This is a briefing to inform members of forthcoming meetings, lectures, conferences and other events. Please send any information about future events, especially events outside London, to director@catholicunion.org.
There are numerous interesting events organised by the Las Casas Institute and others at Blackfriars Oxford, please see the Events Calendar on their website.
The Centre for Catholic Studies at the University of Durham has an excellent ongoing programme of Catholic Theology Research Seminars, the Ushaw Lecture Series and conferences. For details, click here.
The London Jesuit Centre also hosts a number of interesting courses. So does the Thomistic Institute in the USA though beware of the difference in time zones for live talks!
Catholic Union Events
SAVE THE DATE – CATHOLIC UNION SUMMER GATHERING – Saturday 23 July at Oscott
St Mary’s College, Oscott, Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham. Full details to follow shortly.
Forthcoming Events
Third-party events are occasionally cancelled without notice so if in any doubt please check with the organisers before attending.
Monday 4 April at 7.30-8.45pm
Orthodox Political Theology: Between National Identity and Empire. Ukrainian priest Cyril Hovorun will explain how Orthodoxy is shaping politics and political theology in Russia and Eastern Europe. Discussions will focus on how the use of Orthodoxy in the Russo-Ukrainian war is contested among religious communities in the region, how resistance is taking shape within the Russian Orthodox Church and what local religious communities can do. Venue: University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, OX1 4BJ. No registration is needed. Alternatively, you can watch the livestream. Further details are available here.
Tuesday 5 April from 6-7pm
Open Politics webinar. As part of an ongoing seminar series on “How UK Parliament works”, Open Politics are hosting a webinar for members of the public that focuses on the practicalities of working with members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and using resources such as Hansard. More information and registration can be found here.
Tuesday 5 April from 6.30 – 7.45 pm
The Roots of Trust: theological and political reflections on trust in troubled times. The Charles Gore Lecture by Dr Anna Rowlands (Durham), exploring the crisis of trust in our current cultural landscape and why that matters theologically. Tickets are free, but must be booked in advance. Venue: Westminster Abbey, London. More information here.
Wednesday 6 April from 6 – 7 pm
The Tablet Lenten Reflection – 40 days in the desert, a wilderness experience. Laurence Freeman OSB, a Catholic priest and a Benedictine monk of Monastery os Start Maria di Pilastrello, in Italy, will provide the next Lenten Reflection talk. Tickets £12.50. More information on the series and to book tickets, click here.
Thursday 7 April from 6 – 7 pm
The very stones would cry out. Canon Luiz Ruscillo from the Diocese of Lancaster will be speaking virtually on Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem as a model of His entry into our lives and the world. Tickets £12.50. More information can be found here.
Friday 8 April from 2 – 3.15pm
Climate Change and Catholic Action. All are welcome to join this talk hosted by ACTA (A Call to Action). Carlos Zepeda, deputy director of the Laudato Si’ institute in Oxford, will be speaking on the theme of how we as Catholics can respond to the threat of climate change. Please email Birmingham ACTA for the Zoom link: actabhm@gmail.com.
Friday 8 April from 7 pm
Augustine and the formation of the Western Mind. The All Saints Lent Lecture will focus on the thought of St Augustine of Hippo, and will be given by the Revd Dr Dominic Keech, Vicar of St Nicholas’s, Brighton. It will provide an introduction to the life and thought of the Saint, exploring his influence on Western Christianity’s understanding of the human person. Venue: All Saints, Margaret Street, London, W1W 8JG. Tickets are free. More information can be found here.
Monday 11 April from 1 – 2 pm
Freezing Eggs and Delaying Fertility: Law, Ethics and Society. Prof Imogen Gold will speak on the science of fertility and egg freezing, the impact of child-bearing and rearing on women’s education and employment prospects, and will outline the law on freezing eggs. Event is free to attend online and in-person. Venue: Gresham College, Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn, London, EC1N 2HH. More information can be found here.
Monday 11 April from 4 – 5 pm
Free Speech at the Crossroads: International Dialogue. Georgetown University’s Free Speech Project, in collaboration with the Las Casas Institute are hosting an online panel discussion on the necessity for international dialogue to alleviate current political and cultural crises that arise. Tickets are free. More information and to book, click here.
