GladdeningLight Symposium

Inspired lectures, music, discussion, worship and contemplation for the tenth annual weekend of the spiritual arts at Rollins College. Join Bishop Eugene Sutton, James Finley and Lerita Coleman Brown for discussion of theologian Howard Thurman during an immersive weekend on the Rollins campus. Thurman, native of Daytona Beach and twentieth century mentor to Martin Luther King, shattered the color barrier to elevate contemplative discipline for all as a springboard to social action. Eugene Sutton, Episcopal Bishop of Maryland, issues a clarion call for reparations toward racial reconciliation. James Finley spent his early life at the Abbey of Gethsemane under the guidance of spiritual director Thomas Merton and currently teaches at The Living School with colleague Richard Rohr. Both Merton and Thurman espoused similar perspectives on what has been termed “ethical mysticism.” Lerita Coleman Brown from Agnes Scott College in Atlanta is an academic scholar recognized for her research on Howard Thurman. All three advocate a life devoted to contemplation and activism, joined by cellist Eugene Friesen and vocalists Owen & Moley Ó Súilleabháin for music to complement lectures and discussion.