A Letter From Ilia Delio
The Center for Christogenesis is a living testimony to evolution, a developmental process whereby life
seeks more life. As the late John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote: “To live is to change, and to be perfect
is to change often.” As we work toward building the World Institute for Science, Religion and Culture, it
may seem that we are leaving behind Teilhard’s vision of Christogenesis. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Christogenesis refers to the emerging body of the cosmic Christ, a symbol of what life has the
potential to become. The realization of a christified world depends on how we think, what we do and how
we love. Philosophy and spirituality are intertwined, and without philosophy, theology lacks a basis for
faith seeking understanding. Spirituality, philosophy and theology, we might say, are three windows onto
the wholeness of life. I like to put it this way: we seek to love so that we may know more deeply, and we
seek to know so that we may love more deeply. This is the heart of Teilhard’s vision and the framework
for the World Institute for Science, Religion and Culture.
As we develop the Institute, our aim is to partner with a local university so that we may bring science and
religion into an integrated framework for understanding who we are and where we are going in a
technological age. Unless we know where we have come from, we cannot know where we are going.
How we know and love shapes how we see the future. Someone recently wrote to me: “The AI age
requires more than ethical guidelines for machines. It requires an architecture of human becoming — one
that enables persons and communities to think together, discern together, remember together, decide
together, and act together without surrendering their dignity, freedom, or spiritual depth.” This insight
beautifully captures our vision and our goal.
To this end, we are grateful to those who have provided financial support, and we remain hopeful that
others will see our mission and vision as a worthwhile investment. We can only build the world together
if we are becoming something more together.
In May, our executive director, Robert Nicastro, decided to leave the Center to build his scholarly career
in Teilhard Studies, concluding his time with us at the end of June. We are grateful to Robert and wish
him continued success.
At the same time, we welcome Dr. Jacob Given as Program Director for the Institute. Jake is a recent
graduate of Villanova University and very interested in process thought He is excited to join our new
educational mission and will be responsible for short courses, webinars and other online offerings for the
Institute. He currently serves as adjunct assistant professor at Alvernia University in Reading, PA.
Just a reminder that our fundraiser will continue for two more weeks. Investing in the future of human
and planetary life through personal transformation and cosmic personalization may be one of the most
important investments of our time. This is the mission of the World Institute. I hope you will support us.
Peace,
Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF
Founder and Executive Director
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Dear Sister Ilia,
Once again I applaud the illuminating messages contained in your current letter— especially those of the first two paragraphs. In paragraph one you write, “Christogenesis refers to the emerging body of the cosmic Christ, a symbol of what life has the potential to become. The realization of a christified world depends on how we think, what we do and how we love.” You see as humanity’s goal the evolution of a christified world.
In paragraph two, you write: “Someone recently wrote to me: ‘The AI age requires more than ethical guidelines for machines. It requires an architecture of human becoming — one that enables persons and communities to think together, discern together, remember together, decidetogether, and act together without surrendering their dignity, freedom, or spiritual depth.’ This insight beautifully captures our vision and our goal.”
Sister Ilia, I am stunned by the parallels between your statements here and those of Pope Leo XIV in his recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas”. Throughout the segments of his encyclical entitled “Integral Human Development” (paragraphs 82-89), “Building the Civilization of Love In the Digital Age” (paragraphs 186-209) and “Building the Civilization of Love” (paragraphs 210-228) Pope Leo appears to be echoing the very goals for humanity that you hope to inspire throughout the work of your new organization WIER. You both propose a monumental task for humanity’s evolving progress. Apropos of your 6/1/2026 Christogenesis essay, I am aware that you see differences between your own thoughts on the undergirding thrusts for fulfilling that progress and those of Pope Leo. I await with great hope to see the possibility of an unfolding complementary harmonization between your two “entangled” approaches.
With gratitude,
Bill Eidle