Imaginarium
May 28 - May 30
Amoris Christi Campus at the Duncan Conference Center
Registration now closed
The Imaginarium is designed to be a fresh space for leaders and faculty to step away from the daily grind and focus on the future of theological education in the South Florida region and beyond.
A Space to Step Away
The Imaginarium isn't just another meeting; it is a purposeful time away from the school year’s demands. Hosted on the peaceful five-acre campus of Amoris Christi, this retreat provides the mental margin necessary to think deeply about the long-term trajectory of theological education.
Collaborative Visioning
This is your opportunity to network and brainstorm with colleagues from across various institutions. We aim to move beyond silos to dream collectively about how we can impact theological education. Your voice is essential as we identify the challenges and opportunities that will define our region’s future.
Context and Insight
To imagine where we are going, we must first understand where we are. We will dive into the data that shapes our mission through presentations and workshops on:
Local Impact: Socio-demographic trends specific to South Florida.
National Landscape: Current shifts in theological education across the country.
Inner Renewal: A special session on healing the imagination to spark fresh perspectives.
Full Hospitality & Support
We value your time and expertise. To ensure you can focus entirely on the conversation, we provide:
Private Accommodations: Single-occupancy rooms with private bathrooms.
All-Inclusive: All meals and housing are covered at no cost.
Stipend: Participants will receive a stipend of $100 per half day/$400 full participation for their time and contribution.
Featured Speaker:
Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Deasy
Jo Ann joined the Association of Theological Schools staff in June 2014, and currently serves as the director of institutional initiatives.
Her responsibilities include oversight of the Pathways for Tomorrow Coordination Program and the Organizational and Educational Models in Theological Education Project. She previously served as manager of the Economic Challenges Facing Future Ministers Initiative Coordination Program.
Deasy also serves on the research team at ATS. Her quantitative research focuses on the vocational trajectories of graduate theological students including multi-vocational ministry and the graduate workforce as well as on educational debt in ATS member schools. Qualitative projects have included Black student debt, assessing spiritual and personal formation, and women in leadership in theological education.
Deasy served for seven years as the dean of students and community life at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. An ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, she has also served on staff at congregations in Duluth, Minnesota, and Mercer Island, Washington, and came to ATS from Sojourner Covenant Church in Evanston, Illinois, where she served as lead pastor for four years.
Deasy graduated from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary with a PhD in congregational studies with an emphasis in congregational leadership and contextual theologies.
Sessions:
Fragmentation and Isolation: The Changing Nature of Students after the Pandemic
Accelerated Disruption: The Changing Nature of Theological Schools after the Pandemic
Re-alignment and Re-engagement: The Future of Theological Education
Further Speakers
Dr. Sue Gallagher has held senior administrative positions in local government and non-profits for over 30 years in South Florida. She has led community participatory research, budgeting, and governing initiatives to improve community conditions and systems of care. Dr. Gallagher served as a Fellow with UPENN’s Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP)’s national learning community on integrated data systems. She is currently co-facilitating am international lab on healing human relationships with land and nature with mystical, therapeutic, and trauma healing principles based on the wisdom of Thomas Hubl.
She worked in non-profits serving people with developmental disabilities prior to working in local government. Sue is currently the Vice President on the CETE Board and the FCTS board. She has a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Siena College in upstate New York, a master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry from St. Thomas University, Miami, FL, and a Doctorate in Education from Florida International University.
Session: Contextualizing Theological Education in South Florida
Slides >
Dr. Sunil Nadarajan is a Catholic formation leader, spiritual director, and pastoral theologian with over 25 years of experience in retreat ministry and young adult discipleship. He holds a Doctorate in Ministry from USML Mundelein, where his research focused on chronic shame, bicultural identity, and pastoral care for second-generation Syro-Malabar Catholics.
Trained in Ignatian spirituality and contemplative spiritual direction, Sunil is experienced in organizational leadership, benefactor relations, and international missionary coordination. He currently serves as the Executive Director at Amoris Christi.
Session: Healing of the Imagination
Slides >
Rev. Timothy J. Cusick, S.T.L. is a priest of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida. Ordained in 2000, he is currently Vice-Rector and Academic Dean of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, where he also serves as a professor of moral theology and a formation advisor.
After earning degrees in engineering and business from Georgia Tech, Fr. Cusick discerned a calling to the priesthood. Following ordination, he served as a parish priest, a highschool campus minister, and a seminary instructor before becoming pastor of Holy Family parish in Jacksonville in January 2011. In 2018 he was sent for graduate studies in moral theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) in January 2020. Later that year he was assigned to St. Vincent de Paul Seminary, while continuing doctoral studies at the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (“the Angelicum”) in Rome.
Session: Notes on Post-humanism, Trans-humanism & AI by International Theological Commission and Pope Leo XIV
Chadd Feyas is an Instructional Designer with the Center for Online and Continuing Education at Florida Atlantic University. In his role, he partners with faculty to develop high-quality online courses with an emphasis on innovative distance-learning strategies. Chadd also contributes to various faculty development initiatives. He is a frequent presenter in Florida Atlantic’s PLAIGROUND, where he shares strategies for integrating artificial intelligence into teaching and learning. He also facilitates the College of Science PLAIGROUND Cohort, supporting faculty in aligning curriculum with workforce-relevant AI competencies and fostering a collaborative community of practice.
Chadd is also a PhD candidate at Asbury Theological Seminary specializing in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. He has over five years of higher education teaching experience, instructing students in Hebrew language and Old Testament interpretation in face-to-face, hybrid, and online asynchronous modalities. His research focuses on word order and poetics in Biblical Hebrew verse.
Session: AI in Theological Higher Education: Friend or Foe?
Is AI in our curricula a friend, a foe, or somewhere in the middle? In this workshop, we discuss what it means to teach in the post-AI era. We consider strategies to mitigate against the negative, make use of the positive, and—most importantly—teach our students to know and critically evaluate the difference.
Schedule
Amoris Christi Campus at the Duncan Conference Center
15820 S Military Trl Delray Beach, FL, 33484