Atla Annual 2024

Art has long been part of sacred texts in many religious faiths, especially as decorative, stylized, and illuminated calligraphy. How scripture was presented aesthetically carried sacred significance. In modern times, it is common to leave artistic expression of scripture to either paid professionals or children - but writing, illustrating, or artistically responding to scripture can be a devotional practice available to anyone. In this session, we will be discussing and practicing ways to recover artistic expression that engages with sacred texts as inspiration and medium, providing examples of “creatio divina” in practice, discussing ways to engage students through related active and passive programming, and providing the opportunity for attendees to engage with scriptures of their choice by meditatively writing out the texts and illustrating or illuminating them. Participants will then be invited to a time of voluntary sharing with a small group to display their work and tell about the meaning they gained from the text they chose to use. This session will be accessible to a variety of religious traditions by allowing participants to choose their own sacred text to work with. In-person attendees will be provided with supplies; online attendees are encouraged to have art supplies (paper, pencils, markers, chalk, glue, scissors, and whatever else they feel drawn to use) at hand. Attendees are also encouraged to post pictures of their work on social media and tag the conference!

Part One of this session was presented in Fort Worth in 2023 with the hoped-for expectation of a follow-up conversation at the 2024 Atla Annual. The 6th edition of The Program for Priestly Formation is the governing document for Catholic seminary formation. This edition, based on the Ratio Fundamentalis from 2016, is a major shift in how seminary formation is being conceived. This session will provide a brief exposition of the context of Catholic seminary formation, explore two of the foundational documents governing seminaries, and provide ample time for conversation about how the PPF6 is being applied in local contexts.