Knock Shrine set to host international conference with notable keynote speakers
The two day international conference will be held at Knock Shrine next week. Photo: PM Photography and Wejchert Architects
An international conference will place at St. John’s Welcome Centre, Knock Shrine, in conjunction with Notre Dame University, Australia next week.
The two-day event will be held on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 from 10am to 4pm.
Keynote speaker on both days will be Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops. The conference will be facilitated by Prof. Eamonn Conway, advisor to the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
In advance of the conference, Prof. Eamonn Conway stated that “It is clear, even from recent decisions to merge dioceses in the West of Ireland, that change in the Church is inevitable. Such change if chosen wisely and guided by the Holy Spirit, will see a new and transformed blossoming of Christian faith in Ireland. This conference provides a unique opportunity to link the local with the global. Ní neart go cur le chéile.” The programme for the conference is as follows:
Cardinal Mario Grech will open the conference on Friday morning, April 19 with a keynote address under the theme ‘The Synod -A Global View.
Prof Renée Kohler-Ryan of Notre Dame University, Australia, and a voting Member of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops representing Oceania, will discuss our church on a missionary footing.
Attendees will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the Synod from an Irish perspective from Rev. Declan Hurley, Co-Chair of the National Steering Committee for the Synodal Pathway in Ireland, and Vicar General of the Diocese of Meath.
On Saturday, April 20 the theme that will be discussed during the conference will be ‘The Synod – Ireland and The World’.
Ireland’s place in the global Church will be the focus of the second day of the conference. The theme will be explored in an address by Cardinal Mario Grech and Julieann Moran, General Secretary of the Synodal Pathway in Ireland.
Meanwhile, Dr Dermot Ryan, Director of Adult Faith Development for the Diocese of Ossory, will explore the way in which we are all called to a synodal life through our parish communities and structures.
The afternoon session will take the format of a panel discussion on the topic of becoming a more inclusive Church and the day will conclude with an open forum. Seewww.knockshrine.ie for more information.
