The Soul Grows by Learning -St Augustine: Seton Hall Students Connect Faith, Identity and Dialogue at National Catholic Studies Conference

In the heart of Center Valley, Pennsylvania, on November 1, 2026, Seton Hall University students brought insight, courage and original scholarship to the Catholic Studies Conference at DeSales University, presenting research that bridged the Catholic faith with culture. Sponsored by the Salesian Honors Program, the gathering drew students from across the country.

The day opened with Keiri Shuyama, a Philosophical Theology major, whose paper, “Mary’s Obedience of Faith,” explored the thought of Karol Wojtyła, later Pope John Paul II. Wojtyła’s unique theological background was shaped by his experiences under two totalitarian regimes and their distorted views of the nature of obedience. Having witnessed firsthand the suffering inflicted in the name of obedience, Wojtyła rejected the idea of obedience rooted in fear. Instead, he proposed that obedience should flow from a “unitive faith”- a “living faith [that] leads to obedience.” Drawing on scriptural accounts of Mary, particularly those referenced in the 1987 encyclical Redemptoris Mater and on Wojtyła’s theological thought as a whole, Shuyama explored the meaning of the obedience of faith and what it compels a Christian to consider.

Nancy Kajo, president and founder of Seton Hall’s Albanian Student Organization and a Catholic Studies and Political Science double major, presented “Faith Without Borders: Mother Teresa, Albanian Identity and Service,” exploring how Mother Teresa’s Albanian Catholic heritage shaped her commitment to serving humanity beyond cultural, national and religious boundaries. Using the founding and leadership of the Albanian Student Organization at Seton Hall University as a case study, Kajo examined how cultural identity and the values of human dignity, solidarity and the common good can promote hospitality, interfaith dialogue and meaningful community service.

Reverend Gerald Buonopane, vice provost for academics and Catholic identity noted,

God calls us to be missionaries and evangelizers of the faith. Our Seton Hall students were exactly that at the Catholic Studies Conference. Imbued with the spirit of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, our students courageously and compassionately presented their own stories of faith — faith stories connected to reason, culture, science and service. As the Seton Hall University community more fully embraces our Catholic mission and identity, the students who presented at DeSales University inspire us never to be shy or timid about sharing the Good News that God gives us. May we imitate our students and serve one another as they did, following the examples of our Blessed Mother Mary, Mother Seton, Mother Teresa and all holy men and women.

The conference made clear that Seton Hall students are not only students of the tradition but also contributors to it, advancing research that is both faithful and forward-looking. Their work exemplifies the University’s Catholic mission to integrate faith and reason in the service of the common good and it points to a future in which dialogue across differences is not merely tolerated but cultivated as a hallmark of Catholic higher education.

Our students' participation at the conference was generously supported by the Dean of Arts and Sciences,  Jonathan Farina, Ph.D.

Categories: Faith and Service, Research