God . Monument The monstrance • Divine Child is the sacred vessel which holds the Jesus statue Consecrated Host of the Most Holy • Engraving Eucharist, which faith tells us is really, of the verse truly, and substantially the Body, of Isaiah Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord 11:6 in four Jesus Christ . languages, representing the countries of origin of the Temple’s artisans and materials 2. Reception Area • Information 5. Desk • St. Joseph’s • 14 Stations Sitting of the Cross • Entrance into • Larger-than- Main Church life Crucifix • Saint Joseph’s • Seating along the • Restrooms sides

A) St . Gabriel , St . Raphael Hall, St . Michael Hall, and the are located in Castle San Miguel . St . Raphael Hall Annex is off of St . Raphael Hall .

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6. Crèche 9. wheelchairs • Life-size • Available near the parking lot Nativity Scene • The Shrine grounds are wheelchair • Holy Water accessible Fonts • Votive Candles 10. T en Commandments and 8 Beatitudes 7. Castle San Miguel Two stone monuments of the Ten • Gift Shop of El Commandments and the 8 Beatitudes Niño • Pilgrimage Offices (Tours) 11. John Paul II • Restrooms Eucharistic Center • Conference • Guided Tours: Mon.–Sat. 10:30 am, • Downstairs Sat. 2:00 pm Dining Facility (no • Learn more about the Most Holy restaurant on the Eucharist grounds) in Scrip- ture and 8. Stations of the Most History Holy Eucharist A walking path with 12. Lourdes Grotto twelve Scriptural • Replica of Grotto in France events which show • Votive the Eucharist from Candles Old Testament • Benches & sign, to New Testa- Restrooms ment Sacrament fulfilled in the Heavenly Banquet.

B) St . Joseph’s Room is located near the Reception Area and Holy Family Room is right past the Reception Area information desk .

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 3 7/3/18 2:41 PM F riday Schedule 2:30–5:00 PM S T . Gabriel Hall . . . . Conference Registration Great Hall ...... Exhibitor Booths Open Grounds ...... Open for Touring 4:30 PM Main Church ...... Confessions Available 5:00 PM ST . RaPhael Hall . . . Dinner Served 6:00 PM ST . Gabriel Hall . . . . Conference Opening – with Fr . Bryan Jerabek (on behalf of Bishop Robert Baker) and Dan Burke

6:30 PM ST . Gabriel Hall . . . Keynote Address 1: The Importance of Personal Prayer – Cardinal Francis Arinze 7:45 PM Main Church ...... Compline 8:30 PM ST . Michael Hall . . . Cocktail Hour and Birra Nursia Tasting with Fr . Cassian Folsom, O .S .B . (Ticketed attendees with teal lanyards only, please) Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament open to all in main church until 10:00 PM S aturday Schedule 6:15 AM ST . RaPhael Hall . . . Coffee and Tea Available 7:00 AM Main Church ...... Holy Mass – Cardinal Francis Arinze

8:00 AM Main Church ...... Keynote Address 2: A Eucharistic Participation in the Sacred Liturgy – Cardinal Francis Arinze 8:45 AM Main Church Steps . . Group Photo with All Summit Attendees 9:00 AM ST . RaPhael Hall . . . Continental Breakfast GREAT HALL ...... Exhibitor Booths Open Main Church ...... Confessions Available 10:15 AM ST . Gabriel Hall . . . . Lauds 10:30 AM ST . Gabriel Hall . . . . Presentation—High Calling: A New Beginning for Priestly Formation – Mrs . Stephanie Burke and Dr . Anthony Lilles

11:15 AM Breakout Session 1: (Please choose one of the sessions below) ST . Gabriel Hall . . . . Receptivity and the Contemplative Life – Dr . Pia de Solenni ST . Michael Hall . . . Cultivating Culture – Christopher Carstens ST . Joseph’S Room . . Tradition, Betrayal, and the Beloved – John Johnson Holy Family Room . . High Calling: On Priestly Formation – Dr . Anthony Lilles and Dan Burke (Seminarians, Vocations Directors, and Clergy only, please)

