A Year of Conversations
by Tina Guyden, Master of Divinity
Assistant Director of the Aquinas Center
Assistant Director of the Aquinas Center
It has been one year since this phase of my relationship with the Aquinas Center began, and it is true that you do not understand someone until you live together! The facets of the work done are not visible to the casual visitor and honestly may not make sense to someone who is interested in a particular speaker or topic. Even my experience as a student worker with the organization did not help me to fully understand all the timelines and procedures and relationships that are needed for the programs to be shared with our community. I am so grateful for this year of learning more intentionally about the Aquinas Center and for having the opportunity to play my part in sharing our mission and vision with our community on Emory’s campus, parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and in digital spaces beyond Georgia.
Our tagline is “Conversations for the Common Good,” and what this year has affirmed for me is the intentionality necessary for facilitating these conversations. Before even considering speakers and spaces, it is critical to consider the why. What are the things going on in the church and the world that needs to be examined? How can the Aquinas Center contribute space to the needed conversations while being mindful of our mission and vision? What is the recurring theme that keeps showing up in the preplanning, and whose voices or scholarship align with that theme? And since the plan is always to have a universal appeal, how do we invite new community members to engage in the conversations? It is quite the undertaking, and this does not even include calendar and location discernment.
I have learned how to incorporate both my academic and vocational experiences into the work by engaging in meaningful talks with my colleagues in both Candler School of Theology and in the Atlanta area, both in theology and academia and those with other vocations. While it is true that the Aquinas Center does not engage in campus ministry or catechesis, there is a pastoral underpinning to the decision-making surrounding the topics chosen and the individuals invited to speak to our community. This pastoral underpinning also helps with determining if a speaker is better suited to presenting on campus or in a parish around the Archdiocese of Atlanta. This is not to exclude anyone from attending any of the events at any space! It is intended to foster and strengthen partnerships, and possibly to introduce the work of the Aquinas Center to new audiences.
This year has also shown me areas where I need to lean into being uncomfortable. Not in a self-flagellating way, but I need to lean into what I have yet to learn. Technology is still a mystery in so many ways, and if you have been on the receiving end of one of my apology emails, you are familiar with my ongoing battle with attachments. The various and sundry systems that play a part in my work are unavoidable and temperamental. Thank goodness for the various and sundry humans I am fortunate enough to work with who have navigated these systems and offer support and/or consolation. I am also grateful for the technology that works as needed and makes it easy to focus on the heart of the work, the conversations.
I have had opportunities to witness amazing conversations sparked by scholars from institutions across North America. I would not have seen the relationship between the familiar Marian image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Pentecost if not for Dr. Nancy Pineda-Madrid, the T. Marie Chilton Chair of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Ty Monroe of Assumption University spoke on the 1700th anniversary of the gathering of the Council of Nicaea. As part of our Catholic-Orthodox Initiative, it was an opportunity for members of both faith traditions to lean into our shared faith history and allow for conversations about where we diverge. The “Bad Catholic, Good Trouble” conversation that formed during this year’s Aquinas Day lecture could have only been led by someone who self-identifies as a rogue scholar, Dr. Matthew Cressler of the Corporation of Public Interest Technology. And the moral courage and encouragement that bloomed from the time spent with Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ at this year’s St. Catherine of Siena lecture still gives me pause.
However, the best conversations that I have been witness to this year have been between my colleagues, Alice Cameron, Jackie Rojas, and Sister Mary Priniski, OP. Being able to lean on their collective and individual wisdom and encouragement made the transition from student to staff less stressful and more motivational. They helped me to identify skills that I possess for the good of the Aquinas Center and for personal development. They are team members in the work who allow me to encourage and motivate them as well. They have introduced me to people that would not have been in my orbit otherwise, which then lead to more conversations! Disagreements are not used to end conversations but are opportunities to find common ground and to continue to focus on the mission and vision of the Aquinas Center. We work together, pray together, laugh together, and celebrate together. I am grateful beyond measure for each of them.
