A RETREAT WITH ICONS: FACE TO FACE WITH THE IMAGES OF LOVE Icons captivate us by their beauty. They are called ‘theology in colours’, ‘portals to a higher realm’. One can paraphrase the icon as ‘spirituality in colours.’ The word, ‘icon’ comes from the Greek eikon, meaning likeness or image. In the eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, icons are used in the liturgy, but they also as aids to prayer and private meditation in homes.  According to their purpose, as witnesses of the Incarnation, icons afford the viewer direct communication with the sacred figures represented. Our icon retreat, while respecting this [...]

This study day will reflect on some historical shifts and developments in moral thinking and teaching of the Catholic Church.  In response to Pope Francis’ invitation to become a more discerning and participatory Church, we will attempt to formulate a tentative agenda for contemporary ecclesial ethics.  We will explore such questions as ‘what does it mean to "get hands dirty" and "look" into the dysfunctional parts of our Church’s life?’; ‘what are the areas of good practice?’; ‘how to handle well tensions and disagreements?’; ‘what does it mean to apply Catholic social teaching to the structures of the Church?’; ‘how [...]

In the early years of the Second World War T.S. Eliot wrote to a friend: “In the midst of what is going on now, it is hard, when you sit down at a desk, to feel confident that morning after morning spent fiddling with words and rhythms is a justified activity.”  In a time of global crises – the pandemic, forced migration, climate emergency, racial injustice – some may ask themselves the same question as Eliot: What good are the arts when the world hurts in so many ways? In this course we will look at how different artists - from [...]

This study day will explore two of the most influential thinkers and faith leaders of the twentieth century.  Merton, a Catholic priest/monk and Heschel, a Jewish rabbi embodied the prophetic imagination in their writing, in their relationships and in their lives. Through them, we will see how the issues of their time – race, technological advances, interfaith relations, failures in the exercise of ethical leadership and the search for authenticity in religious practice – are the self-same issues that challenge us in the twenty-first century. A dialogue of hearts, minds and souls with opportunity for active engagement and reflection. Course [...]

There is surely nothing more difficult to talk about than suffering and yet surely no subject where it is more necessary that we speak responsibly. This course does not aim to provide an answer to “the problem of pain” – because that is impossible. Rather, it is hoped that it may provide some resources from the Christian tradition to help us to approach our own pain and that of others with confidence and compassion. Course Leader: Dr Ann Swailes OP Date: Wednesday, 26th January 2022, 10.30am– 4.00pm (includes lunch and coffee breaks) Cost: £50 Early birds get £5 off if [...]

Dr Charlotte Methuen will consider the contribution of women in the German Reformation, particularly women who published controversial works in support of Luther's ideas.  These include the former nuns Florentina von Oberweimar and Ursula von Münsterberg, whose works were endorsed by Luther, the lay women Argula von Grumbach, Ursula Weyda, Katharina Schutz Zell, and the anonymous author of two polemical treatises.  The paper will show how women justified their contributions to Reformation debates, despite efforts to silence them coming from on both sides of Reformation debates, and assess their influence. Date/Time:  Thursday 27 January 2022 at 2:00pm to 3:30pm Cost:  [...]

This study day will take as its guide the fourth century Cappadocian abbess, Saint Macrina, as she is mediated to us through the writing of Gregory of Nyssa. We will consider especially the interrelation of her living and dying, asking how her living prepares for a distinctive kind of dying, and examine how the particular practices of her life frames the meaning of her death.  Her example will help us critically engage with a number of troubling presumptions about ageing and dying in our own era. Course Leader: Dr Jessica Scott Date: Wednesday March 16th 2022, 10.30am– 4.00pm (includes lunch [...]

A landmark conference open to scholars, students, lay and religious; to appraise the spiritual and intellectual inheritance of Jacques and Raïssa Maritain. Call for papers open until 29/02/2024 Conference-CFP.pdf (cam.ac.uk) 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of Jacques Maritain’s death, providing an opportunity to reflect on the life and work of this charismatic French philosopher. A Catholic convert from agnosticism, Maritain authored over seventy books, passionately advocating the perennial wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas. He influenced philosophers, theologians, politicians, popes, painters, and poets, yet he remains far less known in the UK than elsewhere. No less charismatic was Raïssa Maritain, Jacques’ [...]