In Search of the Human Face: Academic Retreat Led by Fr. Antonio López
This academic retreat is devoted to a close study of Luigi Giussani’s In Search of the Human Face, a careful exploration of the meaning of the human person. At the center of Giussani’s inquiry is a deceptively simple question: What do we mean when we say “I”? In an age marked by confusion about identity, freedom, and the nature of reality itself, Giussani proposes that the recovery of the human person begins not with abstraction, but with a renewed attentiveness to experience—an openness to the full range of one’s desires, questions, and encounters.
Led by Fr. Antonio López of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, the retreat will examine Giussani’s account of the “I” as a dynamic, relational reality, constituted through encounter and fulfilled in the discovery of its origin and destiny.
Retreat Details
Our multi-day academic retreats are small gatherings focused on great texts, thoughtful conversations, and intellectual friendship. Each retreat is led by a professor and centers on a specific thinker, theme, topic, or text.
The heart of the retreat is a robust academic program of twelve one-hour sessions—typically nine seminars and three lectures. Seminars are limited to 15 or fewer participants and emphasize close reading, intellectual humility, and the shared pursuit of truth. The professor's lectures synthesize themes and situate the readings within a broader whole.
The atmosphere is intentionally contemplative and relational—free from digital distraction and grounded in attentiveness, presence, and receptivity.
Location
Our academic retreats are held at our Kingfisher Center, which is located on the southwest side of Austin, Texas.
Cost
For accepted participants, the Valor Institute will cover the cost of the program fee, texts, lodging, and meals. We ask for participants to pay for their own travel to and from the retreat — though we do offer travel scholarships for those in need. We do not want cost to be a barrier for anyone desiring to participate in our programs.
Schedule
A typical retreat day runs from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. including time for lunch, dinner, and breaks.
Preparation
Participants are expected to carefully read and annotate all texts before arriving at the retreat. Because of academic retreats involve a significant amount of time in seminar, preparation is essential.
Registration & Questions
Space in our retreats is limited, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. For any questions, please contact us.
About the Leader
Fr. Antonio López, F.S.C.B., serves as Provost and Professor of Systematic Theology at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America. A priest of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, he holds a Ph.D. from Boston College, an S.T.L. from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, an S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University, and a Phil.L. from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
His teaching and research center on trinitarian theology, metaphysics, theological anthropology, and the theology of marriage. He is the author of Spirit’s Gift: The Metaphysical Insight of Claude Bruaire (CUA Press, 2006), Gift and the Unity of Being (Wipf & Stock, 2013), and Rinascere: La memoria di Dio in una cultura tecnologica (Lindau, 2015). He has edited Retrieving Origins and the Claim of Multiculturalism (Eerdmans, 2015) and Enlightening the Mystery of Man: Gaudium et spes Fifty Years Later (Humanum Academic Press, 2018).
Fr. López serves on the editorial board of Communio: International Catholic Review and as editor of Humanum Academic Press and of the English Critical Edition of the Works of Karol Wojtyła and John Paul II, a continuing series from CUA Press.