Clergy conference series
Approaching a
Theology of the Body
27 November 2024 - 29 January - 26 March 2025
Anthropology, the Sacrament of Marriage and human formation, in pastoral ministry today
“The human body includes… the capacity of expressing love, that love in which the person becomes a gift and – by means of this gift – fulfills the meaning of his being and existence.”
Pope Saint John Paul II, General audience, 16th January 1980
Our series of three, day-conferences will examine the Church’s teaching around human love, inspired by Pope St John Paul II’s ‘theology of the body’. The conferences will reflect on John Paul II’s vision of the person as created for communion, on the character of conjugal communion, and on a formation for authentic love.
The conferences are open to seminarians, deacons, religious and priests.
Each conference stands alone and there is no requirement to attend previous conferences, although they aim to offer a progressive itinerary through related themes.
Discounted Bed and Breakfast acccomodation at Theodore House is available for those wishing to stay overnight.
The first conference will explore the prophetic response of the saintly popes, Paul VI and John Paul II, to the related issues of contraception and our understanding of human sexuality, in Humanae vitae and in the “Theology of the Body” respectively. Conference topics:
- The Humanae vitae controversy
- Humanae vitae in dialogue with the Church’s Tradition
- The Gift of Creation: The Human Person before God
- The Dynamics of Gift and the Sexual Complementarity
The second conference will examine the nature of conjugal love and the three goods of marriage in order to offer a clear response to contemporary ambiguities around love and marriage, with the preparation for marriage of today’s couples in mind. Conference topics:
- What is Love? Conjugality vs Cohabitation
- Faithfulness: The Foundation of Matrimony
- The Gift of Children: Building a Family
- The Sacrament of Marriage: The Christian Newness
The third conference will focus on the formation of the person in chastity, and will consider the two vocations at the service of the Church’s mission as a point of reference. Conference topics:
- Sacramental Self-Giving: The Complementarity of Priesthood and Matrimony
- The Role of Virtue in Building a Chaste Character
- Facing today’s Challenges to living Chastity
- Responding to Gender: Discerning between Myth and Reality
Each conference is structured around four sessions, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, with opportunities for discussion and questions.
A tea/coffee break is offered between the morning and afternoon sessions.
Midday prayer will be said in common before lunch.
Stefan and Ella Kaminski both have Licentiates from the John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family Life, having dedicated their studies to the themes of human love and sexual complementarity. Stefan serves as Director of The Christian Heritage Centre, where he has been creating and delivering Catholic formation content for the last five years. Ella previously worked at the John Paul II Institute in Rome, before joining Stefan in Lancashire following their marriage. She currently teaches a dogmatic theology course on the Sacrament of Marriage at Oscott Seminary, and is engaged in the Veritas Amoris project. Together, they offer marriage preparation courses and ongoing formation for catechetists.
Theodore House offers a wonderful space for conferences. The tranquil and beautiful surroundings of the Stonyhurst estate offer a peaceful setting away from the rush of daily life in which to engage intellectually and spiritually. A clean, airy and modern facility in a Grade II listed building.
For more information about Theodore House, please click here.
- Arrivals for a 10:00am start (welcome and introductions)
- Departures from approx. 4:45pm
- Clergy are welcome to celebrate Mass in the Theodore House Oratory before or after each conference
Cost
Single conference cost: £45 (includes two-course lunch)
Discounted cost for conference series: £115 (includes all three conferences with two-course lunch)
B&B accommodation, single en-suite room: £56 per night (booked separately)
If you require assistance with meeting costs, please contact us on [email protected]
“I feel like I have learnt so much and opened my heart and mind to the Church.”
Please register below (deposit payment required):
Venue & Getting to us:
If you are reliant on public transport, please consider traveling by train to Preston train station. From there, we aim to co-ordinate minicab shares or lifts amongst participants of any given event. If you require further advice or assistance, email us: [email protected]
Father Michael Miners o.c.d.s was born in Blackburn in 1953. He read theology at St Johns College, Durham, becoming a Catholic there in 1974. He undertook postgraduate research in Durham and then at Keble College, Oxford, before joining Ushaw College Seminary. He was ordained as a priest of the Order of Discaled Carmelites in 1984. Fr Michael has worked in both parish ministry and in formation as a novice master and master of students. He edited the Spiritual Journal “Mount Carmel” for eight years, and has a long experience of preaching retreats and offering Spiritual Direction. After five years as Catholic Chaplain at Keele University (1993-1998) he became a priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Fr Michael lectures in Ecumenism at Oscott College and was Chair of the Diocesan Ecumenism Commission.
Fr Anthony Doe is a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster, ordained in 1981. He is a qualified psychotherapist, with multiple post graduate degrees. He exercises his priestly ministry as a therapist and spiritual director, and is an experienced retreat director. Fr Doe has served as the Spiritual Director of the Venerable English College in Rome and is currently Spiritual Director at Allen Hall Seminary in London.
