Mark your calendar
| Start date: | End date: | Location |
| September 28, 2018 | September 29, 2018 | 21 Rocky Vista Terr NW Calgary, Alberta |
The Canadian Chapter of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars/Amicale des Savants Catholiques
Annual Conference
Theme: Keeping Faithful to the Faith in a Post-Christian Society
September 28 & 29, 2018
Wingate by Wyndham Calgary South Hotel
McGivney Hall, St. Mary's University, Calgary
The 2018 Conference of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars (Canada) will be held in Calgary, Alberta over two days. On Friday, September 28, in the Wingate Wyndham Hotel Heritage Boardroom, after the Conference Opening Prayers and the opening remarks by the President of the Fellowship, the Conference keynote address will be delivered by Bishop Emeritus, the Most Reverend Bishop Frederick Bernard Henry on the Conference Theme: Keeping Faithful to the Faith in a Post-Christian Society. His Excellency has been a controversial personality but also a staunch defender of the Catholic Faith in the Diocese of Calgary, unafraid to speak with the voice of the Magisterium to those in both legal and political power in the province of Alberta. The Fellowship looks forward to his address as he analyzes the nature and scope of the challenge to the Faith in Canadian society, which no longer regards Christianity as relevant, having replaced it with a secular anthropology and relativist morality which views Christianity with antipathy. How might a Christian living in what amounts to a pagan society keep the Faith? Following His Excellency’s address, a time of fellowship will ensue.
Day two of the conference will take place at St. Mary’s University. Mass begins at 8:00 a.m. followed by remarks from a representative of St. Mary’s. Then a continental breakfast will be served. Following the breakfast, five 30 - minute presentations are planned, each followed by a 15 - minute Q & A. Lunch will be served at noon, after which there will be the last of the five presentations, followed by a debate. The debate topic is aimed at the heart of many important issues facing the Magisterium, the laity, and the clergy in Canada. In particular, the topic at issue is to society balancing the right not to be discriminated against: if one is in a legally protected class under human rights and constitutional law, which is certainly necessary in a free and democratic society: and the right of citizens to freedom of religion and conscience, notwithstanding that those rights may conflict with non-discriminatory rights. The resolution reads:
“BE IT RESOLVED: Freedom of conscience and religion must give way to the inclusive, non-discriminatory demands of a free and democratic society in order to create a just society for all.”
The speakers for the resolution are an Oxford scholar and former dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary (Dr. Ian Winchester), and a lawyer and associate professor at the Werklund School of Education (Dr. J.K. Donlevy). The speakers against the resolution are a former dean of Theology, and who has a Ph.D. from Yale (Dr. Fr. Stephano Penna), and the President of the Canadian Fellowship (Dr. Robert Berard). This promises to be a lively and engaging debate on important issues in Canada and in the Catholic Church. A post debate conversation will ensue, followed by closing remarks from the Most Reverend Bishop William Terrance McGrattan. There will be a complimentary glass of wine in fellowship after his closing remarks.
A buffet dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. at the Wingate Hotel after the conference. It is open to any registrant although the cost of attending the dinner is not included in the Conference fee. Further information on the dinner will be provided before the conference.
For more details, visit ⇒ http://fcsconference.ca
| Start date: | End date: | Location |
| September 28, 2018 | September 29, 2018 | 21 Rocky Vista Terr NW Calgary, Alberta |
