Pastoral Ministry Days 2026

Videos

Fides Quaerens Intellectum: Faith seeking understanding in the life of the pastoral minister

Presentations by Dr. Zena Hitz | www.zenahitz.net

Sun-Tues, March 15-17, 2026 | Terra Sancta Retreat Center | Registration Deadline: March 6, 2026 | Cost: $115* Registration Fee. (*$10 Early Bird Discount if registered by Feb. 7th.) Overnight lodging is available for an additional cost.

This event is for any Church ministers seeking a renewal of their mind, equipping them to serve others more effectively.

RPR Interview with Bishop Bullock and Zena Hitz – Feb 25, 2026

Presentations

Dr. Zena Hitz will cover the following topics in her presentations:

The Hidden Life of Learning (about the life of the mind as an inner life)

Learning and Liberation (how learning can free us from false opinions and the desires that hold them in place)

Learning and Conversion (about the role of learning in Augustine’s account of his conversion in the Confession)

Dr. Zena Hitz

Dr. Zena Hitz is a tutor in the great books program at St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland. She studied at St. John’s College, Cambridge University, the University of Chicago, and Princeton University, where she earned a Ph.D. in ancient philosophy. She has taught philosophy at McGill University, Auburn University, and the University of Maryland. Dr. Hitz also spent three years living and working in the Madonna House Apostolate and has taught in prison programs and other non-traditional students. Her latest book, A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life, explores questions about faith, sacrifice, asceticism, and happiness through philosophy, stories, and examples from religious life.

Dr. Hitz is also the author of the acclaimed book Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life which was widely discussed and reviewed in outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Irish Times. Lost in Thought explores the meaning and the value of learning for its own sake, through images and stories of bookworms, philosophers, scientists, and other learners, both fictional and historical. She writes and speaks on the human need to learn for learning’s sake and what it means for educational institutions to take that need seriously.

For more information visit:

https://www.zenahitz.net/

Call for Vendors

If your business or organization is interested in being a vendor at this year’s Pastoral Ministry Days, please fill out the form below, which includes more information and registration.