Confident and Catholic: Lent Lectures

Faith Matters - the Catholic Lecture Series - returns to Westminster Cathedral Hall on Tuesday evenings in Lent.  The talks - an initiative of the Agency for Evangelisation in conjunction with the Mount St Jesuit Centre - will address some of the Church's key priorities, aims and objectives as identified by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales in their document A Vision for the Church in Our Land.  The bishops say they hope that these priorities will serve to make members of the Church more confidently Catholic in their proclamation of the truth of the Gospel and their engagement in society at large.

Each lecture will be introduced by a facilitator, who will also lead a question and answer session with the audience.  There will also be an opportunity to take part in an online discussion forum on the diocesan website.

The opening lecture on 28 February will set the scene for an exploration of how Catholics can be confident in their faith in Britain today, by looking to the legacies of the past.  John Morrill, Professor of British and Irish History at Cambridge and a permanent deacon in the Diocese of East Anglia, addresses the topic of Faith of our Fathers: Legacies of English Catholic History.  In his lecture he will show how English Catholicism, forged in the age of dungeon, fire and sword, and emerging confident and affirmed into modern times, has constantly been enriched by its ready acceptance of Irish, continental and post-colonial influences.

On 6 March, attention will turn to the priority of Vocation in Church and World.  One of the great teachings of the Second Vatican Council is that all have a vocation, be it to marriage and family, to be a priest or deacon, to the consecrated life, as a lay apostle.  And following one's vocation has an impact on the world.  In this joint lecture, Martin Rainsford, Headteacher of Douay Martyrs School, Ickenham and Fr Paul O'Reilly SJ, a priest who works as a doctor, reflect on the nature of vocation for them in the midst of the world.  How can Catholics preach the good news and heal the sick in ways that are faithful to their vocation and so serve secular society?

The speaker on 20 March will be Dr Anna Rowlands, Director of Studies at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, Cambridge, who will speak on Catholic Social Teaching: Practising Visions of Hope.  Dr Rowlands will concentrate on the three elements of social teaching much to the fore in current political debate about social responsibility: the nature of the human person and their role in civil society, solidarity and the common good.

Finally, on 27 March Faith Matters will focus on the contemporary challenge to proclaim the Gospel in a multi-faith society.  Archbishop Kevin McDonald, Chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Committees for Catholic-Jewish Relations and for relations with other religions, will speak on Sharing our spiritual riches: Interreligious Dialogue.  When Pope Benedict met representatives of both the Catholic Church and of other religions at St Mary's, Twickenham on 17 September 2010, he said '... at the level of formal conversations, there is need not only for theological exchange, but also for sharing our spiritual riches, speaking of our experience of prayer and contemplation, and expressing to one another the joy of our encounter with divine love.' This lecture will be a reflection on these words.

These are public lectures to which all are welcome.  They will start at 7pm in Westminster Cathedral Hall,
Ambrosden Avenue, SW1P 1QJ.  Registration for the lectures is advised to guarantee a place.  You can register your interest on the Westminster Diocese website www.rcdow.org.uk; or e-mail faithmatters@rcdow.org.uk; or phone 020 7931 6078.  A donation of £5 per lecture is suggested to cover the costs.