The Way Forward 2024
The title for this third annual ecclesial gathering was Laudato Si’: Protecting Our Common Home, Building Our Common Church, and was held at the University of San Diego on February 21 - 23, 2024. This year’s event, which brought together a select group of Cardinals, other Bishops, scholars, and journalists, focused on the encyclical, Laudato Si’, the recent exhortation Laudete Deum, and the reception of their themes in the Catholic Church in the U.S.
The gathering was organized by the Hank Center, Boston College’s Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture, and the Center for Catholic Studies at Sacred Heart University. It was hosted on the USD campus by the Frances G. Harpst Center for Catholic Thought and Culture.
Event Media:
Read the NCR report of the event by Christopher White.
View the full program here: 2024 Way Forward Program.
View the event video below:
Presenters
We were honored to have an excellent array of speakers present and take part in our thought-provoking panels. Here you will find biographies of each conference presenter.
View presenter biographies
Vincent Alvarez
Vincent Alvarez has served as NYC Central Labor Council’s president since 2011. He previously served as Assistant Legislative Director of the NYC Central Labor Council, spearheading various worker-related policy initiatives throughout the state. He is a member of the National AFL-CIO State Federation and Central Labor Council Advisory Board, as well as Chairman of the New York Federal Reserve. Vinny is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oneonta, where he majored in business economics.
Reverend Monsignor Charles V. Antonicelli
Monsignor Charles Antonicelli received his B.A. from Boston College and J.D. from The Catholic University of America. He practiced law before discerning a call to the priesthood and was ordained in 1993. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named Father Antonicelli a chaplain to His Holiness. In 2008, Monsignor Antonicelli was named Episcopal Vicar for Canonical Services and was appointed Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia in 2018. He currently serves as pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, Maryland and was recently appointed Judicial Vicar of the Metropolitan Tribunal.
Sr. Nathalie Becquart, X.M.C.J.
Sr. Nathalie Becquart is Under-Secretary to the General Secretariat of the Synod at the Vatican. She is a French Xavière sister, Missionary of Christ-Jesus. She studied philosophy and theology in Paris at Centre Sèvres and specialized in ecclesiology at Boston College with research on synodality. She served as Director of the National Service for the Evangelization of Youth and Vocations of the French Bishops’ Conference. Sr. Nathalie became the consultor to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. In 2021 she was appointed by Pope Francis as Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops and was also appointed as a member of the Dicastery for Communication.
Aruni Bhatnagar, M.D.
Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar is Professor of Medicine and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is the Director of the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute and Co-Director of the American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation Center. Working with investigators at the University of Louisville and collaborators across the world, he has spearheaded the development of the new field of Environmental Cardiology, which links the risk of heart disease to natural, social, and personal environments.
Reverend Louis J. Cameli
Fr. Louis J. Cameli is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He studied theology at the Gregorian University in Rome where he received a doctorate in theology with a specialization in spirituality. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including A New Vision of Family Life: A Reflection on Amoris Laetitia. Fr. Cameli has served as a retreat director for priests’ retreats and as a presenter for priests’ convocations in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Currently, he is Cardinal Blase Cupich’s Delegate for Christian Formation and Mission with residence at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.
Victor Carmona, Ph.D.
During undergraduate studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, a professor introduced Victor Carmona to Catholic social teaching to help him think through the fundamental questions of power and justice that immigrants’ lives raise. After several years’ work with immigrants and border communities he began graduate studies in moral theology and Christian ethics at the University of Notre Dame. Victor taught graduate students at Oblate School of Theology before joining the Theology and Religious Studies Department at the University of San Diego in 2017.
Meghan Clark, Ph.D.
Meghan Clark is an associate professor of moral theology and assistant chair in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at St. John’s University in Queens. She is author of The Vision of Catholic Social Thought: The Virtue of Solidarity and the Praxis of Human Rights. Meghan is currently on the Catholic delegation for the Dicastery for Christian Unity’s Informal Conversations between the Catholic Church and the Salvation Army. She serves as a faculty expert at the Holy See Mission for the United Nations in New York on matters relating to women, human rights, and development. She has published extensively in academic and public outlets on Catholic social teaching.
Emilce Cuda, Ph.D.
