Edinburgh Living Theology
Fr Nick Austin SJ, who taught the Core Course this year
Our annual non-Residential Summer School in Catholic Theology was held this year from Monday 18th – Friday 22nd July 2011 at St Catharine’s Convent, Lauriston Gardens, Edinburgh.
Click here for a printable brochure and application form.
Living Theology is a summer school in Catholic theology which has been organised for many years in various parts of Britain by British Jesuits and their collaborators. This was the eleventh consecutive non-residential Edinburgh Living Theology programme.
In the morning participants chose two from a list of optional courses to enable them to pursue special interests in small groups. In the afternoon all followed the Core Course on a central topic of Christian thought, which this year was ‘Becoming A Good Person’, given by Fr Nick Austin SJ of Heythrop College, London.
DAILY TIMETABLE
09.15 Morning Prayer (optional)
09.30 Arrivals & Coffee
10.00 – 11.15 Series A Courses
11.15 – 11.45 Coffee
11.45 – 13.00 Series B Courses
13.00 – 14.15 Lunch break
14.15 – 15.30 Core Course
15.45 – 16.30 Mass
16.30 Tea & Departures
CORE COURSE
(Monday – Friday 2.15 p.m.)
Becoming a Good Person
Virtue Ethics and the Christian Moral Life
The last thirty years have seen a remarkable renewal of an ancient approach to ethics based upon the virtues – the qualities of character required to lead a good and meaningful life. This form of ethics puts forward a positive ideal of what kind of persons we should become, and attempts to provide guidance, not just in controversial moral “issues”, but in all dimensions of life.
This course, based upon the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas as well as contemporary philosophical and theological discussion of the virtues, will present the main the elements of Christian virtue ethics. Topics discussed will include: what leads to a meaningful life; the Christian virtues; the role of exemplars, mentors and stories in moral development and Christian discipleship; the spiritual practices of the Christian life; love and friendship; conscience and Christian decision making. There will also be space for discussion of some contemporary moral issues in the light of the Christian virtue ethical approach presented.
Dr Nick Austin is a Jesuit priest and is currently a lecturer in Christian Ethics at Heythrop College, University of London.
No advance preparation is necessary, but for those interested in reading in advance of the course, either of the following texts would be helpful:
William C. Mattison, Introducing Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2008).
Tom Wright, Virtue Reborn (SPCK, 2010).
OPTIONAL COURSES
(Participants attend one Series A Course and one Series B Course)
SERIES A COURSES
(Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 11.15 a.m.)
A 1 Richard of St Victor on the Trinity.
Peter Gallagher SJ
The greatest of 12th century Scottish mystical theologians wrote an important treatise on the Holy Trinity. This course will consider selected passages from this and related works of Richard and other Victorines. Of particular interest is Richard's argument for the necessary plurality of persons in God. There are some striking consequences of this teaching to be explored which continue to have a significant impact not only on Trinitarian theology but also on the experience of the interior life and on the practice of Christian charity.
Peter Gallagher is a member of the Society of Jesus who studied philosophy in France before gaining his doctorate at King’s College, University of London. He teaches the history of philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London.
A 2 “Full, active and conscious participation.”
Michael Regan
Examining different modes of participation in the celebration of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist. The course will look among other things at the place of silence in any celebration, recorded/ televised liturgy, musical involvement and children in the liturgy.
Michael Regan is a priest of the archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh who studied at the University of Stirling, the Institut Catholique in Paris and the University of Paris IV the Sorbonne. He is a former Vice-Rector and Lecturer in Liturgy and Sacramental Theology at the national seminary, Scotus College, and is a member of the Advisory Committee of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. He is now administrator of St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh.
A 3 Reading Genesis
James Crampsey SJ
This course will look at some of the major narratives in the book of Genesis: The Fall, Cain and Abel, The Ark, the Abraham stories, the Jacob cycle and the stories of Joseph. The course will look at these accounts in their context in the book of Genesis, but will also try to look at them from the perspective of the increasingly important discipline of ‘ reception history’. In other words the history of the reception of these stories in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
James Crampsey lectured in Biblical Studies at Heythrop College for twelve years after which he became Provincial of the British Jesuits for six years. Since the turn of the millennium, he has been a parish priest, working first in the multi-faith and multi-ethnic context of Southall in West London, and is now in his second year at the Sacred Heart, Lauriston.
