Birmingham: Newman University to host family life conference

Newman University is hosting a day-long conference in response to the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelisation on 25 October.

The conference, which runs from 10am to 4.30pm, follows the Synod’s own two-week meeting and will provide a platform for professionals working with families to discuss its findings and applications in both pastoral and professional settings.

David McLoughlin, senior lecturer in Theology at Newman University, one of the organisers of the conference, said: “The extraordinary Synod’s work continuing on to a further world-wide Synod in 2015 will result in guidance for family life in the contemporary world and for Catholics working with children, young people and families.

“The synod will address a wide range of issues that impact on family life – from what the Bible and the church’s tradition says about families to contemporary issues such as marriage, divorce and same-sex unions, as well as modern pressures on family life such as work, migration, poverty and consumerism.

“Newman University has a strong tradition of theological and vocational training of people who work in the field of Children, Young People and Families and this conference will provide a timely arena in which to discuss the Synod’s latest thinking and how it might impact on pastoral and professional practice.”

Keynote speakers at the conference are Dr Patricia Kiernan, lecturer in Religious Education at the University of Limerick and Elizabeth Davies, Marriage and Family Life project officer of the Bishops’ Conference Secretariat of England and Wales. Following the keynote sessions, David McLoughlin will provide initial comment and reaction to the Synod process after which Father Edward Clare, Director of the Maryvale Institute, will chair an open-table discussion on the issues raised.

Tickets for the conference are priced £15 – including lunch and refreshments – and are available from www.newman.ac.uk/estore.