Emilce Cuda received her Ph.D. from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, and she currently serves as the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Holy See. She is also a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Pontifical Academy Pro-Vita; a CELAM advisor; and professor at Loyola University of Chicago. Emilce is a member of the research team “The Future of Work, Labor after Laudato Si’” at the International Catholic Migration Commission. Her most recent book is To Read Francisco: Theology, Ethics and Politics.
Kim Daniels, J.D.
Kim Daniels is the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and an adjunct professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University. Kim is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and a member of the Synod 2021-2024 Communications Commission. She is also a consultor to the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Religious Liberty, and she has been an advisor to the Vatican, U.S. bishops, and Catholic organizations on issues including immigration, human life and dignity, religious liberty, and care for creation. Kim is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School.
Sr. Carol De Angelo
Sr. Carol De Angelo, a Sister of Charity of New York, is Director of the Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation for her Congregation where she works with others on awareness and advocating on issues that impact those in need and our Common Home, Earth. Sr. Carol is involved with the steering committee of Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement, a chapter of the Laudato Si’ Movement. Carol has a master’s degree in social work from Yeshiva University and a Master of Divinity from Seton Hall University.
Lonnie Ellis, O.F.S.
Lonnie Ellis is the founding executive director of In Solidarity, a communications nonprofit amplifying the Catholic Church’s social mission. He has organized dozens of public events with bishops, with actions ranging from a climate meeting at the White House to solidarity visits to immigrant detention centers. Lonnie has also served the USCCB on special projects, contributing communications support on immigration and organizing press conferences on Laudato Si’. Lonnie is a member of the Order of Franciscans Secular (OFS), is an aspirant for the diaconate with the Archdiocese of Washington, and holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Washington Theological Union.
The Most Reverend Paul D. Etienne, D.D, S.T.L.
Paul Etienne was named archbishop of Seattle on September 3, 2019, by Pope Francis. Before that, he was the fourth archbishop for the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, after serving as bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming. He studied at Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky, the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a Licentiate of Spiritual Theology in 1995. Archbishop Etienne was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, where he served in a variety of roles.
Reverend Thomas P. Gaunt, S.J.
Fr. Tom Gaunt has served as the Executive Director of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University in Washington, DC since 2011. Prior to coming to CARA, he served in Jesuit governance as the Socius/Executive Secretary of the Jesuit Conference-USA for nine years and the Formation and Studies Director of the Maryland and New York Jesuit Provinces for seven years. After ordination, he spent ten years in pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte. Fr. Gaunt has a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina.
David Gibson
David Gibson is director of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture, taking up that role in 2017 after a long career as an award-winning religion journalist, author, and filmmaker. He has written for a variety of magazines and periodicals and is the author of two books on Catholicism: The Coming Catholic Church: How the Faithful are Shaping a New American Catholicism and The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World. He co-wrote and co-produced several documentaries on Christianity for CNN and the History Channel and co-authored a book on biblical archeology. Before coming to Fordham, David reported for Religion News Service and specialized in coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church.
Mark M. Gray, Ph.D.
Mark Gray is the Director of CARA Catholic Polls (CCP) and a Senior Research Associate at CARA. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science and a M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. Methodologically, Mark specializes in survey research, demographic studies, trend analysis, and crosssectional time-series studies. Academically, his research focuses on political culture, political participation, religion and politics, mass media, popular culture, and the history of exploration.
Ellen Koneck
Ellen Koneck is the executive director at Commonweal. Prior to this role, Ellen was an adjunct lecturer at Sacred Heart University, the acquisitions editor at Anselm Academic, and, most recently, the head writer & editor at Springtide Research Institute, an organization dedicated to examining trends in the religious lives of young people. She has published essays in America, Commonweal, Chicago Catholic, Plough, and Reflections, among other outlets, and has appeared on various podcasts. Ellen sits on the board of directors at Liturgical Press, and has her M.A. in religion from Yale Divinity School.
Reverend Mark Massa, S.J.
Fr. Mark Massa is Professor of Theology and Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. For six years he served as dean and decanus of the Ecclesiastical Faculty at the School of Theology and Ministry at BC. He is the author of seven books, most recently The Structure of Theological Revolutions: How the Fight Over Birth Control Transformed American Catholicism (Oxford). Oxford University Press will publish his Catholic Fundamentalism in America later this year.