SERIES B COURSES
(Monday – Friday, 11.45 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
B 1 An Introduction to Karl Rahner
John McDade SJ
The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner, who died in 1984, was one of the leading theologians of Vatican II. His ideas have shaped the modern Church and they continue to challenge how the Church understands itself and its mission. This course will look at Rahner’s key ideas about how God is present in the life of every human person, the nature of modern atheism, the significance of Christ in a world of uncertain faith and religious pluralism and how we might think of Christ’s hidden presence in the religions of the world.
John McDade is a member of the Society of Jesus who gained his doctorate in theology at New College, University of Edinburgh. He is the retiring Principal of Heythrop College, University of London, where he also lectures in systematic theology. He is past President of the Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain.
B2 The Hammer and Sickle, and the Icon
Dairmid Gunn
This course will explore the struggle in Russia between atheism and Christianity from the end of the 19th century until the final days of the Soviet Union. It will cover important political and military events and relevant developments in theology, art and literature during that long period; it will also look at the state of religious activities, particularly those of the Russian Orthodox Church, in today’s Russian Federation.
Dairmid Gunn is a vice president of the Scotland-Russia Forum, a charitable organisation dedicated to improving understanding between the two countries through cultural exchanges and contacts of all kinds on a non political basis. While in the Royal Navy he served as a naval attaché in the British Embassy in Moscow in the 1960s. He is a fluent Russian speaker.
B3 Beauty, Love and the Divine: The Poetry of Michelangelo
Gero McLoughlin SJ
Known primarily as a sculptor and a painter, Michelangelo was also a poet whose work remained virtually unpublished in his lifetime. Of the more than 300 poems of his that survive, many reflect personal tension rooted in his anxieties about the relationship between his deep religious beliefs, his friendships and the expression of his artistic gifts. The sessions of this course will examine the historical background of the surviving poetry; the effect of his intense friendships with Tommaso de Cavalieri and Vittoria Colonna; and the theology implied in the darker poems of his declining years.
Gero McLoughlin has worked for more than 15 years in Jesuit spirituality centres and has devoted the last 12 years to developing and running training courses in Ignatian spirituality in the west of Scotland, Edinburgh, Perth and Aberdeen. He is also the Jesuit Province Promoter of Ignatian spirituality, assisting people working outside institutional settings to develop their work in spirituality.
*****************************
Course fee
The fee for the complete five-day course is £100. Cheques should be made payable to “Edinburgh Living Theology”.
Please send completed application forms to:
James Crampsey SJ
28 Lauriston Street
Edinburgh
EH3 9DJ
Email: jcrampsey@lauriston.org.uk
Ten bursaries are available for students and young adults (under 25), reducing the cost to £25. There are also some concessionary reductions available for persons on low incomes.
The Conference Location
Edinburgh Living Theology is being held again this year in co-operation with the Religious Sisters of Mercy in their Edinburgh Mercy Centre, St Catharine’s Convent, 4 Lauriston Gardens, which is devoted to the Homeless Project and other characteristic works of mercy organised by the Sisters.
Travel
The convent is within a short taxi ride from Waverley and Haymarket railway stations, and fifteen minutes walk from Haymarket. Bus routes 23, 27, 28, 37 and 45 from The Mound at Prince’s Street pass the Convent along Lauriston Place opposite the new Novotel.
Car parking is difficult in Edinburgh and wardens are notoriously vigilant.
There is a public car park nearby, with a day charge in the region of £8.
Accommodation
The programme is designed to be non-residential. However, some rooms with full board are available in St Catharine’s Convent, and a few self catering single, double and triple rooms are available in McAuley House, in the Convent grounds. Early application is advisable to Sister Aelred RSM, St Catharine’s Convent, 4 Lauriston Gardens, Edinburgh EH3 9HH (tel 0131 229 2659). Car park space is available, only for residents, by previous arrangement.
En suite bed and breakfast accommodation is now available about twelve minutes walk away at the archdiocesan Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh EH9 1BB, by contacting the Manager, Mrs Anthea Donaghue (tel 0131 623 8933). Two new hotels, Novotel (tel 0131 656 3500) and a more budget-style Premier Lodge (tel 0870 990 6610), have recently opened in Lauriston Place, facing the convent.
Further information on local accommodation is obtainable from Edinburgh Tourist Information Centre, 3 Princes St, Edinburgh EH2. Tel 0990 992244.
