Using “movements” to illustrate dynamic shifts in the soul, this workshop draws wisdom from the writings of Henri Nouwen to guide parents toward a more contemplative and intentional way to raise children. Through reflections on presence, compassion, patience, identity, and freedom, parents are invited to embrace their sacred calling and see their children as God’s beloved.

Caleb Brown is a follower of Jesus, husband, father, teacher, pastor, and writer who holds a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation. Caleb is one of the 30>30 Young Nouwen Leaders.

This guided session invites participants to prayerfully reflect on their own life stories as sacred spaces where God’s presence has been quietly at work. Drawing inspiration from Henri Nouwen, Scripture, and contemplative practices, participants will engage in silence, prayer, and journaling to notice how their ordinary experiences reveal Divine Love. Together, we will rediscover that our human stories are not separate from God’s story—they are where God lovingly dwells.

Elizabeth Millar (DPT) is a research fellow for the Canadian Institute for Empirical Church Research, storyteller for Vision Ministries Canada, academic mentor, and spiritual director. She resides on Prince Edward Island with her family.

Grounded in Henri Nouwen’s vision of belovedness, this interactive workshop invites participants to explore how solitude, forgiveness, and community can renew spiritual, emotional, and mental health. Through dialogue, reflection, and practical strategies, attendees will learn how embracing God’s unconditional love restores identity, deepens compassion, and empowers healing within classrooms, workplaces, and faith communities.

Abigail Glass has worked as an educator for over 20 years. Henri’s voice assists her work in classrooms, schools, and local parishes, including her National Catholic Educators Association Convention 2023 presentation, Catholic Community: A Classroom Culture Founded on the Gift of Love. Abigail lives in Sac City, Iowa.

This session explores the deep friendship between Henri Nouwen and Fred Rogers, a relationship that reveals the shared spiritual core of their lives and ministries. Rooted in prayer, hospitality, and compassion for the vulnerable, both men embodied a psychologically aware Christian spirituality that sought to heal the wounds of the heart. Through art, ritual, and authentic communication, they modeled how friendship itself can become a sacred space of love and transformation.

Dr. Patricia Sharbaugh is Associate Professor and Chair of the Theology Department at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. She holds a PhD in systematic theology from Duquesne University. She is the author of Irrepressible Light: The Women of the New Testament.

From the beginning, God has connected with His people through beauty and creative expression. The arts have a way of speaking truth into the hearts of those who may not want to hear, or don’t yet feel entirely ready to receive. Henri Nouwen was a firm believer in the power of the arts as a way of connecting to God and focusing our hearts and minds on who He is and who we are in Him. Together we will reflect on how the arts play a role in the spiritual, emotional and physical healing and empowerment of victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution. How do the arts create a pathway for us to enter into the suffering of the other for the sake of Love? How does it help us connect with the way that God sees us and the world around us, and how may we use creativity as a way of bringing life and beauty to the places where there is darkness and brokenness? As we explore these questions, we will be drawing on our own experiences and meditating on our own identity as the Beloved, which is the place from which we can love the world around us with a Love far greater than our own.

Isabelle Wolswinkel is an event manager and fundraiser for a Christian charity working in Amsterdam to help victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution. She uses various forms of storytelling, music, and other creative expressions to connect people to her work. Isabelle is one of the 30>30 Young Nouwen Leaders.

We live in a time of unprecedented upheaval and uncertainty, with a faster pace of change than at any other time in human history. Children born in this era will face challenges we cannot even predict. With the touch of a button or voice command, they will be able to discover all manner of facts about the universe. But the touch of a button or voice command cannot help them discover their deepest longings or the truth of their belovedness.

In a turbulent world, Henri Nouwen’s themes have much to offer children, offering stability and grounding as parents pass on the truth of each child’s belovedness and their dignity as image- bearers of God. His insights can create space for life-giving and anchoring practices around the importance of creation care, creating a loving and hospitable place for others, friendship, community, justice, spirituality, and care for the stranger and the vulnerable.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore ways in which Henri’s writings can offer a healing response to the challenges of the 21 st century, and a wise and comforting voice to the next generation.