Planning is fully underway for the next season of conversations, and I am excited to see how these encounters will come to life. The anticipation of celebrating the Aquinas Center’s 40th anniversary adds another layer to the anticipation, and its rich history will factor in an encounter or two. If you have any special memories or photos of your encounters with the Aquinas Center, please share. I would love to love to chat!
Our tagline is “Conversations for the Common Good,” and what this year has affirmed for me is the intentionality necessary for facilitating these conversations. Before even considering speakers and spaces, it is critical to consider the why. What are the things going on in the church and the world that needs to be examined? How can the Aquinas Center contribute space to the needed conversations while being mindful of our mission and vision? What is the recurring theme that keeps showing up in the preplanning, and whose voices or scholarship align with that theme? And since the plan is always to have a universal appeal, how do we invite new community members to engage in the conversations? It is quite the undertaking, and this does not even include calendar and location discernment.
I have learned how to incorporate both my academic and vocational experiences into the work by engaging in meaningful talks with my colleagues in both Candler School of Theology and in the Atlanta area, both in theology and academia and those with other vocations. While it is true that the Aquinas Center does not engage in campus ministry or catechesis, there is a pastoral underpinning to the decision-making surrounding the topics chosen and the individuals invited to speak to our community. This pastoral underpinning also helps with determining if a speaker is better suited to presenting on campus or in a parish around the Archdiocese of Atlanta. This is not to exclude anyone from attending any of the events at any space! It is intended to foster and strengthen partnerships, and possibly to introduce the work of the Aquinas Center to new audiences.
This year has also shown me areas where I need to lean into being uncomfortable. Not in a self-flagellating way, but I need to lean into what I have yet to learn. Technology is still a mystery in so many ways, and if you have been on the receiving end of one of my apology emails, you are familiar with my ongoing battle with attachments. The various and sundry systems that play a part in my work are unavoidable and temperamental. Thank goodness for the various and sundry humans I am fortunate enough to work with who have navigated these systems and offer support and/or consolation. I am also grateful for the technology that works as needed and makes it easy to focus on the heart of the work, the conversations.
I have had opportunities to witness amazing conversations sparked by scholars from institutions across North America. I would not have seen the relationship between the familiar Marian image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Pentecost if not for Dr. Nancy Pineda-Madrid, the T. Marie Chilton Chair of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Ty Monroe of Assumption University spoke on the 1700th anniversary of the gathering of the Council of Nicaea. As part of our Catholic-Orthodox Initiative, it was an opportunity for members of both faith traditions to lean into our shared faith history and allow for conversations about where we diverge. The “Bad Catholic, Good Trouble” conversation that formed during this year’s Aquinas Day lecture could have only been led by someone who self-identifies as a rogue scholar, Dr. Matthew Cressler of the Corporation of Public Interest Technology. And the moral courage and encouragement that bloomed from the time spent with Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ at this year’s St. Catherine of Siena lecture still gives me pause.
However, the best conversations that I have been witness to this year have been between my colleagues, Alice Cameron, Jackie Rojas, and Sister Mary Priniski, OP. Being able to lean on their collective and individual wisdom and encouragement made the transition from student to staff less stressful and more motivational. They helped me to identify skills that I possess for the good of the Aquinas Center and for personal development. They are team members in the work who allow me to encourage and motivate them as well. They have introduced me to people that would not have been in my orbit otherwise, which then lead to more conversations! Disagreements are not used to end conversations but are opportunities to find common ground and to continue to focus on the mission and vision of the Aquinas Center. We work together, pray together, laugh together, and celebrate together. I am grateful beyond measure for each of them.
Planning is fully underway for the next season of conversations, and I am excited to see how these encounters will come to life. The anticipation of celebrating the Aquinas Center’s 40th anniversary adds another layer to the anticipation, and its rich history will factor in an encounter or two. If you have any special memories or photos of your encounters with the Aquinas Center, please share. I would love to love to chat!
