Christendom College welcomed historians from across the United States to campus February 20–21 for its history conference, centered on the theme “Eternity in Time: Thinking with the Church Through History.” The event invited participants to reflect more deeply on the study of history, better understand the Church’s past, and consider how historical scholarship can strengthen the Church’s public witness in contemporary culture.
“Mainstream academia insists that history must operate by reason alone, apart from any faith tradition. The conference brought together scholars whose work shows how rigorous scholarship is compatible with thinking from the Catholic tradition,” says history professor Dr. Christopher Shannon, who led the organization of the conference for the college’s history department. “In 1881, Pope Leo XIII opened the Vatican Archives to scholars. Proclaiming ‘God does not want our lies,’ Leo insisted that an honest exploration of the Church’s history was central to the advance of knowledge and also a way to engage the modern world. The conference sought to affirm Leo’s sense of the importance of historical scholarship in Catholic intellectual life. At the same time, it also sought to show how historical thinking is essential to the life of faith for all Catholics.”
The conference — the first hosted by one of the college’s academic departments — began on Friday evening with a welcome reception, followed by a keynote address from Fr. David Endres, academic dean and professor of church history and historical theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology. Fr. Endres presented an engaging talk for fellow historians and guests, providing an Augustinian and Leonine approach to interpreting the Church’s past.
Saturday featured a full day of panel discussions, with scholars from institutions across the country presenting research and engaging in question-and-answer sessions.
The first panel, titled “Models of History from History,” included Anna Vincenzi (Hillsdale College), Justin Tejeda (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology) and Emanuele Colombo (Boston College), each offering distinct perspectives on historical interpretation.
The second panel, “Contemporary Encounters and Applications,” featured presentations by James Bradley (The Catholic University of America), Sam Harrelson (California Institute of Integral Studies) and Joey Belleza (Athenaeum of Ohio).
Following Mass in Christ the King Chapel, attendees reconvened for the afternoon sessions. The third panel, “History Across Cultures and Traditions,” included Franklin Rausch (Lander University), David Pinault (Santa Clara University) and Christopher J. Lane (Christendom College).
The conference concluded with a final panel titled “History in Catholic Intellectual Life,” featuring Chris Shannon (Christendom College), Benjamin Weiskircher (The Catholic University of America) and Diana Philpott (The St. Patrick Curriculum).
The 2026 Christendom College history conference reflected the college’s commitment to serious historical scholarship rooted in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Echoing the legacy of founder Dr. Warren H. Carroll, the event challenged common misconceptions about the Church’s history. Rather than presenting the Church as either a mere collection of dates or an unreal institution untouched by struggle or human weakness, the conference provided attendees with thought-provoking talks, allowing them to engage with history as the Church herself understands it — truly taking part in the college’s mission to “restore all things in Christ.”
To view all the talks and panels from the conference, visit here.