Speakers
Richard Rohlin is a software developer, Germanic philologist, and Orthodox Christian living in Texas with his wife and children. His published works on Germanic poetry, the Inklings, and the Sacramental Imagination include The Digital Hervararkviða and a chapter in the recent anthology Amid Weeping There is Joy: Orthodox Perspectives on Tolkien’s Fantastic Realm. He is the co-host of the Amon Sul Podcast from Ancient Faith Radio, which examines the works of J.R.R. Tolkien from an Orthodox Christian perspective. He is also a regular contributor to The Symbolic World YouTube channel and blog, where he discusses and writes about medieval universal history and hagiography. Richard’s latest project, Finding the Golden Key: Essays Towards a Recovery of the Sacramental Imagination, is being published in collaboration with Eighth Day Press and is still accepting abstracts through December 31, 2021 at www.findingthegoldenkey.com.
Richard Rohlin
That Our Hearts May Beat as One: Building Stable Communities through Storytelling
Panel Discussion - Dallas, TX
Numerous diagnoses have been put forward for the continued cultural decline of the West, and these diagnoses have led to various treatment plans being suggested and attempted. In Live Not By Lies, Rod Dreher focuses not merely on what went wrong, but — more importantly — on those communities which managed to cohere, and even thrive, in the midst of persecution and oppression. In this lecture, Richard will argue that these communities function as a sort of “Canary in a coal mine” for purposes of understanding how to survive cultural decline, retain a sense of identity, and build durable communities. Finally, we will look at the way that storytelling has functioned in this way throughout history, and suggest some avenues of participatory storytelling by which we can pass on culture to our children and give them the gift of stable communities and identity.
Travis C. Headley received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Baylor University in 1996. He graduated summa cum laude from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 2001. During law school, Travis served as Editor in Chief of the St. Mary’s Law Journal, Volume 32. Travis also interned for the Honorable Emilio M. Garza, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 1999. After graduating from law school, he was the briefing attorney to Chief Justice Phil Hardberger of the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio from 2001 to 2002. Travis converted to Catholicism in 2015.
Travis Headley
The Nehemiah Option: An Ancient Blueprint for Rebuilding the Walls of our Christian Faith, Families and Communities
The walls of Christendom lie in ruins. This nearly wholesale destruction of Christian culture has challenged our faith, affected our families, and fractured our communities. In this lecture, partly in response to the oft repeated claim that the Benedict Option does not include a “how to” manual, Travis will present the Old Testament figure of Nehemiah as an example of how we can go about rebuilding the walls of our faith, families, and communities in this time of upheaval through attending to the parts of the wall right in front of us. Only by focusing on the small parts—whatever that might be for each of us—can the walls of a Christian culture be rebuilt.
Barbara is a wife and mother of 5. She holds her bachelor’s degree in Theology and History from Ave Maria University. After teaching for a few years, she settled down in South Texas to raise her family and homeschool her children.
Barbara Pace
Panel Discussion - Post Falls, ID
In 2019, Barbara and her husband made the decision to pursue a life within community, packed up their life, and moved to North Idaho. She now resides in Post Falls, ID, where she and her family actively participate and volunteer in their parish and local community. During the panel, Barbara will share her family’s experiences with finding good communities, their purpose and limitations, and the practical methods for developing authentic community-driven economy and culture.