Marla Stewart Konrad is an award-winning author of several books for children, including the upcoming God in My Day (Convergent, October 2026), which was inspired by the work of Henri Nouwen. She is a former board member at the Henri Nouwen Society, and a former trustee of the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust. She currently works as an Executive Coach, and runs workshops on leadership development themes including the Enneagram and Emotional Intelligence.

Drawing from Henri Nouwen’s profound insight into our identity as the Beloved of God, this session offers a guided meditation grounded in Scripture and Trinitarian theology. Participants will be invited into prayerful reflection on Jesus as the Beloved and our shared participation in that divine love. Using Nouwen’s encounter with the Rublev Trinity icon and integrating contemplative practices influenced by both Christian and Zen traditions, this experience will nurture a deeper awareness of being Beloved—and of seeing all others as Beloved in God.

Joseph Piccione, SThD is a research associate of the Cedar Tree Institute and healthcare ethics consultant. He is a member of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality; the Catholic Theological Association; Karl Rahner Society, and author of Receiving God and Responding, in Breath Meditation (Herder & Herder, Crossroad, 2020)

What does it mean to find home when you live in between/en medio de many worlds/mundos? Drawing on Henri Nouwen’s vision of “the beloved,” this presentation explores how his spirituality of vulnerability resonates with the presenter’s Latino experience of migration and the stories of displacement and faith of those he has encountered on the road. Blending Nouwen’s contemplative wisdom with Latin American liberation theology, Diego Garrido reimagines spiritual direction as an act of mutual homecoming—a sacred espacio where stories of exile and belonging center God’s unconditional hospitality. For anyone who has ever felt en medio, half, a medias, incomplete, ni de aquí ni de allá, this talk offers keys and practices to weave a language of tenderness, resilience, and a theology of grace for the migrant soul and some key ideas for their soul caretakers.

Diego Garrido Barreto is a Colombian artist and theologian. He holds  a Master of Divinity from Boston University and is currently completing certification as a Spiritual Director at the Spiritual Life Center in Hartford, Connecticut. As an artist, Diego explores themes of spirituality, migration, and belonging. His life and ministry are deeply informed by his experience as a migrant; his brother migrated two years before him, and after years apart, Diego was reunited with his parents, Patricia and Diego, during their visit in September 2025—an encounter he remembers as one of the happiest days of his life. Diego is one of the 30<30 Young Nouwen Leaders.

Using Henri Nouwen’s theological insights into personal contemplation and communal engagement, this workshop explores navigating the chaos, pain & joy, tears & laughter encountered in the state of our current world. Drawing on reflections from Henri’s writings, particularly The Wounded Healer and Seeds of Hope, participants will explore relationship with oneself and the “Beloved”, as well as relationships of companionship with others, as pathways to greater wholeness and trust in the Divine. Using personal reflection and group sharing, the workshop incorporates practical tools, and exercises that can be applied to a variety of settings.

Elizabeth McCabe serves as a consultant and coach, having worked in higher education, social services, and health care. She holds an MA in Religious Studies from DePaul University, a MA in Theology from Aquinas Institute, and is a member of the International Coaching Federation having completed Georgetown University’s Transformational Leadership executive coach program.

Rosanne Ponzetti has spent a lifetime exploring what it means to support wholeness through human development and community building through the lens of personal and collective spirituality and cultural formation. Working as a Mission Leader in the health care arena, Rosanne holds a Masters in Catholic Healthcare Leadership, a Masters in Family Studies and undergraduate in the Human Development field.

At the heart of Henri Nouwen’s life and writings lies the conviction that to care is to be present—to set aside our desire to fix or advise, and to accompany others with compassion and humility. He invites us into a care posture rooted in hospitality: making room in our hearts for the stories, wounds, and joys of those we meet and care for. This workshop will explore Henri’s thoughts on care and compassion, as well as his reflections on being a wounded healer and the importance of caring for oneself when you care for others. 

