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Purpose
The purpose of our gathering of people of different faiths and humanists is a dialogue, not merely of a mutual tolerance, but rather of a mutual respect and cooperation around the values and ethics we all share, believers and non-believers. It is an opportunity to build bridges of understanding and to break down the barriers of fear, born of ignorance, skepticism and indifference. It is meant to encourage a sense of solidarity and cooperation between believers and non-believers that may be carried back into the communities where the participants live and
work. “What we are called to respect in each person is first of all his life, his physical integrity, his dignity and the rights deriving from that dignity, his reputation, his property, his ethnic and cultural identity, his ideas and his political choices. We are therefore called to think, speak and write respectfully of the other, not only in his presence, but always and everywhere, avoiding unfair criticism or defamation.”
−Pope Francis Aug 2, 2013
Co-sponsored
by the UK and US Provinces
of the Xaverian Missionaries
Xaverian Missionaries
Fr. John Convery SX
UK Province
Calder Avenue
Coatbridge ML5 4JS
01236 707 907
http://mediades.co.uk/xavs/
www.confortiinstitute.org
jc@xavs.org
Fr. Carl Chudy SX
US Province
2 Helene Court
Wayne, NJ USA 07470
973-942-2975
www.xaviermissionaries.org
missionmedia@xaviernmissionaires.org
provincial @xaviermissionaries.org
CommonCommon GroundGround:: A Conversation Among
Religious Believers and Humanists
on Values and Ethics
“The familiar stark divide between people of religion and without religion is too crude. Many millions of people who count themselves atheists have convictions and experiences very like and just as profound as those that believers count as religious.”
−Ronald Dworkin Religion Without God
“I feel close to all men and women who, al-though not claiming to belong to any religious tradition, still feel themselves to be in search of truth, goodness and beauty…. [Atheists and ‘nones’] are our precious allies in the effort to defend human dignity, in building a peaceful coexistence between peoples, and in carefully protecting creation.”
−Pope Francis March 20, 2013
November 8-10, 2013
Conforti Institute
Coatbridge, Scotland
Presenters
John Sivalon, MM The author of God’s Mission and Postmodern Culture: the Gift of Uncertainty is a Maryknoll priest, he missioned in Tanzania before serving as Superior General of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (2001-2008). He has a masters in sociology and doctorate from St. Michael s College at the University of Toronto. Currently teaching theology at the University of Scranton, he received a Bachelor's in Sociology, a Master's in Theology and Masters of Divinity from Maryknoll and a Master's in Sociology from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Dr. Sivalon previously served at Union Theological School, New York, N.Y, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL, and University of Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania.
Chris Stedman The author of Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious is the Assistant Chaplain and Values in Action Coordinator for the Humanist Community at Harvard University,
and the founder of the first blog dedicated to exploring atheist-interfaith engagement, NonProphet Status. In 2011, the Huffington Post listed Chris's work as one of the Top 11 Religion Stories of the year and named him one of the top interfaith activists on Twitter. Religion Dispatches listed him at #5 in the Top 10 Peacemakers in the Science-Religion wars.
Presenters
His books include The Death of Christian Britain:
Understanding Secularisation and Religion and
the Demographic Revolution and Women and
Secularisation in Canada, Ireland, UK and USA
since the 1960s. His current research projects
include A Social and Cultural History of Modern
Humanism, covering Scotland, UK, Ireland,
Canada and USA using oral history.
Maureen Sier As the Director and
Development and
Education Officer of
the Scottish Inter-Faith
Council Dr. Sier
manages national and
international projects
facilitating dialogue
between faith
traditions and organizes interfaith events
liaising with the Scottish Government on
religious and civic matters. She worked in the
Equality Unit of the Scottish government where
she helped develop a national network of
interfaith groups. Dr. Sier holds a Masters in
Cultural History, an MLitt in Anthropology and a
Doctorate in Theology. She was a recipient of a
William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Award for
Interfaith Engagement and Community Action.
Presenters
Prerna Abbi A Secular Hindu, Ms. Abbi is
the Alumni Program Associ-
ate at Interfaith Youth Core.
She earned her BA in Citizen-
ship & Democracy and Inter-
cultural Communication at
Syracuse University’s Max-
well School. After graduat-
ing, she served two terms as
an AmeriCorps member with
Habitat for Humanity, work-
ing as a volunteer coordinator and developing an
intensive curriculum for youth and faith community
involvement in service and social justice. Prerna has
been passionate about interfaith cooperation from
a young age, and has been involved with IFYC since
2008, having served as a member of IFYC's Fellows
Alliance, and leading a session on engaging those
with exclusive truth claims in interfaith cooperation
at IFYC's Leadership in a Religiously Diverse World
conference.
Callum Brown The Professor of Late Mod-
ern European History at the
University of Glasgow is a
social and cultural historian.