Further information about Edinburgh Living Theology is obtainable from
James Crampsey SJ
28 Lauriston Street
Edinburgh
EH3 9DJ
Email: jcrampsey@lauriston.org.uk
Download a printable brochure and application form
Click here for a printable brochure and application form.
Living Theology is a summer school in Catholic theology which has been organised for many years in various parts of Britain by British Jesuits and their collaborators. This was the eleventh consecutive non-residential Edinburgh Living Theology programme.
In the morning participants chose two from a list of optional courses to enable them to pursue special interests in small groups. In the afternoon all followed the Core Course on a central topic of Christian thought, which this year was ‘Becoming A Good Person’, given by Fr Nick Austin SJ of Heythrop College, London.
DAILY TIMETABLE
09.15 Morning Prayer (optional)
09.30 Arrivals & Coffee
10.00 – 11.15 Series A Courses
11.15 – 11.45 Coffee
11.45 – 13.00 Series B Courses
13.00 – 14.15 Lunch break
14.15 – 15.30 Core Course
15.45 – 16.30 Mass
16.30 Tea & Departures
CORE COURSE
(Monday – Friday 2.15 p.m.)
Becoming a Good Person
Virtue Ethics and the Christian Moral Life
The last thirty years have seen a remarkable renewal of an ancient approach to ethics based upon the virtues – the qualities of character required to lead a good and meaningful life. This form of ethics puts forward a positive ideal of what kind of persons we should become, and attempts to provide guidance, not just in controversial moral “issues”, but in all dimensions of life.
This course, based upon the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas as well as contemporary philosophical and theological discussion of the virtues, will present the main the elements of Christian virtue ethics. Topics discussed will include: what leads to a meaningful life; the Christian virtues; the role of exemplars, mentors and stories in moral development and Christian discipleship; the spiritual practices of the Christian life; love and friendship; conscience and Christian decision making. There will also be space for discussion of some contemporary moral issues in the light of the Christian virtue ethical approach presented.
Dr Nick Austin is a Jesuit priest and is currently a lecturer in Christian Ethics at Heythrop College, University of London.
No advance preparation is necessary, but for those interested in reading in advance of the course, either of the following texts would be helpful:
William C. Mattison, Introducing Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2008).
Tom Wright, Virtue Reborn (SPCK, 2010).
OPTIONAL COURSES
(Participants attend one Series A Course and one Series B Course)
SERIES A COURSES
(Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 11.15 a.m.)
A 1 Richard of St Victor on the Trinity.
Peter Gallagher SJ
The greatest of 12th century Scottish mystical theologians wrote an important treatise on the Holy Trinity. This course will consider selected passages from this and related works of Richard and other Victorines. Of particular interest is Richard's argument for the necessary plurality of persons in God. There are some striking consequences of this teaching to be explored which continue to have a significant impact not only on Trinitarian theology but also on the experience of the interior life and on the practice of Christian charity.
Peter Gallagher is a member of the Society of Jesus who studied philosophy in France before gaining his doctorate at King’s College, University of London. He teaches the history of philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London.
A 2 “Full, active and conscious participation.”
Michael Regan
Examining different modes of participation in the celebration of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist. The course will look among other things at the place of silence in any celebration, recorded/ televised liturgy, musical involvement and children in the liturgy.
Michael Regan is a priest of the archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh who studied at the University of Stirling, the Institut Catholique in Paris and the University of Paris IV the Sorbonne. He is a former Vice-Rector and Lecturer in Liturgy and Sacramental Theology at the national seminary, Scotus College, and is a member of the Advisory Committee of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. He is now administrator of St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh.
A 3 Reading Genesis
James Crampsey SJ
This course will look at some of the major narratives in the book of Genesis: The Fall, Cain and Abel, The Ark, the Abraham stories, the Jacob cycle and the stories of Joseph. The course will look at these accounts in their context in the book of Genesis, but will also try to look at them from the perspective of the increasingly important discipline of ‘ reception history’. In other words the history of the reception of these stories in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
James Crampsey lectured in Biblical Studies at Heythrop College for twelve years after which he became Provincial of the British Jesuits for six years. Since the turn of the millennium, he has been a parish priest, working first in the multi-faith and multi-ethnic context of Southall in West London, and is now in his second year at the Sacred Heart, Lauriston.