Michelle O’Rourke is RN MA has a background in Emergency Nursing, Hospice Palliative Care, Lay Ministry and Parish Nursing. She is the author of three books, including Befriending Death:  Henri Nouwen and a Spirituality of Dying  (Orbis 2009) and Healthy Caregiving: Perspectives for Caring Professionals in Company with Henri J.M. Nouwen (Novalis 2020). Michelle lives in Chatham ON and currently serves as a Trustee with the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust.  Her website is: www.selahresources.ca

Henri Nouwen once wrote, “The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.” This truth became real for Mark in 2007, when his youngest son, Andrew, was born with a rare chromosomal deletion. In the wake of his diagnosis, Mark discovered an unsettling silence—no books for fathers of special needs children, no support groups, no theology to make sense of the pain. Out of that wilderness, he began to write and share his story: one marked by grief, faith, doubt, and unexpected grace. In this session, Mark invites you to explore how God meets us in our wounds—not to erase them, but to transform them into places of compassion and healing. His journey is but one among many, a testimony that true leadership and ministry are not born of strength, but of shared vulnerability. Together, we will reflect on what it means to walk not ahead of others, but beside them, as fellow wounded healers in a broken world.

Mark Wallace Maguire works in creative communications in Atlanta. He is the author of several books of fiction and nonfiction, a creative writing teacher, scholar, and is currently working on a book on special needs and faith.

How do you help a friend who is ill, hospitalized or grieving? Most of us do it wrong. Or not at all. Do you feel uncomfortable when something is happening with your coworkers, family or your friend’s family? How do you know what to say-or not say? Since COVID, we’ve all had more opportunities to support each other. Illness and loss happen all the time, and often without notice. We will discuss some of Nouwen’s work on caregiving. We’ll practice with writing exercises and come away with strategies from Nouwen, to help us in our professional and personal work of caring for others, without feeling sad or overwhelmed. Indeed, we will develop specific ideas for our own and others’ spiritual transformation, that will revitalize us and enrich our future work.

J B Nicholson Hunt has been writing since being appointed 4-H Club Reporter. Today, she is an OSU graduate, freelance writer living in Tulsa, and is a trained hospice and hospital chaplain Recently she and two other widows developed an online course about aging solo, and she has led Healing Through Writing workshops at community centers and churches.

To be human means to suffer loss. Each loss cuts a unique wound, creates its pain, and leaves its scar. And yet the journey to healing is remarkably uniform across all kinds of loss. Henri Nouwen not only understood and lived this journey; he was uniquely gifted to describe its pathway in language that is as simple as it is deeply profound. This workshop illustrates a single journey in and through loss to healing, demonstrating the impact of Nouwen’s work on its fruitful trajectory. Then, like a single pebble dropped into a pool, the session will show how this one story has sent ripples of healing that continue to spread outward in ever-widening circles, demonstrating the living power of Nouwen’s life and words across three continents thirty years after his death.

Bill Wiser is a pastor, chaplain, writer, and educator. He feels most at home with others who have been broken by life and has used his journey and ministry to point to the Wounded Healer. He lives with his wife, Grace, in an Anabaptist church community near Knoxville, Tennessee.

In Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons, Henri Nouwen writes that icons “offer access, through the gate of the visible, to the mystery of the invisible.” Drawing on personal experiences as Henri’s student, friend, and witness to his life, this session explores how Henri revealed God’s presence in everyday moments.

I invite you to see Henri himself as an icon—one through whom God’s love became visible—and to discover how we, too, can be icons for one another. Through “Iconic Moments” with Henri, we’ll reflect on themes close to his heart: being the Beloved of God, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the ministry of art, creating community, living our vocation with joy, celebrating life, and practicing gratitude.

Dr. Sanchez-Nunez served as a Student Assistant to Henri Nouwen at Yale Divinity School (1979–1981), helping select prayers for A Cry for Mercy: Prayers from the Genesee. He later worked in Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese and as a Clinical Psychologist with youth in Orange County. He holds an M.Div. and S.T.M (Yale) and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology (USC).  

Henri Nouwen’s life continues to speak—through those who have invested in telling his story. In this illuminating panel, noted Nouwen biographers, documentarians, and close friends—Michael W. Higgins, Karen Pascal, Kevin Burns, and Robert Jonas—reflect on how they have sought to capture the depth, complexity, and enduring tenderness of Nouwen’s spirit. Together, they explore what it means to make accessible a life of vulnerability, creativity, and faith—inviting us to encounter anew the man whose words still stir hearts around the world.

