Please see below for our September events briefing. On 19 September Baroness Hollins will deliver the annual Catholic Union Lecture on Keeping Children and Vulnerable Adults Safe – Insights from the Vatican at the University of Notre Dame. All welcome. You can register on Eventbrite or with the Catholic Union office at info@catholicunion.org.uk or on 020 87491321. See below for more information.
Catholic Union Events
Monday 19 September at 18.30
Craigmyle Lecture 2022. Baroness Hollins will deliver the annual Catholic Union Craigmyle Lecture on Keeping Children and Vulnerable Adults Safe – Insights from the Vatican at the University of Notre Dame. In person and live streamed. Followed by a Drinks Reception. You can register on Eventbrite or with the Catholic Union office at info@catholicunion.org.uk or on 020 87491321.
Sheila Hollins is a crossbench life peer and is a former President of both the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Medical Association. In 2014 she was appointed by Pope Francis as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. She is also a Vice-President of the Catholic Union of Great Britain. You can read a Profile of Baroness Hollins in the August edition of the Catholic Herald. The lecture is named for Lord Craigmyle (1923-1998), a former President of the Catholic Union.
Wednesday 16 November at 18.45
Catholic Union AGM at the London Jesuit Centre (Aula Magna), Farm Street Church, London. More details to follow.
Forthcoming Events
Third-party events are occasionally cancelled without notice so if in any doubt please check with the organisers before attending.
Saturday 3 September
March for Life, Saturday 3 September in London. The theme of this year’s event is 10 Million Too Many as we reach the figure of 10,000,000 for the amount of children whose lives have been legally ended by abortion since the Abortion Act was passed in 1967. Click here for more information about the march.
Saturday 3 September, 9.30 am
London to Walsingham Camino. The official launch of the London to Walsingham Camino, and the publication of the accompanying guidebook, will take place on Saturday 3 September at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, London. The schedule for the day includes three locations and a walk between them, in part along the ancient pilgrimage route. Numbers are limited but to enquire please email andyzbull@gmail.com
Sunday 4 September 13.00 – 17.00
Annual Harvington Hall Pilgrimage. Canon Richard Walker will celebrate a special Mass to commemorate the English Martyrs in the beautiful grounds of Harvington Hall in Worcestershire. The event offers you a chance to reflect on our own faith and the persecution, and often martyrdom, of Catholics during the English Reformation. More information about the day can be found here.
Tuesday 6 September at 7.30pm
The Catholic Bishops of Hexham and Newcastle. An English Catholic History Association online talk by Paul Severn, author of the recent book on this subject. Free and all welcome. For more details and Zoom link see the ECHA website and the author’s blog.
Tuesday 6 September 13.05 & 18.00
St Bernadette Relic Tour at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. In September and October 2022 the relics of Saint Bernadette will journey on pilgrimage to England, Scotland and Wales for the very first time. Click here to find dates at a church near you. The relics will be coming to University Chapel at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, on 6 September and booking is essential.
Saturday 10 September 9.30-17.00
Alone of all her Sex? A Marian Study Day on Mary and Gender. The Centre for Marian Studies and the Institute of Theology and Liberal Arts are hosting a Marian Study Day on the theme of Mary and Gender at St Mary’s University Twickenham. Speakers include: Sr Cathy Jones, St Mary’s University; Dr Mary McCaughey, St Mary’s College, Oscott; Dr Catherine O’Brien, The Centre for Marian Studies and Dr Karen O’Donnell, Westcott House, Cambridge. Tickets approximately £40 for more information please click here.
Saturday 10 September, 13.00 -16.30
Suicide Prevention and Assisted Suicide: Legal, Clinical, and Ethical Perspectives. The conference run by the Anscombe Bioethics Centre will take place on 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day, in Blackfriars, St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LY. The conference will cover the right to be prevented from committing suicide, the challenge of suicide prevention among people eligible for medical aid in dying and the impact of legalising assisted suicide on suicide rates. Attendance is free. To book a place either to attend in person or to participate via zoom please click here.
Sunday 11 September, 16.00-17.00
Beauty and Catholicism. A talk by Deacon Patrick van der Vorst on Beauty and Catholicism at St Mary’s Church, Hampstead, London NW3 6QU.Deacon Patrick van der Vorst is an art expert, a former director at Sotheby’s, an auctioneer, an entrepreneur, a previous winner of Dragon’s Den’s and host of the website www.christian.art He is training for the Priesthood. Come and join us for what promises to be a fascinating insight into art, beauty and Catholicism from a leading art specialist. If you are planning on attending in person please email the Parish Administrator at hampstead@rcdow.org.uk to book your place. You are welcome to livestream the lecture by visiting https://www.churchservices.tv/hampstead’
Monday 12 September, 18.00-19.30
How Covid is changing the way doctors make end of life decisions. In this lecture, by Dr Benjamin Chang, an Emergency Physician, we will be exploring how COVID is changing the way’s doctors make decisions around the ends of patients’ lives. We will be looking at the impact of the pandemic on decisions to not resuscitate patients, and whether COVID has changed clinicians’ thresholds for escalation to intensive care and for palliation. Finally we will be exploring if the pandemic has change doctors’ views on the legalisation of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. For further details contact Matt James – matthew.james@stmarys.ac.uk
Tuesday 13 September 12.30-13.45
How should public appointments be reformed? The public appointments system struggles to appoint candidates in a timely and efficient way. It has been dogged by controversy in recent years, from media speculation over the appointment of new chairs of Ofcom and the BBC to delays at the Charity Commission and the Competition and Markets Authority. Politicians, officials, candidates and the public have expressed frustration with the process. The Institute for Government’s upcoming report, Reforming Public Appointments, proposes a package of reforms including clearer data on the causes of delays, fewer ministerial decision points, and an expansion of regulation to include more roles. Register to attend in person or virtually.
