Carmel Catholic announces lineup for 'Spiritus Series'
In the fall of 2019, Carmel Catholic High School launched the Spiritus Series, featuring a wide range of speakers from varied backgrounds, designed to enkindle faith, encourage dialogue, and bring people together in Christ. In that inaugural year, Carmel welcomed three speakers and hundreds of visitors to its Mundelein campus.
Spiritus returns this year with another list of accomplished speakers. All events are free, open to the public, and broadcast live on the Carmel Digital Network.
Among the featured speakers this season are Carmel Catholic graduates dr. timone davis ('80) (dr. davis uses lower case letters in the spelling of her name to indicate her willingness to embody the creedal assertion in John 3:30 in her everyday living), Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, with an emphasis in Black Catholic Theology at Loyola University, and Dr. Samer Attar ('95), attending surgeon at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Also scheduled to speak is Dr. Linda Couri, director of the Institute for Pastoral Leadership and assistant professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake.
Hosted inside the newly opened Kathy A. Nemmers Welcome Center, dr. davis will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28; Dr. Couri at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20; and Dr. Attar at a to-be-determined date in February.
After working for the Archdiocese of Chicago as the coordinator of Reclaiming Christ in Life Young Adult Ministry (ReCiL), dr. davis launched PEACE centered WHOLENESS with her husband Orlando, where they are blending clinical counseling and spiritual companioning.
In addition to running a business, she is an assistant professor in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. In her spare time, she serves as the treasurer of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium.
davis' dynamic energy and deep spirituality enhance her brand of teaching, which engages one's spirit through the use of storytelling.
On Jan. 20, The "Choice Driven Life" featuring Dr. Linda Couri will examine and defend the pro-life stance through the lens of a Catholic approach to authentic feminism. A licensed clinical social worker, Dr. Couri's additional studies include counseling at the Victor Frankl Institute for Logotherapy and in theology at Loyola University Chicago and the Catholic Theological Union.
As a former pro choice advocate and employee of Planned Parenthood, Dr. Couri has experienced the depth of thought and certainty of conviction from both sides of the abortion issue. In her self-described "uncomfortable conversion" to being pro-life, she has had the benefit of genuinely exploring the values, goals and motivations behind being pro-choice.
With the purpose of shedding light on the pro-choice perspective, Dr. Couri's lecture will reference her own life story in hopes of creating an opportunity for useful and honest dialogue between people who find themselves divided by the issue of abortion.
In addition to his medical degrees, Dr. Attar completed a surgical residency and fellowship at the University of Chicago. Prior to working in Chicago, he worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Attar has been on several medical missions overseas with the Syrian American Medical Society, Doctors Without Borders, and New York City Medics.
Dr. Attar is known around the globe for his incredible and awe-inspiring work in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Liberia, Burma, Bhutan, Panama, and Nepal. In 2016, he was honored as a Chicago Magazine Chicagoan of the Year and an American Red Cross Global Citizenship Hero in recognition of his humanitarian work in Syria and advocacy for Syrian medical workers.
His work has been featured on CNN, the BBC, and 60 Minutes, and he has been published in numerous publications and outlets, including the New England Journal of Medicine, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, and National Geographic.
All Spiritus Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. For information, visit www.carmelhs.org or call (847) 566-3000.