Panelists:

Michael W. Higgins - biographer, Genius Born of Anguish: The Life and Legacy of Henri Nouwen

Michael O’Laughlin - one of Nouwen’s TA’s at Harvard, and author, God’s Beloved: A Spiritual Biography of Henri Nouwen

Kevin Burns - biographer, Henri Nouwen: His Life and Spirit 

Karen Pascal - documentarian, Journey of the Heart

Robert A. Jonas - editor, Henri Nouwen: Selected Writings; biographical essay, The Fire of the Beloved

Vulnerability was at the heart of Henri’s life and work. His writings invite us into a sacred openness—an honest, tender way of being that connects us more deeply with ourselves, with others, and with God. This workshop explores how vulnerability can be practiced as a spiritual discipline and how it can be expressed in ways that are both courageous and emotionally safe. Together, we will consider the transformative power of vulnerability and the practical steps that help us embody it with wisdom and care.

Rev. Anthony Giordano is the pastor of two small Lutheran congregations in New Jersey. He is married to Edna and has four amazing children. He is currently writing a book of reflections on Henri's writings.

Henri Nouwen's ministry, writing, teaching, and attentive presence changed the lives of many people who knew him during his lifetime. Millions more have been impacted and received guidance through his books, even though they never met him before his death thirty years ago. This panel features contributors to a new book Encountering Henri that includes stories and memories of former students, friends of Henri's, and those whose lives were changed through Henri's continuing legacy, reading his writing in recent years. 

Panelists:

Michael Christensen is a former student of Henri Nouwen's at Yale Divinity School. He is the author and editor of many books, including the trilogy, Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Formation, and Discernment by Henri Nouwen.  

Christina Crook is a pioneer in digital well-being and a leading voice on mindful technology use. She’s the award-winning author of The Joy of Missing Out and Good Burdens, and the founder of JOMO Campus, a digital wellness education platform helping people and organizations thrive in a hyperconnected world.

Michelle O'Rourke is a member of the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust and the author of Befriending Death: Henri Nouwen and a Spirituality of Dying and Healthy Caregiving: Perspectives for Carding Professionals in Company with Henri J.M. Nouwen. 

Moderator, Stephen Lazarus is the Literary Manager for the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust and the editor of Encountering Henri: The Living Legacy of Henri Nouwen and Community by Henri Nouwen. 

Caregiving is a central theme to Henri Nouwen’s writing and vocation. When he came to live in L’Arche, Nouwen’s understanding of offering care deepened. The grace of mutuality surfaced through his relationships with members of the L’Arche Daybreak community. Embodied care witnessing to the transformative power of love in relationship became an essential tenet for Nouwen and his writing.

Ministry seen through the lens of mutuality reframes the notion of power, authority and hospitality. Through Nouwen’s writing, story, personal reflection and group discussion, this workshop will explore how we understand giving and receiving as necessary aspects to caregiving.

Keith Reynolds is a father, partner, pastor, writer, spiritual director and friend of L’Arche for over thirty years.  Living with Henri Nouwen in the L’Arche Daybreak Community helped shape Keith’s understanding of ministry and caregiving. He served with Henri on the Pastoral Team at Daybreak, which provided a grounding in his vocation that continues to inform him. Keith’s life is nourished by the writings of Nouwen and maintaining a connection with the L’Arche Stratford community.

In Henri Nouwen's final university course at Harvard’, Introduction to the Spiritual Life, his guiding aim was profound: “teaching spiritual things spiritually.” What might that look like—then and now? This breakout session explores that question by considering Nouwen’s affirmation: “The spiritual life is the life of God’s Spirit within and among us.” From this vision flowed his distinctive pedagogy—one shaped by the Gospel of John as divine instruction, and by listening, speaking, reading, and writing as essential spiritual disciplines rather than mere academic skills. Together, we will consider how Nouwen’s final classroom witness continues to invite us into a way of teaching—and learning—that is deeply spiritual, relational, and hospitable. May our time be fruitful.

James D. Smith III has practiced integrated ministry as pastor-teacher for 35+ years. He was a Teaching Fellow for Henri at Harvard while pastoring and raising a family with his wife Linda. He is Associate Pastor of Sea Change Church and prof & president of Pacific Theological Seminary. With Glen Scorgie, he is co-editor of the Dictionary of Christian Spirituality.

