In the year 386 CE, a young North African language teacher living in Milan decided with some friends to spend their summers at one of their farms reading and discussing philosophy. The stakes were high: it was a matter of deciding how they should live and what they should believe in a time of political strife, mass migrations, and resource crunches. A variety of dubious gurus had made themselves available to young people, offering simplistic ideologies and the chance to be part of a “movement.” But for Augustine and his friends, it was important to take the time to retreat from the urgency of the day and to carefully and rigorously consider the foundations upon which their convictions–and actions–ought to rest. The future Saint Augustine recorded several of those discussions in writing, and they are now known by the name of the place where they occurred: The Cassiciacum Dialogues.

GLIPH exists to extend the tradition of such engaged reflection today, while adapting it to the context of the Great Lakes in the 21st century. Our goal is to make similar retreats available and affordable. We think it is crucial for humanistic study to be oriented towards the public good—and that the way to achieve this is by protecting reflection from vested interests while grounding it in community and practice. Over the past year, though we stepped back our offerings, we have been working hard behind the scenes to establish our organizational infrastructure and we have made major progress towards our goal. Now, with support from the Augustinian Institute at Villanova University and several other partners we are able to realize this vision.

Today, we’re happy to announce that we are now set to relaunch this summer with our very own Cassiciacum on Manitoulin. The summer program is back on for another year in which participants will have the chance to read and discuss texts while learning hands-on skills and contributing to civic life. Stay tuned for more details coming soon and be sure to share with your networks.

Yours in friendship,

Philippe & Julia