“Saints: Historical Reality and Spiritual Legacy” Assisi, July 6-15, 2026

Source: Elijah Interfaith Institute

Announcement: Summer School “Saints: Historical Reality and Spiritual Legacy”

Saints are an important dimension in the spiritual life of all religions. While the terminology may change, there is universal recognition of the spiritual excellence of certain individuals and of the benefits they bring to their community and to the world.

The historical image of these individuals changes over time, thereby creating interesting dynamics between the historical person and their meaning, as it unfolds across time.

This dynamic – appreciating the value of special individuals and recognizing how their image shifts over time – will be the focus of the 2026 edition of the Elijah Summer School and Interfaith Leadership Institute.

This year Elijah’s summer programming moves to Assisi, the city of St. Francis, whose 800th anniversary is being celebrated. This is also the year when Elijah will launch its Global House of Friendship and Hope. We will thus have the opportunity to study one important case-study in situ and to reflect on these universal dynamics in the spiritually charged atmosphere of Assisi.

We will study figures from 6 different traditions – Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism and Sikhism. We will thus have the possibility of gaining an appreciation not only of St. Francis but also of Ramakrishna, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, Guru Nanak, Milarepa, Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Jazūlī and Abū Yi‘zzā Yalannūr.

Lecturers are affiliated with major academic institutions: Yale, Emory, Boston College, and more, as well as religious personalities and leaders from Assisi and from Jerusalem. An Elijah summer school is the perfect opportunity for students of theology, religious studies, interfaith activists and religious leaders to deepen their knowledge and be part of an interfaith community of spiritual seekers. The program is academic, incorporating a faith dimension and an interfaith orientation. Study methodology is multifaceted and extends beyond traditional class room study to include small group text study, Bibliodrama, spiritual sharing, joint pilgrimage and visits to holy sites and more.

There is also the possibility of earning a diploma from Yale Divinity School or the Elijah Interfaith Institute.