Over 30 years ago, Henri Nouwen commissioned the building of a table for the Dayspring chapel at L’Arche Daybreak.  His vision was a table close to the ground, where the sacred meal could be visible to those who gathered—whether seated in a chair, wheelchair, or on the floor. This low, broad table was reflective of Henri’s deep desire for communion as an experience that reflects God’s love for us: never out of reach, always available and inviting us closer.

In this workshop, members of the L’Arche Daybreak community will share the story of the building of this unique communion table, and reflect on the ways in which Henri’s vision of the table remains prophetic to how we invite, include and make room—not only in our chapel, but in all our community spaces, and in our daily lives.  

Room at the Table will be an interactive opportunity to experience the L’Arche Daybreak community and its collaborative model of prayer: encountering the Spirit together through simple rituals of welcoming, remembering, sharing stories, listening, making music and giving thanks.  

With Henri Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son as our literary guide, this meditation and prayer will ask the participant to rediscover God in their “own inner sanctuary” where God has chosen to dwell. The goal of this session to help participants move past the hurt, anxiety, anger, and whatever else tethers us to this world and enter the embrace of the Father.

Smith Getterman lives in Waco, Texas with his wife Kristin and two sons, Baker and Harry.

Inspired by Father Henri Nouwen’s writings, this session will engage participants in the practice of community lectio divina. For Nouwen, reading the word and community are core disciplines of the spiritual life.  Participants will learn, discuss, and practice group lectio divina strategies so as to form communities of worship and service.

Colleen Grady, the Director of Religious Education at St. Finbarr Parish in Naples, Florida, is author of lectionary commentary for LTP Press and has directed lectio divina retreats. She is the spiritual advisor for the God News prayer community and a doctoral student in theology at St. Thomas University. She also serves an adjunct instructor of religious studies at Hilbert College, New York.

This is an immersive session inspired by Henri Nouwen’s The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom. Through a collection of painted journals and larger works, Joyce visually interprets Nouwen’s path from self-rejection toward healing and spiritual freedom. Participants are invited into a guided meditation that combines gentle breathwork, reflective viewing of the artwork, and moments of silence. Each piece serves as a visual cue, opening space for personal reflection on themes of love, longing, pain, and hope. This experience provides a quiet sanctuary for those seeking inner stillness and a reminder that healing unfolds as a tender, self-paced journey.

Joyce Leung is a visual artist using primarily traditional mediums such as oil, pastel, and ink, to document the traces of everyday life. Joyce blends her inner dialogue into art, reflecting emotional honesty and quiet moments of vulnerability, capturing raw moments with expressive spontaneity and intimate scenes.

This paper aims to contribute to practical theology by offering socio-spatial frameworks attentive to disability, relationality, and the incarnational dynamics of caregiving. It invites further reflection on how theology might better inhabit and become enriched within these marginal but holy places.

Corey Parish holds a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Tyndale University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Christian Theology at McMaster Divinity College. As an autistic scholar, Corey brings a lived experience that informs and enriches his practical theological reflections, particularly in the areas of belonging, place, and care.

This paper will argue that Nouwen's call to the priesthood remained central to his life and work, and thus provides a key entrance point through which to engage his writings. Drawing from the field of Liturgical theology, particularly through the works of James K. A. Smith and Martin Thornton, this paper will explore the eucharistic formation central to Nouwen’s life and work. By highlighting the eucharistic as indicative of Nouwen's priestly ministry, this paper will offer fresh insight into (1) his early spiritual formation (2) his frustrations with academia, (3) recurring themes in his writing, and (4) his move to L’Arche Daybreak.

The Very Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral in Kamloops, BC, and is Dean of the Territory of the People.  He has been in pastoral ministry for over 23 years and holds a doctorate in Spiritual Formation through Tyndale University.

Building on the foundation of spiritual friendship, this paper explores what it means to read Henri Nouwen as a spiritual friend who is also a prophet. The Christ who is “a third in our midst” and “a second self” is, according to the Christian tradition, Christ the Redeemer and Mediator, our prophet, priest, and king. Prophets and friends have this in common: They tell the truth. They bear witness. They speak the truth no matter what the cost. They speak truth to power. They speak the truth in love, and they do it all for the sake of others. Henri Nouwen is a prophetic spiritual friend in a wounded world.