SERIES B COURSES
(Monday – Friday, 11.45 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
B 1 An Introduction to Karl Rahner
John McDade SJ
The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner, who died in 1984, was one of the leading theologians of Vatican II. His ideas have shaped the modern Church and they continue to challenge how the Church understands itself and its mission. This course will look at Rahner’s key ideas about how God is present in the life of every human person, the nature of modern atheism, the significance of Christ in a world of uncertain faith and religious pluralism and how we might think of Christ’s hidden presence in the religions of the world.
John McDade is a member of the Society of Jesus who gained his doctorate in theology at New College, University of Edinburgh. He is the retiring Principal of Heythrop College, University of London, where he also lectures in systematic theology. He is past President of the Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain.
B2 The Hammer and Sickle, and the Icon
Dairmid Gunn
This course will explore the struggle in Russia between atheism and Christianity from the end of the 19th century until the final days of the Soviet Union. It will cover important political and military events and relevant developments in theology, art and literature during that long period; it will also look at the state of religious activities, particularly those of the Russian Orthodox Church, in today’s Russian Federation.
Dairmid Gunn is a vice president of the Scotland-Russia Forum, a charitable organisation dedicated to improving understanding between the two countries through cultural exchanges and contacts of all kinds on a non political basis. While in the Royal Navy he served as a naval attaché in the British Embassy in Moscow in the 1960s. He is a fluent Russian speaker.
B3 Beauty, Love and the Divine: The Poetry of Michelangelo
Gero McLoughlin SJ
Known primarily as a sculptor and a painter, Michelangelo was also a poet whose work remained virtually unpublished in his lifetime. Of the more than 300 poems of his that survive, many reflect personal tension rooted in his anxieties about the relationship between his deep religious beliefs, his friendships and the expression of his artistic gifts. The sessions of this course will examine the historical background of the surviving poetry; the effect of his intense friendships with Tommaso de Cavalieri and Vittoria Colonna; and the theology implied in the darker poems of his declining years.
Gero McLoughlin has worked for more than 15 years in Jesuit spirituality centres and has devoted the last 12 years to developing and running training courses in Ignatian spirituality in the west of Scotland, Edinburgh, Perth and Aberdeen. He is also the Jesuit Province Promoter of Ignatian spirituality, assisting people working outside institutional settings to develop their work in spirituality.
*****************************
Course fee
The fee for the complete five-day course is £100. Cheques should be made payable to “Edinburgh Living Theology”.
Please send completed application forms to:
James Crampsey SJ
28 Lauriston Street
Edinburgh
EH3 9DJ
Email: jcrampsey@lauriston.org.uk
Ten bursaries are available for students and young adults (under 25), reducing the cost to £25. There are also some concessionary reductions available for persons on low incomes.
The Conference Location
Edinburgh Living Theology is being held again this year in co-operation with the Religious Sisters of Mercy in their Edinburgh Mercy Centre, St Catharine’s Convent, 4 Lauriston Gardens, which is devoted to the Homeless Project and other characteristic works of mercy organised by the Sisters.
Travel
The convent is within a short taxi ride from Waverley and Haymarket railway stations, and fifteen minutes walk from Haymarket. Bus routes 23, 27, 28, 37 and 45 from The Mound at Prince’s Street pass the Convent along Lauriston Place opposite the new Novotel.
Car parking is difficult in Edinburgh and wardens are notoriously vigilant.
There is a public car park nearby, with a day charge in the region of £8.
Accommodation
The programme is designed to be non-residential. However, some rooms with full board are available in St Catharine’s Convent, and a few self catering single, double and triple rooms are available in McAuley House, in the Convent grounds. Early application is advisable to Sister Aelred RSM, St Catharine’s Convent, 4 Lauriston Gardens, Edinburgh EH3 9HH (tel 0131 229 2659). Car park space is available, only for residents, by previous arrangement.
En suite bed and breakfast accommodation is now available about twelve minutes walk away at the archdiocesan Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh EH9 1BB, by contacting the Manager, Mrs Anthea Donaghue (tel 0131 623 8933). Two new hotels, Novotel (tel 0131 656 3500) and a more budget-style Premier Lodge (tel 0870 990 6610), have recently opened in Lauriston Place, facing the convent.
Further information on local accommodation is obtainable from Edinburgh Tourist Information Centre, 3 Princes St, Edinburgh EH2. Tel 0990 992244.
Further information about Edinburgh Living Theology is obtainable from
James Crampsey SJ
28 Lauriston Street
Edinburgh
EH3 9DJ
Email: jcrampsey@lauriston.org.uk
Download a printable brochure and application form
