Living Theology Edinburgh

A non-residential Summer School
in Catholic Theology

Monday 19th – Friday 23rd July 2010
St Catharine’s Convent
Lauriston Gardens
Edinburgh EH3 9HH

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. The tenth consecutive non-residential Edinburgh Living Theology will be held in St Catharine’s Convent, 4 Lauriston Gardens, Edinburgh, from Monday 19th July to Friday 23rd July.

In the morning participants choose two from a list of optional courses to enable them to pursue special interests in small groups. In the afternoon all follow the Core Course on a central topic of Catholic thought, which this year will be given by James Crampsey SJ on The Enigma of the Gospel of John.

Participants are invited to bring a packed lunch each day, and soup and coffee are provided. The Eucharist is celebrated daily. Participants sign on to attend the full five-day programme from Monday to Friday, and cannot be accepted for only part of each day or part of the week. Early application is advisable in order to secure membership of the optional courses of one’s choice. Extra application forms can be downloaded from the Lauriston Jesuit Centre website http://www.lauriston.org.uk

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 followed by Tea and departures.

CORE COURSE
(Monday – Friday 2.15 p.m.)

The Enigma of the Gospel of John
James Crampsey SJ

The course will help people to develop a sense of the richness and diversity of the Gospel of John. This Fourth Gospel has a voice that is somewhat different to the Synoptic Gospels? What kind of community situation does it reflect and how is the community’s belief in Christ formulated? Is it a gospel for all or a gospel for those who understand the coded language? Is this the faith document of a community at odds with Judaism and also with other forms of early Christianity?

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 first year at the Sacred Heart, Lauriston.

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.)

A1 The Meaning of Suffering : Max Scheler
Peter Gallagher SJ

The German phenomenologist, Max Scheler 1874-1928, sometimes nicknamed ‘the Catholic Nietzsche’, developed an influential theory about the meaning of suffering. Respectfully, he rejected both Buddhist and Stoic suggestions about how to endure pain or ways of thinking the worst things out of existence. He argued for an attitude of acceptance. He tried to enlarge the concept of happiness and gratitude to include a coping with the unendurable. This course will analyse critically the case made by Scheler. It will take note of echoes of his views which can be caught in John Paul II Salvifici doloris 1984 and in passages in the writings of Benedict XVI about love.

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.

A2 The New Missal: the Challenge
Michael Regan

The Revised Roman Missal – an examination of the new Roman Missal in advance of its implementation, with regard to opportunities for improved celebration, with an examination of the General Instruction; challenges for musicians in resetting music; challenges for presiders and for congregations in learning new responses and prayers. Looking at a need for catechesis on the Mass so that this once in a generation opportunity is not lost.

Monsignor 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.

A3 The Icon and the Book
Dairmid Gunn

This course will explore the spiritual element in Russian history through its language, icons and literature. Particular emphasis will be placed on the rich contribution made by such great 19th century novelists as Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky to the development of Christian thought and the promotion of Christianity against a background shaped by the late 18th century nlightenment and the later emergence of Marxism as a political creed. The exploration will extend to the 20th century to include the significance in Christian terms of Boris Pasternak’s highly acclaimed novel, Dr Zhivago.

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. In his career in the Royal Navy he served as a naval attaché in the British Embassy in Moscow in the 1960’s. He is a fluent Russian speaker.

SERIES B COURSES
(Monday – Friday, 11.45 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

B1 The Tasks of Life: Teachings about How to Live
John McDade SJ

At some point in life, you begin to realize that the world doesn’t owe you a living: events go against us, and time doesn’t make things better; there seems to be a very impersonal shape to life, in which what is good for human beings is not a high priority in the way things unfold. What sense can we make of this, specially if our faith teaches us about the goodness of God and his providence? This course will be philosophical and practical: it will look at ways in which important thinkers have taught us how we are to think about our condition, how we are to understand providence and about how we should live out our responsibilities with faith and a clear mind.

John McDade is a member of the Society of Jesus who gained his doctorate in theology at New College, University of Edinburgh. He is Principal of Heythrop College, University of London, where he also lectures in systematic theology. He is Vice-President of the Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain.

B2 The Dignity of Difference
Sister Isabel Smyth SND

“We need to search…. for a way of living with, and acknowledging the integrity of those who are not of our faith. Can we make space for difference? Can we hear the voice of God in a language, a sensibility, a culture not our own? Can we see the presence of God in the face of a stranger?” (Jonathan Sacks, The Dignity of Difference p.5) This course will explore the development of inter religious dialogue and our relationship with people of ‘other’ faiths. Beginning with the two Vatican Documents ‘Nostra Aetate’ and ‘Dialogue and Proclamation’ the course will reflect on the purpose and conditions for inter religious dialogue, its challenges and possibilities as well as its potential for
enriching our social and personal lives.

Sister Isabel Smyth has long experience of inter faith work. At present she is an honorary lecturer in the Centre for Inter Faith Studies at Glasgow University, Secretary to the Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Inter Religious Dialogue and chair of the West of Scotland branch of the Council of Christians and Jews.

B3 Michelangelo: Body and Soul
Gero McLoughlin SJ

Michelangelo used the human form, frequently the male nude, to express intense emotionality. Is that all he saw in the human form? Do some of his works suggest a profounder intent in his attention to the human body? This course will examine how, in his art and his writing, Michelangelo sought to express the transcendent dimension of human experience.

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” and sent with forms to

James Crampsey
28 Lauriston Street
Edinburgh
EH13 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 selfcatering single, double and treble 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; http://www.edinburgh.org/accommodation/ Further Information