Rev. Dr. John Vissers is professor at Knox College. John is a graduate of the University of Toronto (B.A.), Knox College (M.Div.), Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and the Toronto School of Theology (Th.D.). In 2012 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in sacred theology (D.D.) from the Montreal Diocesan Theological College affiliated with McGill University for his contributions to Reformed theology and ecumenical theological education. John serves on the board of the Henri Nouwen Society.

Henri Nouwen believed the spiritual destinies of North and South America are deeply intertwined. This session explores how his Latin American experience shaped his vision of a eucharistic life—a life of shared love amid suffering, division, and injustice. By revisiting Nouwen’s encounters in Latin America, we rediscover his call for mutual transformation, where North and South meet in Christ’s healing embrace.

Dr. Hugo Herfst, OblSB, PhD, serves as the Director of Hispanic Ministries for the Henri Nouwen Society and Director of Spirituality at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology. He has just returned to Canada after many years in Guatemala.

This paper argues that Nouwen’s encounter with liberation theology provides a critical lens through which to reinterpret his signature concept of the Beloved. Read through a liberationist framework, belovedness shifts from a personal psychological affirmation to a communal, political foundation for spiritual and social freedom. Drawing on Nouwen’s reflections on the interior life as a space of freedom, the paper offers a liberationist reading of his theology, tracing how the concept of the Beloved evolves from a private identity into the ground of a liberated, justice-seeking community.

Hau Chi Chau, originally from Hong Kong, is a PhD student at the Oblate School of Theology. His research explores the intersection of mysticism and social justice, with a particular focus on apocalyptic spirituality. Hau Chi is one of the 30<30 Young Nouwen Leaders.

Henri Nouwen was a prophetic witness to the pain that can flow from love. This paper explores the ways in which Nouwen’s reflections on human relationships and their endings in The Inner Voice of Love might engender a more developed theological response to human experiences of heartbreak.

Reuben Jenkins is a queer theologian based in Cambridge, UK. His research interests include theology and the arts, contemporary Christologies, and the life and work of Derek Jarman; Reuben is Deputy Chair of Trustees of the Student Christian Movement of Great Britain, a Trustee of the Inclusive Church Network, and holds a BA in Theology from the University of Cambridge. Reuben is one of the 30<30 Young Nouwen Leaders.

For Henri Nouwen, home is more than a place—it is the experience of abiding in God’s love. This session proposes “Home Spirituality” as a framework for Christian family spirituality education, drawing on Nouwen’s lifelong search for belonging and his vision of living fully in the world while remaining rooted in divine love. Integrating theology, spiritual psychology, and pedagogy, the paper offers a model for nurturing families who live from their identity as the Beloved and grow into spiritual parenthood.

Bora Hwang is a Ph.D. candidate at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in South Korea. Her current doctoral research centers on the theology and pedagogy of Henri Nouwen's spirituality and its implications for Christian family formation. Currently serving as a pastor in Korea, she is the author of Family Worship Every Day and Every Moment (2021), a guide to family spiritual life.

This session explores Henri Nouwen’s spirituality through the lens of affect theory, examining how wounds become sites of grace and transformation. Engaging Sara Ahmed’s concept of affective objects and the Japanese aesthetic mono no aware (“the pathos of things”), it considers how emotional attunement can be cultivated as a spiritual discipline. Bringing Nouwen’s insights into dialogue with the anime Demon Slayer, the presentation traces how compassion extends even toward the dehumanized and discarded. By attending to the affective life of faith, we uncover how vulnerability opens a path toward connection, justice, and divine presence in a wounded world.

Ching Sum Leung is a doctoral student at Regis College and a practicing spiritual director.

Henri Nouwen’s call to “make space” lies at the heart of his spirituality and ministry. This paper examines how Nouwen’s theology of hospitality—rooted in the balance between solitude and community—shapes his approach to difference, belonging, and inclusion. From classrooms to L’Arche communities, and from interreligious dialogue to reflections on imperfection and death, Nouwen’s practice of space-making offers a timeless guide for fostering compassion and unity amid today’s polarized landscape.

Rev. Dr. Thomas J Elenbaas is the COO of Benjamin’s Hope, a live, learn, play, worship farmstead community on 52 acres for adults affected by intellectual and development disabilities. Dr. Elenbaas spent 30 years in pastoral ministry as a senior pastor, church planter, university chaplain, and youth minister. His doctoral work was focused on the spiritual theology of Henri Nouwen.

