The Lauriston Jesuit Centre

Finding God In All Things

On Holy Ground - The Environment Series

We have only one planet earth, and have to pass it on in good shape to the generations following us. But we don’t seem to be doing too well in this at the moment. The Environment Series at the Lauriston Jesuit Centre is our biggest undertaking to date, and hopes to look at a range of issues and topics to help us understand the problems and the solutions, the theology and the science, and to experience the natural world at first hand.

A number of events are already planned and more will be added as they are confirmed. Download a PDF flyer for the series here. If you can  help to display  posters, let us know.

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Past Events

          Tuesday 2nd December 2008

 

The series was opened by Alastair McIntosh, author and broadcaster, and his wife and Centre For Human Ecology colleague Vérène Nicolas, who considered the current environmental crisis for what it is at its root - a spiritual crisis, requiring a spiritual response. Click here to listen to their talk.

Alastair McIntosh & Vérène Nicolas -  A Spiritual Response to Present Times

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      Monday 8th December 2008

 

Prof Aubrey Manning, scientist, discusses the current state of the world with Owen Dudley Edwards, historian, to consider a modern day response to the conflicting demands placed on the earth, its resources and its inhabitants. Click here for more details.

Prof Aubrey Manning & Owen Dudley Edwards - Life and the Earth: interlocking histories

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   Tuesday 3rd February 2009

 

John Muir is Scotland’s greatest environmental pioneer, but he’s not well known in his native land. Dr David Anderson, Senior Museum Assistant at John Muir's Birthplace in Dunbar, told us more about him, and what place religious faith had in his life. Muir wrote that ‘In God’s wildness lies the hope of the world’. Prophetic words from a prophetic Scot. Click here for more details.

Dr David Anderson -  John Muir:  In God’s Wildness

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          Tuesday 27th January 2009

 

Dr Michael Northcott, Anglican priest and theologian, looked forward to a Papal Encyclical on ecology. What might it include? 40 years ago ‘Pacem in Terris’ changed the way the church looked at international development. Now the very earth itself requires the same treatment. Click here for more details.

Dr Michael Northcott - Amor in Terris: A Theological Ecology

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         Saturday 28 February 2009

 

Dynamic Earth is Edinburgh’s Natural History Centre where the natural world is brought to life in spectacular detail. The Lauriston Jesuit Centre organised a family friendly guided tour.. Click here for more details.

Guided Tour - Our Dynamic Earth

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          Friday 13th March 2009

 

Sacred Heart Church hosted a night vigil of prayer on creation and ecology themes, led by Fr Chris Boles, Director of the Lauriston Jesuit Centre. Lent is the natural time to consider repentance and reconciliation, and we need to do this in our relationship with the earth just as much as with our neighbour. It was three hours of prayer and reconciliation with scripture, music, film, sound, and John Muir! Click here for more details.

Chris Boles SJ - Vigil For Creation: Night Vigil of Reconciliation For Lent

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     Tuesday 11th November 2008

 

This was the taster to an exciting line up of speakers and events. Al Gore’s Oscar winning film, warning about the need to act to save planet earth, our home and the dwelling place of God. Following the film there was a chance for refreshments and conversation on themes raised. Part of the Lauriston Jesuit Centre’s Social Justice Film Series. Click here for more details

Film - An Inconvenient Truth

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          Saturday 25th April 2009

 

It’s one thing to talk about God’s creation, but quite another to experience it! What better way than to have a guided nature walk in spring, round one of West Lothian’s finest country parks, Almondell and Calderwood. It was a great morning. Click here for more details.

Guided Nature Walk - Almondell and Calderwood Country Park

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          Very Early on a May Morning!

 

After experiencing a spring walk at Almondell, we continued the experience with one of spring’s most amazing events, the dawn chorus. It was an early morning gathering, but that didn’t deter the 26 who joined in! Click here for more.

The Dawn Chorus

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          Afternoon Seminar, Monday May 25th 2009

 

Mary Colwell is a regular presenter at the Lauriston Jesuit Centre, and the inspiration behind the whole environmental series taking place this year. She spent an afternoon with people who are active in bringing environmental issues into the life and practice of their congregations. Click here for more details.

Mary Colwell - Working With The Workers

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          Monday May 25th 2009

 

Julian Hector is head of Radio at the Natural History Unit in Bristol, which has brought out some of the most amazing radio series on the natural world. In this lecture he explored the  connection between the natural world and the way the media present it and the problems it faces. Click here for more details.

Julian Hector - The Environment and the Media

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          Monday June 8th 2009

 

Sean McDonagh, priest and author, was at Lauriston to consider what people of religious faith can do about the environmental crisis. We are people of faith, who believe in the resurrection - this gives hope. Click here for more details.

Fr Sean McDonagh - Faith in Creation

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          Tuesday June 9th 2009

 

Sean spent the day with religious in Scotland, men and women, to consider what religious orders can contribute, and what we ourselves must do in community living to be more just to the earth. Click here for more details.

Mondays from 26th October to 30th November

 

In association with the Scottish Episcopal Church ‘Adventures in Faith’ Series, and to begin the second Lauriston Environment Series Professor Brian Kilbey presented a series of six talks on evolution and faith.

 

2009 was a major anniversary year of Charles Darwin, and his work on evolution, culminating in ‘On the Origin of Species’ published 150 years ago.

 

Evolution and Faith -  These talks showed that evolution, as it is currently understood, is not only compatible with a belief in a loving creator God, its acceptance is important if we are to reach a better understanding of God’s activity in the world. To hear the talks go to the series web page.

Fr Sean McDonagh - Seminar for Men and Women in Religious Life

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Professor Brian Kilbey - Evolution and Faith

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After Copenhagen - Herman Rosa Chávez

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Sunday 17 January 2010

6.00 p.m.

 

The Lauriston Environment Series has a new ‘mini-series’ - After Copenhagen - considering where we go now after the failure and disappointment of December’s Environment Summit. Our series opens with the unique insights of a government minister from El Salvador, a country that already knows the full force of climate change. Click here for more details.