|
|
Download talks from the 2008 Conference
The Speakers and talks they gave are as below.
Where there is no hyperlink, the talks are not yet ready: sorry
 |
Fr Aidan Nichols is an English Dominican who became a Catholic (from Anglicanism) in 1966 and was ordained priest ten years later. His pastoral experience has been mainly as a chaplain to students in Edinburgh and Cambridge. Otherwise, his life has been spent teaching and (especially) writing. His books have been on a variety of theological topics but the general aim is to make available the historic richness of the patrimony of Catholic doctrine, as expressed in different ages.
He addressed the issue of building a Catholic culture in England today,
as the context for family life.
|
 |
Johannes presented a talk originally given by his father DDR Michael Waldstein at the Valencia World Meeting of Families 2006. This address struck an optimistic chord in the hearts of parents raising children, giving them a refreshing vision of the interplay between a father and his developing children- that a father can learn from his children.
Johannes is the oldest of 8 children and lives in London with Eliska, his wife of 1 year. His parents Michael and Susan raised their family in Austria, where Michael was president of the John Paul II International Theological Institute. As parents they know the challenges every family faces, and are generous in giving other families encouragement and support. Michael and Susan are on the Pontifical Academy for Marriage and the family started by Pope John Paul II.
|
 |
Antonia is the mother of six children and has been involved in the pro-life campaign for 30 years. Her first job after graduating was as a development officer for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. After a time in publishing, she now works part-time for SPUC editing their newspaper the Pro-Life Times. She also looks after the Safe at School campaign run by SPUC, which advises and supports parents who find that their children are being exposed to anti-life education in schools. Antonia comes into contact with parents throughout the country who have become aware that an unacceptable agenda is being foisted upon their children.
Antonia's interest in the Church's teaching that parents are the "primary educators and protectors" has developed as her children have grown. With many parents feeling isolated and lacking confidence, Antonia gives a strong message to Catholic parents to reassert their rights and take courage from the Church's teaching.
|
 |
Co-founder of the Faith movement with Fr Holloway, Fr Nesbitt was ordained just before the publishing of Humanae Vitae. He and Fr Holloway were outstanding in 'expounding the Church's teaching with regard to marriage in its entirety and with complete frankness' (Humane Vitae para28), and their work continues through the Faith Movement, now teaching the offspring of the young people who heard them. Their legacy has also prompted numerous vocations to the priesthood.
Fr Nesbitt has been parish priest for 24 years, and in this role has seen how the role of the family has become confused and its importance in the raising of children become undervalued. In his talk, he will reaffirm the importance of the family and discuss how this is supported by Humane Vitae.
|
 |
Fr Stephen LangridgeFr. Stephen Langridge read Philosophy and Theology at Oxford, then trained for the priesthood at the English College in Rome, specialising in the history and literature of the early Church. He was made Parish Priest of Holy Ghost, Balham, in 1996, a parish that has seen a remarkable growth in recent years. It is a young parish and a great deal of emphasis is put on catechesis and sacramental ministry. Preparation for marriage is an important part of the life of the parish. In 2006 the Archbishop made him Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Southwark, and as a result Fr Stephen is often asked to give vocation talks to groups of young people. |
 |
Fr Luiz was the 3rd child in a family of sons. His background is Portuguese and Italian but he was born and grew up in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. He trained at the English College in Rome and was ordained for the Lancaster Diocese in 1990. He is now Head of the Lancaster Diocese Education Service and parish priest in Hornby.
His interest in education comes from his work as a chaplain to schools, foundation governor and his involvement in youth work through the parish and the Faith Movement.
Occasionally parents are fortunate to find their child returns from school emanating good Catholic understanding from RE lessons in school. This requires a good Catholic ethos in the school, a good RE programme and a teacher with good formation.
Fr Luiz is involved in the work of encouraging schools of the Lancaster Diocese to implement the vision and guidance contained in Bp Patrick O'Donoghue's document 'Fit for Mission?' Schools.
|
 |
Fr Jeremy DavisFr Jeremy is priest and chief exorcist of the Diocese of Westminster. He studied English Literature at St Edmund Hall, Oxford and studied Medicine at St. Bartholomew?s Hospital, London. He graduated with a medical degree in 1967, then worked in Mission Hospitals in Guyana, Nigeria and Ghana. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1974. In 1993 he co-founded the International Association of Exorcists which now has hundreds of members worldwide. His book, Exorcism: Understanding Exorcism in Scripture and Practice was published in 2008 by the Catholic Truth Society. In the book he warns against the New Age, the occult, promiscuity, homosexuality and pornography saying that involvement in these things can lead to dire spiritual consequences.
