Summer Mornings of Recollection

Dr. Ben Akers

Dr. Akers is the Chief Mission Officer at the Augustine Institute and an Associate Professor of Theology at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology, where he teaches scripture, catechesis, and Christian discipleship classes. He received his doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy, where he studied for five years and directed an undergraduate study abroad program with his wife. Dr. Akers and his wife are blessed with five children, ages 6 to 14.

Dr. Elizabeth Klein

Dr. Klein specializes in patristic theology, particularly the writings of St. Augustine. She completed her PhD from the University of Notre Dame in 2016, and after holding a postdoctoral position at Notre Dame, she came to teach at the Augustine Institute in 2017. She is the author of Augustine’s Theology of Angels (Cambridge University Press, 2018), God: What Every Catholic Should Know (Ignatius Press; Augustine Institute, 2019), and most recently Angels & Saints: Who They Are and Why They Matter, Engaging Catholicism Series (University of Notre Dame, 2023).

Dr. Tim Gray

Dr. Carl Vennerstrom

Dr. Gray is the President of the Augustine Institute and a Catholic speaker and author. Under his leadership, the Augustine Institute has become the largest Catholic graduate school of theology in the United States, a leading purveyor of premium Catholic content, and now a locus for Catholic conferences and retreats. In 2024, Dr. Gray received a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from the Catholic University of America and is the author of several books. Dr. Gray and his wife Kris have one son, a daughter-in-law, and three beautiful granddaughters.

Dr. Vennerstrom is an Assistant Professor of Theology and the Assistant Dean of Resident Students at the Augustine Institute. He studies patristic theology in general, particularly its monastic expressions, East and West. He earned his PhD in Early Christian Studies at the Catholic University of America and is the author of "'To those who have ears to hear': Clement of Alexandria on the Parables of Jesus" in Open Theology. He is currently revising a translation of Evagrius' corpus of exegetical writings for publication at Oxford University Press.