CONFERENCE 2024
Friends of Sophia conferences are a unique blend of academic conference, arts event and retreat.
Friends of Sophia conferences are a unique blend of academic conference, arts event and retreat.
The Friends of Sophia Seventh Annual Conference
Saturday 18 May 2024, 10.30am to 5.30pm
St Dominic’s Priory
The Rosary Shrine
Southampton Road
London NW5 4LB
In a unique blend of academic study, retreat and the art of movement, today’s conference invites us both to understand and experience the profound connection between the Virgin Mary, healing and wisdom.
“In an age of tribalism and silo thinking in society and sometimes in the churches, the Friends of Sophia boldly draws on the forgotten Biblical figure of Wisdom, who joins together heaven and earth and humankind. Celebrating the fullness of graced human knowing through the interconnection of sciences, humanities, art, spirituality and psychology… a new departure and a healing beginning for difficult times.” - Timothy Radcliffe, 2023
Timothy Radcliffe is a distinguished preacher and writer of the Catholic Dominican Order. His books include Alive in God: A Christian Imagination (Bloomsbury, 2019).
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
Margaret Barker – Wisdom in the book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
Reza Shah-Kazemi – Sacred Femininity in the Abrahamic family
Fr Dominic White – Wisdom and Mary
Julienne McLean – The Journey of Christian Healing and Counselling
Tom Bree – Rosary labyrinth in the Lady Chapel: Incarnational Prayer
TIMETABLE
Saturday 8 July
10.30am: Arrivals, coffee and registration
11.00 - 11.45am: Father Dominic White - Wisdom and Mary
11.45 - 12.00pm: Tea Break
12.00 - 1.00pm: Margaret Barker - Wisdom in the Book of Sirach
1.00 - 2.00pm: Lunch
2.00 - 2.50pm: Tom Bree - Rosary Labyrinth: Incarnational Prayer
3.00 - 3.45pm: Julienne McLean & Father Dominic in conversation. The journey of Christian Healing and Counselling
3.45 - 4.00pm: Tea Break
4.00 - 5.00pm: Reza Shah-Kazemi - Sacred Feminine in the Abrahamic family: The Lady Wisdom, The Virgin Mary and Fatima al-Zahra
Participants are welcome to join St Dominic’s Parish for any of the following services in the Church after the conference:
5.00pm - Eucharistic Adoration (Confession also available)
6.00pm - Sung Mass
7.15pm - Eucharistic Healing Procession with Rosary
Saturday 18 May 2024, 10.30am to 5.30pm
St Dominic’s Priory
The Rosary Shrine
Southampton Road
London NW5 4LB
In a unique blend of academic study, retreat and the art of movement, today’s conference invites us both to understand and experience the profound connection between the Virgin Mary, healing and wisdom.
“In an age of tribalism and silo thinking in society and sometimes in the churches, the Friends of Sophia boldly draws on the forgotten Biblical figure of Wisdom, who joins together heaven and earth and humankind. Celebrating the fullness of graced human knowing through the interconnection of sciences, humanities, art, spirituality and psychology… a new departure and a healing beginning for difficult times.” - Timothy Radcliffe, 2023
Timothy Radcliffe is a distinguished preacher and writer of the Catholic Dominican Order. His books include Alive in God: A Christian Imagination (Bloomsbury, 2019).
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
Margaret Barker – Wisdom in the book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
Reza Shah-Kazemi – Sacred Femininity in the Abrahamic family
Fr Dominic White – Wisdom and Mary
Julienne McLean – The Journey of Christian Healing and Counselling
Tom Bree – Rosary labyrinth in the Lady Chapel: Incarnational Prayer
TIMETABLE
Saturday 8 July
10.30am: Arrivals, coffee and registration
11.00 - 11.45am: Father Dominic White - Wisdom and Mary
11.45 - 12.00pm: Tea Break
12.00 - 1.00pm: Margaret Barker - Wisdom in the Book of Sirach
1.00 - 2.00pm: Lunch
2.00 - 2.50pm: Tom Bree - Rosary Labyrinth: Incarnational Prayer
3.00 - 3.45pm: Julienne McLean & Father Dominic in conversation. The journey of Christian Healing and Counselling
3.45 - 4.00pm: Tea Break
4.00 - 5.00pm: Reza Shah-Kazemi - Sacred Feminine in the Abrahamic family: The Lady Wisdom, The Virgin Mary and Fatima al-Zahra
Participants are welcome to join St Dominic’s Parish for any of the following services in the Church after the conference:
5.00pm - Eucharistic Adoration (Confession also available)
6.00pm - Sung Mass
7.15pm - Eucharistic Healing Procession with Rosary
£45 - Full Day Ticket
£20 - Concession
(Please note that the prices
include the booking fee)
include the booking fee)
The Friends of Sophia is a collaborative, international project of people united by a common search for Sophia, Wisdom. We are rooted in a Christian centre, from which we engage in conversation with other spiritualities and faith traditions. Our approach is strongly holistic, involving the body and the performing arts as well as the intellect.
Also in collaboration with the centre for initiatives in Spirituality and Reconciliation (InSpiRe) at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (www.stmarys.ac.uk/inspire) and the Dominican Order of Preachers www.english.op.org
Also in collaboration with the centre for initiatives in Spirituality and Reconciliation (InSpiRe) at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (www.stmarys.ac.uk/inspire) and the Dominican Order of Preachers www.english.op.org