He speaks on the Faith at Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park each fortnight, and will give a workshop on Saturday evening about this important evangelistic work of the Church. |
 |
Fr Agnellus MurphyFr. Agnellus is the youngest of 6 children, and grew up in Enfield, North London. He was a medical physician/doctor for 3 years before entering the seminary. He was ordained nearly 2 years ago in Naples as a priest of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate are a Religious Order of pontifical right, which began in Italy in 1970. They are very closely related to the life and spirituality of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, and, like him, they seek to bring souls to Christ through Mary, making special use of the mass media, while living a traditional form of Franciscan life in common.
|
 |
Jenny Pfang and Sian Martin-
The Heart of the Church's Teaching on MarriageIn Humanae Vitae 40 years ago, Pope Paul VI presented the seamless, unchanging teaching of the Church on love and marriage. As Mother Theresa said,' Marriage and procreation are miracles of God's love by which men and women become his co-worker, to bring new life into the world'.
Jenny and Joanne have been fortunate in both embracing the Church's teaching in their personal lives and applying their professional skills to share the Church's vision with others. It is a privilege to be part of passing on this teaching and a gift for those who hear it (the 'Church's best kept secret' ) 'for man cannot attain that true happiness for which he yearns with all the strength of his spirit, unless he keeps the laws which the Most High God has engraved in his very nature.' Humane Vitae, 27
Jenny is a mother of 7, who homeschools them all through kindergarden to High School, while continuing part-time work in non-clinical medicine. During her medical training she successfully organised a Natural Family Training Course for fellow medical students, student nurses and even an eventual priest. When medical problems meant spacing children became a necessity, she and her husband were successfully instructed in the Symptothermal method and can testify personally to its effectiveness.
Sian is an NFP teacher, part of the marriage preparation team in the Parish of St Charles Borromeo, Westminster Diocese and a school governor. She qualified as a doctor in 1987 but was only able to work for 6 months because she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Sian met her husband Rory in St Peter?s Square on the First World Youth Day in 1984. They have been married for 21 Years and have 4 adopted children. They have been members of a Neocatechumenal community for 25 years.
|
 |
Community of St JohnWe are grateful that Sr Maria and Sr Victoria Maria (CSJ) are able to join us for the conference from France. They will be particularly involved in leading the various groups of children and young people in catechesis, talks and other activities.
The Community of St John is one of the Church's new movements, formed in 1975, and aims to 'live a fully evangelical life in the footsteps of Christ in intimate communion with Him: a life of worship and contemplation intimately close to Mary' (Rule of Life). Their quiet spirituality is very rooted in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and each member of the community also takes on the responsibility of presenting the Faith in an understandable and persuasive fashion- viewers of EWTN will recall particularly their theological talks and Eucharistic adoration groups for both adults and young people. |
 |
John Pontifex of ACNSimply existing as a Christian in some countries is a risky business and the idea of outreach, let alone evangelization, puts people in mortal danger. And yet, many Christians are willing to take that risk, to be witnesses of their faith and to bring Christ to the world.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) exists to give practical support so that oppressed Christians are able to live out their faith. Fulfilling more than 5,000 projects every year in over 130 countries world-wide, ACN helps provide training for seminarians, transport for clergy ministering in large, inhospitable regions, emergency aid for refugees fleeing persecution and funding for media operations so the Gospel message can be broadcast to the world. The charity, whose work is reliant entirely on the parishioner in the pew, also helps build and repair churches, print and distribute Child's Bibles, catechisms, etc, as well as provide Mass stipends for needy priests.
As Aid to the Church in Need's Head of Press and Information, John is an expert on the persecuted Church today. He has travelled widely in the countries in which ACN works. Complete with live footage and eye-witness accounts, his report shows the price some Christians are forced to pay for their faith. Packed with facts and figures as well as anecdotes of life in the suffering Church, John's account inspires us to value the Faith we so often take for granted.
|
|