Henri Nouwen’s fascination with the trapeze offers a striking metaphor for Christian life and ministry. Drawing from Nouwen’s unpublished writings and Carolyn Whitney-Brown’s Flying, Falling, Catching, this paper explores how the trapeze embodies a non-hierarchical, trust-filled spirituality of mutual support. In this vision, ministry and caregiving are dynamic acts of co-learning, vulnerability, and grace—where flying, falling, and catching together reveal the rhythm of God’s love in motion.

Gregory Harris is a husband, father, pastor, and doctoral student living in the suburbs of Vancouver, British Columbia while studying Practical Theology at McMaster Divinity College (MDC). His personal, pastoral, and academic life meet in the intersection of dis/ability theology and ecclesiology.

This presentation explores Henri Nouwen’s embodied exegetical practice—an integrative, incarnational approach to theology, psychology, and the human experience. Drawing on works such as The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and With Burning Hearts, it examines how Nouwen’s hermeneutics arise from the interplay of Scripture, sacramentality, vulnerability, and human suffering. Through insights from phenomenology, ressourcement theology, and socio-rhetorical criticism, the study argues that Nouwen’s “embodied exegesis” is not merely experiential but deeply ecclesial and sacramental. His approach challenges modern epistemologies by inviting interpreters into a participatory, affective encounter with the Word—where knowing and being converge in the transformative love of Christ.

Corné J. Bekker serves as professor of Biblical Studies and the Dean of the School of Divinity at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to these roles, he is the Director of the Th.M. and Ph.D. programs in Renewal Theology at Regent University.

Henri Nouwen’s writings reveal a remarkable capacity to transform pain and struggle into sources of deeper meaning, hope, and trust in God. Through his life-changing experiences, Nouwen illuminated the universal human challenges we all face—loss, broken relationships, and personal limitations—and showed how these experiences can become pathways to spiritual and personal growth.

As educators in Singapore and Germany, working in the fields of special needs education and social work, we recognize the enduring relevance of Nouwen’s perspective for higher education today. His compassionate approach offers valuable insights for guiding young adults as they navigate their own journeys of learning, self-discovery, and faith.

In this presentation, we will explore how Henri Nouwen’s writings can inspire more hopeful, life-affirming approaches to teaching and mentoring within universities, fostering spaces where students can grow not only intellectually but also as whole and resilient persons.

Dr Levan Lim is an Associate Professor at the Psychology and Child & Human Development (PCHD) Department at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research and teaching commitments and interests are focused on the inclusion of persons with disabilities and teacher development for inclusion.

Dr Annette Ullrich is a professor of social work at the Cooperative State University Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart. She received her Ph.D. in Special Education and Child Development from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her areas of teaching and research include pedagogy, challenging behavior, stress and coping in social work education.

Although consolation is a powerful and timely experience, it remains a difficult concept to grasp and practice well. Drawing on the recently updated Contextualized Model of Consolation (CMC) developed by Prof. Christoph Jedan (University of Groningen), the presentation approaches consolation as something that arises within concrete human encounters and relationships, rather than as an abstract or purely cognitive act. By bringing Nouwen’s writings into dialogue with the CMC, the session seeks a fuller understanding of consolation as both a cognitive orientation and a relational practice. Adopting a Verstehen approach, it aims not to explain consolation, but to deepen insight into how and why Nouwen’s words continue to console.

Wouter Timmer lives in the Netherlands. He works in healthcare ethics and is engaged in spiritual care and palliative care.

Nouwen explores the power and importance of waiting in his short work, The Path of Waiting. Waiting coincides with reminding, another feature of ministry Nouwen develops in his work, The Living Reminder. These themes also arise in Quaker (or Friends) views of ministry. Comparison of Nouwen and Quakers around these themes will disclose significant similarities and differences between them.

Ron Rembert, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Philosophy, Wilmington College, a small, Quaker-founded school in Wilmington, Ohio, brings experiences in both the Catholic and Quaker communities to this session. In 1971, he was fortunate to start his graduate study as a first-year student at Yale Divinity School, the same year that Nouwen launched his teaching career there. Ron recalls with great appreciation Nouwen's impact on him and his fellow students through Henri's presence and involvement in that community.