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 4 7/3/18 2:41 PM 12:15 PM Breakout Leaders Close Sessions with Angelus 12:30 PM ST . RaPhael Hall ...... Lunch Served Great Hall ...... Exhibitor Booths Open Main Church ...... Confessions and Adoration Available until 2:00 PM 1:00–2:00 PM Castle San Miguel ...... Book Signing in the Gift Shop of El Niño with Dan Burke, Christopher Carstens, and Dr . Anthony Lilles (Books will be available for purchase in the Gift Shop of El Niño)

2:00 PM ST . Gabriel Hall ...... Keynote Address 3: Participation and Contemplation – Dan Burke

3:15 PM Breakout Session 2: (Please choose one session below) ST . Gabriel Hall ...... Liturgy . Family . Culture . – Dr . Pia de Solenni ST . Joseph Room ...... Saving Beauty – John Johnson ST . Michael Hall ...... Eucharistic Contemplation: From Adoration to the Praise of Glory – Dr . Anthony Lilles 5:00 PM ST . Gabriel Hall ...... Vespers 5:30 PM ST . RaPhael Hall ...... Dinner Served

7:00 PM ST . Gabriel Hall ...... Keynote Address 4: Cultus and Culture: The Monastic Experience – Fr . Cassian Folsom, O .S .B ,. Followed by Q and A 9:00 PM Main Church ...... Compline Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament open to all in main church until 10:00 PM S unday Schedule 7:00 AM ST . RaPhael Hall ...... Continental Breakfast ST . RaPhael Hall Annex . . Vocations Directors and Seminarians Invited to Convene for Breakfast 8:00 AM ST . Gabriel Hall ...... Lauds

8:30 AM ST . Gabriel Hall ...... Keynote Address 5: Sanctity’s Source and Summit: Praying the Mass – Christopher Carstens 10:00 AM ST . Gabriel Hall ...... Transforming the Culture – Dan Burke and John Johnson 12:00 PM Main Church ...... Holy Mass 1:00 PM Summit Dismissal with Lunches-to-Go Available in the Piazza

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 5 7/3/18 2:41 PM Descriptions

Breakout session 1 – Saturday, 11:15 AM

Receptivity And the Contemplative Life – Dr. Pia de Solenni Receptivity to Christ, the Truth, is a constitutive aspect of the mystical union . Only through a habitual disposition of receptivity to the real can we organically—and dynamically—transform a broken world . As such, the true place and charism of women in the Body of Christ is desperately beseeching the attention of the modern Catholic . What exactly is a woman’s role in the Church? And how can she serve as a model of contemplation that is truly informative to culture? ST . Gabriel Hall

Cultivating Culture – Christopher Carstens Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy sought to balance the “substantial unity of the Roman Rite” with “legitimate variations” found in the many cultures in which the Church lives . But such harmony has been—and continues to be—hard to achieve. This workshop clarifies the meaning of “culture” and “inculturation,” and how the Church’s worship affects our world—and vice versa . ST . Michael Hall

Tradition, Betrayal, and the Beloved – John Johnson In an age of apparent confusion and disagreement even among Church hier- archy on a number of fundamental matters, how exactly should the lay Catholic respond? As it turns out, the modern controversies aren’t as entirely modern as they seem . St . John the Evangelist, through his penetrating insight into our Lord’s Heart, as well as his unique perspective on the treachery of Judas Iscariot, has provided the Church with a perennial guide to actually benefiting from apostolic betrayal . Only by learning this secret of the Beloved Disciple can the faithful discover peace in chaotic times, fruitfully assist in the renewal of culture, and, most importantly, bring consolation to Christ who so thirsts for our unity in His saving hour . ST . Joseph’s Room

High Calling: on Priestly Formation – Dr. Anthony Lilles and Dan Burke Seminarians, Vocations Directors, and Clergy only please How can we best serve men discerning a priestly vocation? This interactive discussion will unpack the mandate set forth in Pope Francis’ Ratio Fundamen- talis to provide a preliminary propaedeutic year of formation prior to men entering the seminary . Together, we will discuss challenges as well as the options for best responding to this call . Holy Family Room

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 6 7/3/18 2:41 PM workshop Descriptions

Breakout Session 2 – 3:15 PM

Liturgy. Family. Culture. – Dr. Pia de Solenni As goes the family, so goes the culture . And as goes the liturgy, so goes the family . While this progression is evident, the reverse is also true: a healthy culture produces healthy families . And these families, in turn, enrich parishes . What exactly is the relationship between the three spheres, and how can they enrich one another? This workshop will provide practical takeaways for effective cross-pollination of the world—paying special attention to the evangelical importance of the family . ST . Gabriel Hall