Wednesday 13 April from 6 – 7 pm
Persecuted Christians; trafficking and the plight of the migrants. Shelagh Fogarty, a radio and television presenter and journalist will speak to Sr Imelda Poole, a British religious sister who for nearly 10 years, has led the RENATE (Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation) network fighting modern slavery across 27 countries in Europe. They will be joined by John Newton, the senior press officer at ACNUK and Keith Leslie, the Chair of the Samaritans. Tickets £12.50. More information and to book your tickets, click here.
Thursday 14 April from 6 – 7 pm
The Tablet Lenten Reflection – Dr Bronnie Bowman Thurston. The final Lenten Reflection talk in the Tablet’s series will provide a guided time of prayer and reflection focusing on triumphs and challenges. Bonnie is a poet and a writer of theological works. Tickets £12.50. More information on the series and to buy tickets, click here.
Thursday 21 April from 12.30 pm
The Divided Brain and the Sense of the Sacred. Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World will be in conversation with Nick Spencer to discuss science, religion, the brain, the sacred, and the future of humanity. Theos online event. Free to attend. More information can be found here.
Saturday 23 April – Sunday 24 April
Terminal and Palliative Care: The Christian Way. The Catholic Medical Association Annual Conference will take place at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Speakers include Prof David Jones, Dr Pia Matthews, Prof Bill Noble, Dr Dominic Whitehouse, Dr Adrian Treloar, and Dr Philip Howard. For details and online registration, see
here.
Saturday 23 April from 11 am – 5 pm
RENEW – CAFOD Young Adult Event. An event for ages 18-30, exploring how in post-pandemic times we can respond to Pope Francis’ call to assume responsibility for others and for society. Event is free. Venue: CAFOD headquarters, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JB. More information and to register, click here.
Tuesday 26 April from 12.30 – 1.30 pm or 7.30 – 9 pm.
Can science explain everything? ChaplaincyPlus in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Birmingham are hosting a series of talks on the importance of reconciling science and faith. The first talk will be given by Prof John Lennox from the University of Oxford. Venue at 12.30 will be Birmingham Cathedral, and the talk will be repeated at 7.30pm at Millennium Point Auditorium, Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG. More information here.
Tuesday 26 April from 6 – 7 pm.
Catholic School Leadership MA information – St Mary’s University, Twickenham. The webinar is an opportunity to hear from the academic teaching staff about the Master’s degree at St Mary’s University. Event is online. For more information, click here.
Thursday 28 April from 11 am.
Catholic Women Praying Together. The annual Mass for Catholic Women Praying Together will take place at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, London W1K, 3AH. The Mass will be celebrated by Bishop John Sherrington, and the choir of the John Fisher School, Purley.
Monday 2 May from 2 pm.
Mass for Migrants. The annual Migrants Mass will take place at Farm Street Church, London W1K 3AH. It is an opportunity to focus prayers and celebration on the dignity of work carried out by the migrant community. Bishop Michael Campbell, OSA, Retired Bishop of Lancaster will celebrate this Mass and preach the homily. See the poster here.
Thursday 12 May from 6 – 7 pm.
Blessed are the peacemakers: Peace activism and Catholic theology in the twenty-first century. Dr Natalie K. Watson will be joined in conversation online with Bruce Kent, Vice-President of Pax Christi, Paul Rogers, Emeritus professor of peace studies at the University of Bradford, and Maria Power, Fellow at Las Casas Institute for Social Justice. They will discuss what contribution can Catholic Social Teaching make to a more peaceful world. Tickets £12.50. More information here.
Saturday 14 May from 11.30 am – 4.45 pm
Catholics in Health and Social Care: Ethics and Practice. St Mary’s University, Twickenham, will host an online training day on exploring the unique contribution that faith makes to the health and social care sector. Speakers include Bishop John Sherrington, Prof David Albert Jones, Margaret Doherty, and Dr Helen Watt. Free to attend. More information and to register, please click here.
Saturday 21 May from 10.30am – 4.30pm
Family Education Trust Annual Conference. Speakers include Prof David Paton, Calvin Robinson and Stella O’Malley. Free to attend but charge for optional lunch. Venue: RAF Club, 128 Piccadilly, London.
For details and registration, see here.