His research interests in-
clude the social and cultural
history of religion and secu-
larisation, the social history of modern humanism,
and the history of community ritual in Scotland and
Britain, Canada, USA and Ireland. He also has inter-
ests in historical theory (postmodernism), personal
testimony (using oral history and autobiography), in
quantitative methods.
Program
Friday 4:30 PM (onwards) Arrival & Registration 5:45 PM Supper 6:30 PM Welcome & Intro Xaverian Missionaries & Will Storrar 7:00-8:35 PM Session 1: John Sivalon, MM & Chris Stedman 8:35-9:35 PM Q&A Plenary: Will Storrar 9:45 PM Social Time
Saturday
8:00 AM Breakfast 9:30-11:00 AM Session 2: Callum Brown Break 11:10 AM - 12:10PM Session 3: Prerna Abbi & Maureen Sier 12:10-12:30 PM Q&A Will Storrar 12:30 - 1:30 Lunch 1:30-4:10 PM Session 4: Open Space dialogue facilitated by Will Storrar 4:15PM Supper 5:15 PM Transport to Parliament for Panel Discussion 9:00 PM Transport to Conforti Social time available on return
Sunday
8:30 AM Breakfast 9:30 AM-12:30 PM Closing Plenary and next steps planning 12:30 PM Lunch and depart
Moderator
William Storrar The Director of the Center of
Theological Inquiry in Princeton
previously held the Chair of
Christian Ethics and Practical
Theology at the University of
Edinburgh where he directed the
Centre for Theology and Public
Issues. He is an Extraordinary
Professor of the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, a
Magnusson Fellow and Visiting Professor of Glasgow
Caledonian University and an elected member of the
International Academy of Practical Theology and the American
Theological Society. His publications include the co-edited
volumes, Public Theology for the 21st Century, and A World for
All? Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian
Theology. He is a Distinguished Advisor to the Global Network
for Public Theology and a Salzburg Global Fellow. He chairs the
editorial board of the International Journal of Public Theology,
and serves on the editorial boards of theological journals in
Germany and South Africa. Dr. Storrar graduated with an MA,
BD, and PhD from the University of Edinburgh and is an
ordained minister of the Church of Scotland.
Participants
Aktay, Mary (Communications Dir., XM USA)
Allison, Anthony (Post-doctoral Researcher)
Barcroft, Rev. Dean Ian (Representing Bishop Gregor Duncan,
Scottish Episcopal Church)
Beltagui, Dr. Salah (Convenor of the Muslim Council of Scotland)
Biguzzi SX, Bishop George (XM Italy)
Buchanan, Kevin (Scottish Trade Union Congress)
Calder, Jan (Humanist Society of Scotland)
Canning, Michael (Education Team Conforti Institute)
Catt, John (British Humanist Association)
Chudy SX, Fr. Carl (Provincial XM USA)
Conroy, Michael (UCATT)
Convery SX, Fr. John (Provincial XM UK)
Cottier, Lee (British Humanist Association)
Crampsey SJ, Fr. Jim (Conference of Religious Scotland)
Duffy SX, Fr. Patrick (XM UK)
Eadie, Pauline (Conforti Institute)
Fenton, Rory (Dialogue Officer, British Humanist Association)
Foy, Hugh (Conforti Institute)
Fulton, Rev. Sally Foster (Chair, Church of Scotland, Church and
Society)
Gallacher, Prof. Tom (Bradford University)
Galloway, Rev. Kathy (Dir. Christian Aid Scotland)
Hill, Geraldine (Conforti Institute)
MacQuarrie, Rev. Stuart (Chaplain of Glasgow University)
Martin, Helen (Conforti Institute)
McCarey, Jennifer (Branch Development Officer UNISON
Scotland)
McLelland, Gary (Networking Chair Edinburgh Secular Society,
Humanist Society of Scotland)
Quigley, Kevin (Dir. of Education, Salford Diocese)
Pellot, Brian (RNS)
Pepinster, Catherine (The Tablet)
Richards, Prof. Collin (Manchester University)
Rodell, Jeremy (Chairman and Newsletter Ed., SW London Humanists)
Rodger, Ian (Humanist Society of Scotland)
Smythe, Isabel (Committee for Interreligious Dialogue, BCS)
Smyth FMS, Br. Stephen (Gen. Sec. Action of Churches Together
Scotland)
Slaven, John (Scottish Trade Union Congress)
Slavin, William (Salford Diocese)
Smellie, Stephen (Vice Convener Unison)
Storgato SX, Fr. Marcello (XM Italy)
Welsh SX, Fr. Tom (Dir. Pontifical Mission Societies Scotland - XM UK)
Hosts
The Xaverian Missionaries are a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. They strive to participate in intercultural and interfaith dialogue, be it formal or informal through dialogue of life and experience; advocate for and have solidarity with the poor; share the legacy of their founder, St. Guido Conforti; and tell the story and witness of their members in the variety of ministries and countries where they serve. Currently eight hundred Xaverian missionaries serve in: Bangla-desh, Burundi, Brazil, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Dem. Repub-lic of Congo, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, the UK and the USA.
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