The Most Reverend W. Shawn McKnight
Shawn McKnight was ordained the fourth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri on February 6, 2018. Prior to that, he served in Washington, D.C. as executive director of the USCCB Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations from 2010 to 2016. He holds multiple degrees from Pontifical College Josephinum and Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome. Bishop McKnight served as chaplain at Newman University in Wichita and taught in the University’s Institute of Catholic Studies. He also taught and held several roles at the Pontifical College Josephinum seminary.
Michael P. Murphy, Ph.D.
Michael Murphy is the Director of Loyola’s Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage. His research interests are in theology and literature, systematic theology, and the literary/political cultures of Catholicism—but he also thinks and writes about issues in eco-theology, social ethics, and new media ecologies. Mike’s first book was the acclaimed A Theology of Criticism: Balthasar, Postmodernism, and the Catholic Imagination (Oxford). His most recent scholarly work is "Panem et Circenses: Michel Houellebecq, Submission, and the Liturgies of Spiritual Exhaustion" in The Call of Literature (2024). Mike has appeared on CNN, BBC, NPR, Fox, and PBS and his shorter pieces have been published in America, NCR, and First Things, among other venues.
Michael J. Schuck, Ph.D.
Michael Shuck is Professor of Roman Catholic Social Thought in the Department of Theology and a Professor of Environmental Justice in the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago. He holds a Ph.D. in Ethics and Society from the University of Chicago where he also received Master’s degrees in Religious Studies and Political Science. He is the Founding Director of the Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University and currently assists the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Human Development with global university engagement in the Laudato Sí Action Platform.
Christina Bagaglio Slentz, Ph.D.
Christina Slentz joined the Diocese of San Diego in July 2022 as the first full-time employee dedicated to directing the ministry of creation care. She brings with her leadership experience from her service in the United States Navy as well as a strong academic background on the topic of the human impact of environmental degradation, climate migration, and potential for climate-induced socio-political destabilization and human insecurity. She holds a B.A. from Notre Dame University, and Master’s and Ph.D in International Studies from Old Dominion University.
Ted Smith, Ph.D.
Ted Smith’s research focuses on environmental technologies that provide place-based clinical insight for preventing or reducing the burden of disease. Dr. Smith co-founded the Envirome Institute in 2018 and joined as a research associate professor in the division of environmental medicine. In his research capacity, Ted is responsible for sourcing and coordinating a portfolio of environmental monitoring ancillary studies as part of the Institute’s interventional Green Heart clinical trial. Ted received his B.S. in Biology and Psychology from Allegheny College, his M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Miami University, and completed his post-doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Christopher White
Christopher White is the Vatican correspondent for NCR. Prior to moving to Rome in August 2021, he served as NCR's national correspondent, where his award-winning reporting included coverage of the Catholic vote during the 2020 campaign and the election of President Joe Biden. Chris holds a master's degree in ethics and society from Fordham University and a bachelor's degree in politics, philosophy and economics from The King's College. His work has appeared in many print and online publications. Chris has regularly appeared on television and radio programs and is a contributor for NBC and MSNBC news.
Anne Thompson
Anne Thompson is an award-winning correspondent for NBC News. In 25 years, she has covered everything from school shootings to presidential campaigns, but today focuses her attention on the environment and the Catholic Church. Based in New York, she began her career with the network at its Chicago bureau. Thompson is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and currently serves on its Board of Trustees.
Nancy C. Tuchman, Ph.D.
Nancy Tuchman’s career at Loyola University Chicago began in the Biology Department. She served as Associate Provost for Research, and developed the Center for Urban Environmental Research & Policy and the University’s Office of Sustainability. Nancy also served as Vice Provost and designed and helped launch the Institute of Environmental Sustainability (IES) which evolved into The School of Environmental Sustainability where she serves today as Founding Dean. Nancy’s current work is inspired by the Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences and Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’. She chairs the International Association of Jesuit Universities’ (IAJU) Task Force on Environmental & Economic Justice and co-edits the Jesuits’ free online environmental science textbook, Healing Earth.
Michael Sean Winters
Michael Sean Winters is a columnist at the National Catholic Reporter and a fellow at the Center for Catholic Studies at Sacred Heart University. He is also the U.S. correspondent for the Tablet, the London-based international Catholic weekly. He is the author of Left At the Altar: How Democrats Lost The Catholics And How Catholics Can Save The Democrats (Basic Books, 2008). His biography of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, God’s Right Hand: How Jerry Falwell Made God a Republican and Baptized the American Right was published by Harper One in January 2012.