FROM A(MBROSE) TO (GEN.) Z: RESOURCING THE TRADITION IN RESPONSE TO CONTEMPORARY CONCERNS IN THE CHURCH

An international conference at St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, April 24-26, 2026

Hosted by the Academy for the Study of St. Ambrose of Milan (ASSAM)

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

“HOW CAN WE GIVE HOPE TO THE YOUNG?”

His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Radcliffe, O.P.

A wave of deep social challenges faces the Church today. This conference proposes a synodal response, rich in diverse perspective and resourcing the rich heritage of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. The goal is to help all participants to incarnate hope for the Church and for society. Papers will represent those who have experience in the areas mentioned below, as well as experts in the life and teachings of St. Ambrose of Milan, our Patron Saint. We, the Church, are called to hope and to take risks for the sake of the Gospel. Ambrose encourages us still "to seek wisdom, contemplation, and action through sound reason" (Comm. on Psalm 118 2.32), or as Pope Francis said, “Our goal is to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it” (Laudato Si 19).

Keynote and Topical Keynote Schedule (subject to change; speaker biographies and complete schedule coming soon):

Friday, April 24

5:30-6:00 pm  “Reimagining the Catholic University: Drawing Upon the Charisms and Values of Our Founders in Times of Complex Change” Dr. Amy Novak, President/CEO St. Ambrose University, and Dr. Todd Olson Rogalski, President Mount Mercy University

6:45 pm Conference Welcome, Dr. Amy Novak, President/CEO St. Ambrose University  

7:00 pm Keynote Address: “How Can We Give Hope to the Young?”  His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Radcliffe, O.P. 

Saturday, April 25

8:00-8:45 am: Addressing Gen Z 

“Accompanying Gen Z students on a journey to the meaning, purpose, and beauty of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition”  Dr. Michelle Loris  and “Intergenerational Harmony: Pope Francis' 'Classic' Approach to Modern Youth” Dr. Kevin Vaughan 

9:00-9:40 am  “Catholic Teens and Young Adults Today: Patterns of Belief, Belonging, and Affiliation”  Dr. Nabil Tueme 

10:00-10:40 am “A Gift from God: The Faith of Young Latino Catholics”  Dr. Timothy Matovina and Juan Miguel Alvarez 

11:00-11:40 am “Ending Death Penalty, Advancing Justice and Beginning Healing”  Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy 

11:30-12:30 Student Roundtable Session with Tom Chapman, Dr. Timothy Matovina, Juan Miguel Alvarez, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Dr. Nabil Tueme, Dr. Donna Carroll, and Dr. Kevin Vaughan  

1:00-1:40 pm Tentative title: “Women in Catholic Leadership: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges”  Donna Carroll  

1:55-2:35 pm  “LGBTQ+ Experiences of Catholic Faith”  Dr. Julia Sadusky - virtual 

2:50-3:30 pm  “AI and the Church’s Public Witness on the Dignity of the Human Person” Tom Chapman 

3:40-5:40 pm: Current Paper Sessions

Mental Spaces (A)

“Ambrose and New Perspectives on Solitude” Fr. Pierluigi Banna, PhD

“Applying Ambrose to Mental Health Issues for Today's Young Adults”  Dr. Mara Adams

“Religion, Natural Law, and the Contemporary Search for Meaning” Dr. Joseph Hebert

“Artificial Intelligence, Ambrosian Wisdom, and the Church” Dr. Ethan Gannaway

Relationships with the Environment and the Other (B)

“Ambrose and the Environmental Challenge”  Dr. Paola Moretti

“Saving Nature: Creation as a Sacramental Presence of Christ”  Fr. Bud Grant, PhD

“Ianua mea omni uenienti patebat: Ambrose’s Ethics of Hospitality toward Foreigners”  Dr. Marcela Andokova

“Old and New Ways of Interaction between Jews and Christians”  Dr. Geert de Korte

7:30-8:30 pm “Fr. Edward Catich's Theophany and Disruptive Church Art” Paul Herrera, followed by St. Ambrose University Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Nathan Windt

Sunday, April 26

7:45-9:15 am Concurrent Paper Sessions 

On Service and Justice (A)

1. “The Christian Mandate to Serve the Vulnerable, from St. Ambrose to Pope Leo XVI”  Dr. Matthew Coomber

2. “Contemplative Awareness as Serving (In)Justice in Action”  Dr. Michele Petersen

3. “Corita Kent : Art, Justice, Conscience, and Dissent in the CIT”  Dr. Keri Manning

Miscellanea (B)

1. “Graced through the Ages”  Dr. Dawn Behan and Sr. Linda Bechen]

2. “Everyday Challenges in Ambrose’s Letters”  Don Francesco Braschi]

3. “Ambrose of Milan and the Development of Mary as Scholar and Teacher” Dr. Lisa Powell

9:30-10:10 am Next Steps Panel and Closing  with His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Radcliffe, Tom Chapman, Juan Miguel Alvarez, Dr. Donna Carroll, and Dr. Julia Sadusky (virtual) 

Schedule subject to change. For any additional information, please contact assam@sau.edu.

Registration