Saving Beauty – John Johnson Beauty is the spark that awakens the human person to the Divine . As St . John Paul II wrote in his Letter to the Artists, “Beauty saves…beauty is a key to the mystery and a call to transcendence ”. Yet as a culture, and even as Catholics, we have all but forsaken beauty and denied its integral role in the development of the human person . From to music, we seem to have lost a taste for the beautiful . We “love what is futile and seek what is false ”. As a consequence, souls have been repelled from the Church en masse . If beauty is going to save us—then we have to save beauty…quickly . This workshop will be a hands-on crash course in the fine art of reintroducing a wayward culture to the “ever ancient, ever new,” God of beauty . ST . Joseph’s Room

Eucharistic Contemplation: from Adoration to the Praise of Glory – Dr. Anthony Lilles The gift of the Eucharist is essential for the mystical life of the Church . It is the source and summit of the life of prayer and devotion to Christ . This gift also animates the mercy that Christians are called to share . This is because, in the wisdom of the saints, the real presence of Christ in this Sacrament opens horizons of communion, adoration, contemplation and mission to the world. ST . Michael Hall

Save the Date

We have decided to make this an annual event . Please save the date for next year’s Avila Summit, July 12–14, 2019—right here at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament .

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Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was born on November 1, 1932 in Eziowelle, a city of the Archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria. Ordained a priest in 1958, he taught liturgy, logic, and philosophy at Bigard Memorial Seminary at Enugu. On August 29, 1965 he was consecrated bishop. Only two years after he was asked to take over the pastoral government of the archdiocese, and on June 26, 1967 he was named archbishop. Serving as the Archbishop of Onitsha until April 1985, his duties included serving as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and President Delegate of the 11th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. During Lent of 2009 he was called to preach the spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia and Pope Benedict XVI.

Father Cassian Folsom, O.S.B., is a scholar of sacred music and liturgy, a cancer survivor, and the founder and prior emeritus of the Monks of Norcia. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1955, Fr. Cassian studied music before joining the monastic community of Saint Meinrad in 1974. He founded his monastic community in Rome in 1998 and transferred it to the birthplace of Saints Benedict and Scholastica, Norcia, Italy, in the year 2000. Over the last 15 years, the Monastery di San Benedetto has grown, bursting at the seams by attracting new vocations and pilgrims from around the world. The monks are perhaps best known for brewing Birra Nursia (worthy of having been served in the last papal conclave!), recording a recently released chart-topping album of Marian chant, and being featured in Rod Dreher’s book, The Benedict Option. In the Summer of 2016, a devastating series of Earthquakes destroyed the Basilica and monastery in Norcia. All of the monks survived and have since been working tirelessly to rebuild their new . Fr. Cassian recently retired as prior but continues to serve the community and teach liturgy at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm in Rome. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI named Father Cassian as a consulter to the Congregation on Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 9 7/3/18 2:46 PM Dan Burke is the President of the Avila Foundation, Executive Director of EWTN’s National Catholic Register, an international speaker, and award winning author/editor of more than ten books on Catholic spirituality . He is the host of EWTN’s Divine Intimacy Radio, a frequent radio and television guest, retreat master, and founder of the award-winning site dedicated to Catholic spirituality, SpiritualDirection . com . Dan lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with his wife, Stephanie and children .

Dr. Anthony Lilles completed his graduate and post-graduate studies in Rome at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas . Living in Oxnard, California with his wife Agnes, they are blessed to be parents of three young adults . Dr . Lilles also serves as Academic Dean of Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California and Academic Advisor of Juan Diego of Priestly Formation for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles . Having taught graduate level theology for over 20 years, Dr. Lilles is specialized in Spiritual Theology, Spiritual Direction, and various classics of Catholic Spirituality . His expertise is in the spiritual doctrine of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and the Carmelite Doctors of the Church: St . Teresa of Avila, St . John of the Cross, and St . Thérèse of Lisieux . He’s the author of Fire From Above, published by Sophia Institute Press, Living the Mystery of Merciful Love: 30 Days with Thérèse of Lisieux and 30 days with Theresa of Avila—both published by Emmaus Road .

