ABOUT THE EVENT

Agenda of the program:
8:30 am Breakfast
9 am – 12 pm Program
12 pm Lunch
1 – 4 pm Program
Mass immediately following
6 pm Gala dinner

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Following a brief retrospective on ten years of the work of CTU’s Center for the Study of Consecrated Life, Sr. Barbara Reid will offer a biblical reflection on transformations that consecrated life has undergone in the past ten years (and more!), one of which is an emergence of greater cosmic consciousness and care for creation. This perspective engenders hope as we are transformed through the rhythms of death and new life in an unfolding universe.

Sr. Barbara E. Reid, O.P. is a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids, Michigan and holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is President Emerita and Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union. She has taught at CTU since 1988, served as Vice President and Academic Dean from 2009-2018, and served as president from 2021–2025.  She has led many study tours and retreats in the Holy Lands. She is author of more than a dozen books and numerous articles, most recently At the Table of Holy Wisdom. Global Hungers and Feminist Biblical Interpretation (Paulist, 2023), and the two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke that she co-authored with Prof. Shelly Matthews in the Wisdom Commentary series (Liturgical Press, 2021; see wisdomcommentary.org), for which she is also General Editor. As well, she is one of the General Editors for the new Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-first Century (Bloomsbury Press, 2022).

Fr. Paulson Veliyannoor belongs to the Congregation of Missionaries Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as Claretian Missionaries. He currently serves as director of the Institute of Consecrated Life – Sanyasa, Bangalore (India). Father Paulson holds PhD in clinical psychology (Pacifica Graduate Institute, California), licentiate in spiritual theology (Comillas University, Spain), and Masters in mysticism (University of Avila, Spain). He has previously served as the founding principal of Saint Claret College, Ziro; professor at Instituto Teológico de Vida Religiosa, Spain; director of the Claretian ongoing formation; professor of psychology at Christ University, Bangalore; prefect of apostolate for Northeast India Claretians; formator; and associate pastor. He is the founding editor of Artha: Journal of Social Sciences and Inter Views: An Interdisciplinary Journal in Social Sciences. Father Paulson has several publications and is a regular columnist for the magazine Vida Religiosa. He is a facilitator for general chapters, and a resource person for workshops, seminars, and retreats.

Sr. Florence Anyabuonwu, CSJ, a sister of St. Joseph of Orange, is originally from Nigeria. She holds undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology, as well as Master’s degrees in theology and social work. Sr. Florence has extensive experience in social justice ministry, particularly in advocacy and immigrant support, having served for many years with Catholic Charities. She currently serves as the coordinator of the Caring Neighbors Program at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, California, where she leads efforts to empower and accompany senior adults facing isolation, health challenges, or socio-economic barriers. Through compassionate outreach, resource connection, and community engagement, she fosters dignity, resilience, and holistic well-being among vulnerable populations, especially seniors. A long-time member of Giving Voice, Sr. Florence is deeply committed to intercultural dialogue, faith-based leadership, and the ongoing renewal of consecrated life in today’s Church and world.

Fr. Moses Awinongya, SVD was born in 1972 in Namoo, Ghana. He is a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) and lectures in Dogmatic Theology in the Cologne University for Catholic Theology, with specialisation in Contextual Theology as well as Inter-religious Dialogue. He is also a the Chief Executive Officer of Stiftung Regentropfen – Bildung zum Leben, Germany and Regentropfen Education Foundation, Ghana as well as Consulting President and Founder of Regentropfen University College, Ghana. He is currently researching on the concepts of God in Ghana and their importance in inter-religious dialogue.

Sr. Thu T. Do, LHC, Ph.D. is a Sister of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hanoi from Vietnam and a Research Associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University. She received her Ph.D. in Higher Education at St. Louis University. She has co-edited the recent book, The Life and Ministry of Catholic Sisters in Africa, published by Pauline Books & Media and New Faces, New Possibilities: Cultural Diversity and Structural Change in Religious Institutes of Women Religious, published by Liturgical Press. At CARA, she is involved in various survey research projects on religious life and other vocations in the Church.