Thursday 15 September 18.30-20.00
Defenders of the Faith – a Talk by Catherine Pepinster. What is the future of the monarchy and the role of ‘Defender of the Faith’ in our increasingly multi-cultural, multi-faith society? What part will religion play in the coronation and reign of Prince Charles when the time comes? Catholic journalist Catherine Pepinster offers an authoritative and timely exploration of the British monarchy, its relationship with faith and religion over the last 500 years, and what the future might look like for the next monarch and the Church of England. Click here for tickets, priced at £5.
Thursday 15 – 17 September, London
Breaking the Glass Chamber: Women, Politics and Parliament in Britain, 1945-1997. This landmark conference will mark a series of historic anniversaries for women in British politics and provide an important opportunity to showcase emerging work on women and politics in the second half of the twentieth century in Britain. The conference will take place at Queen Mary University, London.
Saturday 17 September, 10.00-18.00 pm
Sharing the Church’s Story. Catholic Voices and the Word on Fire Institute and the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom are hosting a one day conference, Sharing the Church’s Story with Bishop Robert Barron. The vision of the conference is to bring people together in person for an experience of profound personal renewal and to be equipped for mission.
Saturday 17 September, 12.30-1400.
Communication without Conflict. You can attend a Masterclass Communication without Conflict: How to Make Your Points Without Making Enemies. It will be led by Ronnie Convery (formerly of Scottish TV) and Fr Joseph Evans. The class is promoted by Adamah Media, which seeks to communicate Catholic Christian ideas in a non-confrontational manner.
Saturday 17 September, 19.30
ICIN’s 15th Anniversary Gala Dinner. Iraqi Christians in Need Dinner, a three course seated dinner, DJ, entertainment, raffle and auction to be held at the Hilton Cobham. Tickets cost £60.
Saturday 17 September, 10.30-13.30
Westminster Social Justice and Peace Forum, 10.30-1.30 pm at St Aloysius Church Hall, 20 Phoenix Road, London NW1 1TA. The theme of the meeting will be to accompany refugees. Please register in advance.
Sunday 18 September
Evangelii Gaudium Sunday. The third Sunday in September, formerly called Home Mission Sunday, is now Evangelii Gaudium Sunday. Named after Pope Francis’ first solo Apostolic Exhortation on the Joy of the Gospel, the day offers the Catholic community in England and Wales the opportunity to celebrate the beauty of our faith and our commitment to witness to the fullness of life in Christ.
Monday 19 September at 6.30pm
Catholic Union Craigmyle Lecture – see above.
Thursday 22 September 9.30 – 16.00,
Why end of life companionship matters: Connecting the experience of hospitals, hospices, community, online and faith groups. Hosted by St Mary’s University Centre for the Art of Dying Well, this conference will profile examples of end of life companionship in a range of different contexts, including online. Keynote speakers include: Professor John Ellershaw – Head of the Palliative Care Unit, University of Liverpool; Anita Hayes – Head of Learning and Workforce – Hospice UK; Sue Ryder Online Bereavement Community; Compassionate Communities and St Vincent de Paul Society. To find out more information please click here. Tickets cost £15 on zoom and £25 in person.
Thursday 22 September 17.30-19.00
A1 and Justice and Human Rights: Dr Anjali Mazumder. This keynote lecture delivered by Dr Anjali Mazumder, held at the Alan Turing Institute will be part of the Good Governance Institute Festival. Baroness Helena Kennedy has kindly accepted the 2022 Good Governance Award in recognition of dedicating her professional lifegiving voice to those who have least power within the system, championing civil liberties and promoting human rights.
Sunday 25 September 2022
World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The theme is building the future with migrants and refugees. For more information visit Migrants Refugees.
Party conferences: Liberal Democrat Conference, Brighton, Saturday 17 September until Tuesday 20 September. Labour Party Conference, Liverpool, Saturday 24 September until Wednesday 28 September. Conservative Party Conference, Birmingham, Sunday 2 October until Wednesday 5 October.
British Library exhibition until 2 October
Queen Mary Psalter, one of the most extensively illustrated biblical manuscripts with over 1000 images is one of the 50 rare items currently on display at the British Library exploring how the precious metal gold has transformed art in manuscripts, paintings and books. The exhibition runs until 2 October 2022. For tickets click here.
Sunday 9 October 2022
Prisoners’ Sunday. The Prison Advice and Care Trust encourages parishes to remember prisoners and their families in prayer especially and to consider supporting the work of PACT on Prisoners’ Sunday. For more information please contact Theresa parish.action@prisonadvice.org.uk
Wednesday 23 November – Red Wednesday – Day of Action for the Persecuted Church.
Wednesday 23 November 2022
Theos Annual Lecture. Theos annual lecture to be given by historian Tom Holland; Humanism: A Christian Heresy. Booking will open next month.
Looking further ahead
6 May – 30 July 2023
Saint Francis of Assisi. The first major art exhibition in the UK to explore the life and legacy of Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), will be staged at the National Gallery next Spring. The exhibition presents the art and imagery of St Francis from 13th Century to today and examines how his spiritual radicalism, his commitment to the poor, his love of God and nature, as well as his striving for peace between enemies and openness to dialogue to other religions, make him a figure of enormous relevance to our times. For more information click here.
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