Dr. Pia de Solenni is an internationally recognized Catholic theologian and speaker . Her work has appeared in The Street Journal, The Washington Post, and National Catholic Register; she has appeared on CNN, ABC News, and other television programs . Solenni is an alumna of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum where she earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology. On November 8, 2001, she received the 2001 Award of the Pontifical Academies for her doctoral work . The award was presented by John Paul II . Dr . de Solenni has served on the Family Research Council . She has a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome . She is currently the chancellor of the Diocese of Orange and speaks around the world on a variety of subjects .

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 10 7/3/18 2:41 PM Christopher Carstens is Director of the Office for Sacred Worship in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, a visiting faculty member at the Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, and editor of the Adoremus Bulletin. He is author of A Devotional Journey into the Mass (Sophia Institute Press) and, along with Father Douglas Martis, the co-author of Mystical Body, Mystical Voice: Encountering Christ in the Words of the Mass (Liturgy Training Publications). He lives in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, with his wife and eight children.

John Johnson is the Associate Director of the Avila Institute. A graduate of the philosophy program at St. Mary’s College of California, he also holds a Master’s Degree in theology from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, where his thesis focused on the role of passion in beatific epistemology according to St. Thomas Aquinas. For over a decade he served at the parish level as a Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Sacramento. John enjoys teaching courses in the Avila Institute’s School of Spiritual Formation including Intro to Moral Theology, Contemplative Prayer and the Beloved Disciple, and Contemplative Prayer and the Angelic Doctor. John has spoken at Catholic retreats and events across the country. He and his wife, Alexandria, have three children: Mary, Agnes, and John Jr.

Special Thanks

Many staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to make the Avila Summit a reality. We wish to thank especially Debbie Aguiar, Kristin Aebli, Stephanie Burke, Josh Meeker, Maggie Herd, Jordan Burke, Ariel McKinney, Suzanne Hurtig, and all of the Apostoli Viae volunteers who were willing to go the extra mile to build the Avila Summit into something pleasing to the Lord. Most of all, we thank every one of our Summit attendees. It is remarkable that in year one the Summit is completely full. Thank you for taking a chance and accepting the call to be here. We cannot overstate our gratitude for you. Be assured of our prayers for you and your families as you go forth.

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 11 7/3/18 2:52 PM A b o u t the Avila Institute

Under the patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the mission of the Avila Institute is to draw Christians worldwide into deeper union with Christ through mystagogically oriented spiritual education and formation . Serving thousands of Catholics in over 70 countries, the Avila Institute provides a rich program of synchronous formation to lay faithful, priests, and religious that is drawn from the depths of the Church’s mystical patrimony . Offered by top-rate Catholic faculty hand picked for their theological acumen as well as their love for souls, courses are not only online and accessible, but live and interactive—cultivating in students a deep and living encounter with Christ and one another . The Avila Institute’s mission includes a radical commitment to serve the faithful poor to whom, along with priests and religious, all courses and events are provided freely .

In 2017 The Avila Institute undertook a response to the ratio issued by Pope Francis that called for an additional year of formation prior to young men entering the seminary . After a pilot year in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles that, with God’s help, exceeded all expectations, the Avila Institute’s High Calling program is now expanding to seven additional dioceses and archdioceses for the 2018–2019 academic year—with the potential to directly serve more than 75 of the Church’s future priests .

Currently working to accommodate demand by doubling student capacity in the School of Spiritual Formation as well as endeavouring to annually offer in-person encounters such as the Avila Summit, pilgrimages, and dozens of speaking events around the world, the Avila Institute is slated for dramatic growth in the coming year . This growth is but a humble response to the call God has set before us . It is an organic outgrowth of prayer . It is made possible only by God’s grace and the immense generosity of our collaborative benefactors, together with whom we are wholly and faithfully dedicated to serving Christ and His wounded body, the Church .

For more information about the Avila Institute, please visit Avila-Institute org. .

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 12 7/3/18 2:41 PM Avila S ummit Co-sponsors

www.EWTN.com

www.SophiaInstitute.com

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Avila Summit Program_FO4.indd 13 7/3/18 3:00 PM Avila Foundation PO Box 803 Helena, AL 35080

p: +1-833-77-AVILA (28452) e: inquiries@myavila com. www .Avila-Institute org.

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