Details:
Time 10:00am
Date Saturday 26 September 2015
Venue Our Lady and St. Patrick’s College, 120 Gilnahirk Road, Knock, Belfast, BT5 7DL.
On Saturday 26th September 2015, the second annual Down and Connor ‘Faith and Life Convention’ will take place in Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock, Belfast beginning at 10am. The Faith and Life Convention is a forum for people across the Diocese of Down and Connor and beyond to gather together and to take part in a range of conversations about the meaning of faith and its relevance to our everyday lives.
This year the Keynote Speaker will be Fr Brendan Comerford SJ. An Irish Jesuit, native of Co Meath, Father Brendan Comerford joined the Society of Jesus in 1980 and was ordained a priest in 1988. He has been at various times a teacher of Irish and English Literature and a Jesuit Novice Master. Most recently he has lived in Dublin where he has served on the staff of the Centre of Spirituality at Manresa House and has lectured in the Milltown Institute. His postgraduate studies were in Spirituality and he has a special interest in the lives of the Mystics, a theme about which he has written and lectured widely in recent years. Brendan has a keen interest in understanding the culture within which we are called to hear the Gospel and follow Christ. He will speak on the theme: What hope for faith?
In the afternoon each participant will have the opportunity to take part in two workshops from a range of twenty.
The workshops will be led by various contributors including: Baroness Nuala O’Loan, Rev Caroline McAfee (Senior Chaplain with the NI Hospice), Maria Garvey (Founder of the L’arche community in Belfast), Fr Brendan McManus SJ, Dr Johnston McMaster (Irish School of Ecumenics), Derek Poole (Director of the LINC reconciliation project), Pat Coyle (Award winning journalist and Director of Communications for Jesuits), Fr Timothy Bartlett, Breda O’Brien (Columnist with the Irish Times), and Mr Gerry Loughran (Former Head of the Civil Service and Secretary to the NI Executive).
These workshops will explore topics such as the beginning of life, the pastoral response to suicide, sectarianism and reconciliation, the relationship between faith and the media, ecology, youth ministry, family prayer in a changing world and the issues facing Northern Ireland in the upcoming referendum on Britain’s EU membership.
For further details on the ‘Faith and Life Convention’, the keynote speaker, the panel discussion and various workshops, go to the website faithandlifeconvention.org/
Registration of Media:
If any media wish to register for the event or seek further information, please contact:
Fr Edward McGee
Tel. 078111 44268
Email: [email protected]
