Blog

Mary Ward Lecture - The Synod on Synodality Curious about how The Mary Ward Lecture went? Here, we're pleased to share with you a link that will take you to an article written by Christopher White, Vatican Correspondent. The article cites Professor Rownlands' reflections that took place during her lecture at Margaret Beaufort Institute. (Click here). Additionally, below you'll find a comment from our Acting Director of Research, Dr. Dominic White [...]

Eucharistic Prayers: their origins, meaning and development It was in the course of a conversation with Dr Anna Abram, Principal of the Margaret Beaufort Institute, that somehow we found ourselves talking about eucharistic prayers. As a result, Anna unexpectedly invited me to lead a Day on the topic on 4th May. As I began to put thoughts together for the Day, my mind was taken back to the1960s when new [...]

Interested in Liturgy?  Come and join the Society of St Gregory Summer School 31st July -3rd August.  See poster for more details here!

CENTRE FOR ECCLESIAL ETHICS RESEARCH PUBLICATION Believing, not Belonging - A research into why Catholics no longer come to church: understanding ecclesial drift, estrangement and disaffiliation. The Believing, not Belonging research carried out during the summer of 2023, created a space through which Catholic women and men who no longer regularly practise their faith might be seriously listened to, so as to understand the complex decision-making and reasoning which [...]

We are delighted to invite you to immerse yourselves in the fascinating world of medieval painting through Cristina del Rosso's blog. Since 2014, Cristina has been sharing her insights on her blog, guiding us through the stories and anecdotes behind some of the most iconic works of art in history. Cristina del Rosso, a painter and professor of painting and art history, has devoted her blog to disseminating topics [...]

This latest version of the DCCS is an exciting new development, and aims to enable a wider audience to take part and learn. It is hoped that it will also encourage people to study other courses and become a way of supporting ongoing spiritual development. The course is available via the RCDEA Training app, existing diocesan partner apps and can be delivered through new custom apps for other dioceses. [...]

Dear Friends, We are delighted to share some of the many highlights, as well as articles that stem from these events or are fine, standalone pieces, from our packed 30th-anniversary year in this special edition of the MBA Pearl Jubilee Journal. Our 2023 anniversary calendar included events connected with our patron, Lady Margaret Beaufort; a silent retreat and a Julian of Norwich pilgrimage; a gala fundraising concert held in [...]

Beggars for Heaven: The Inheritance of Jacques and Raïssa Maritain MBIT Day Conference – Wednesday 13 March 2024 – CALL FOR PAPERS A day conference open to scholars, students, lay and religious; to appraise the spiritual and intellectual inheritance of Jacques and Raïssa Maritain. Papers are welcome in any area relating specifically to Jacques or Raïssa Maritain, or to their unique complementarity. The conference aims to explore the legacy [...]

We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Loughlin Hickey over the weekend. As one of Margaret Beaufort Institute (MBIT) trustees, Loughlin demonstrated profound care for MBIT, actively leading and supporting various developments, including the MBIT Distinctiveness conversation, sustainability initiatives, fundraising focus, and investment policy. Loughlin was a wise and reliable friend, a creative thinker, and an adept networker. His commitment extended beyond MBIT to various charity [...]

On October 15th, MBIT's Principal, Dr Anna Abram, delivered a sermon on education and the quest for truth at the Queens' College Chapel in Cambridge during Evensong. Would you like to read it? Just simply click here.

Are you thinking of taking one of our short courses this year? We hope that our 2023/24 programme will whet your appetite for studying with us – both in terms of your personal interests and your professional, pastoral or voluntary service needs.  Topics covered include: Key thinkers in Christian Spirituality, Spirituality and the Arts, Aquinas’s Christology, Ethics, bioethics, and Biblical Studies. Our courses and events will also enable you [...]

Link to the Survey: Bishops Alan Listens: Brentwood Diocese research (qualtrics.com) Link to the PDF of this invitation: Research Invitation (002)

Are you thinking of taking one of our short courses this year? We hope that our 2022/23 programme will whet your appetite for studying with us – both in terms of your personal interests and your professional, pastoral or voluntary service needs.   All our courses will have online facilities – providing access to students from all over the world. We very much look forward to welcoming you to the [...]

 Download sheet here Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology. Online Liturgy –Thursday February 10th 2022 6.00pm Saint Scholastica, Virgin “I ASKED YOU AND YOU WOULD NOT LISTEN; SO I ASKED MY GOD AND HE DID LISTEN.” Saint Scholastica Saint Scholastica [+c543] was the sister of Saint Benedict. She followed the rule of her brother near Montecassino and is regarded as the first Benedictine nun. When she met her brother [...]

MBIT Mass remembering deceased Friends and Benefactors  St Laurence’s RC Church Cambridge 11th Nov 2021 6pm.  Download sheet here Opening Hymn Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heav’n, to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art. Visit us with thy salvation; enter ev'ry trembling heart. Finish, then, thy new creation; [...]

Requiem Mass for Antoinette (Tonie) Askin Order of Service A Requiem Mass for Antoinette (Tonie) Askin is being celebrated on 9th September 6.00pm St Laurence’s RC Church, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1XB. The Mass will be livestreamed via Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIqxSZ9C9A3l-E4ujH2XVOA  for those unable to join us in person. For those joining via the livestream, the Order of Service (with hymns) can be downloaded here: Order of Service for Memorial Mass for [...]

Trans led academic research for trans young people Are you a young adult who has experienced gender identity challenges or changes while attending a Catholic school in the UK, or are an educator of these young people? If so, please get in touch! Our new research team is seeking participants for a project exploring the experiences of transgender, non-binary or gender queer young people who were educated in [...]

Father Michael Fuller, a scholar of the Pontifical University of St Mary of the Lake, USA, [1] quotes D.W. Robertson suggests the Virgin Martyrs’ Vitae be read as ‘historical criticism’-as ‘a kind of literary analysis seeking to reconstruct the intellectual attitudes and the cultural ideals of a period to reach a fuller understanding of its literature.’[2] He believed medieval literature was ‘saturated with Christian symbols and theology’ now a lost [...]

Jackie Tevlin, a MBIT alumna has kindly agreed to post her poem "St Clare of Assisi".  Thank you Jackie!  We welcome other alumnae to submit poems, artwork or stories. St Clare of Assisi Blessed soul of grace, Attentive to the preacher's word, A palm you waved in joy - Receiving the light of faith, Whilst waiting on His command. Trapped in the pain of glass , Looking out but never in, With [...]

Living the Triduum in a Pandemic and beyond.  A post by Dr Sue Price. A few years ago, I delivered a paper at a Conference on Suffering and Diminishment.  This paper was subsequently published in Pastoral Review (May/June2019) entitled: Living Good Friday, moving into Easter Saturday, but can Easter Sunday be real? I was exploring my experiences of working in a children’s hospice, looking at the grieving process [...]

On 1st  February, Professor Fiona Ellis (Roehampton University, UK) spoke on the topic of 'Meaning, Desire and God: An Expansive Naturalistic Approach'. The lectures started with the overview of two categories of approaches: atheistic/naturalistic and theistic/supernaturalistic. Then explored the 'desire solution' of Richard Taylor, proposed in his 'Good and Evil' (1970), identified a number of difficulties with Taylor's position and his critique of the religious framework, and ended with references [...]

The video recording of the launch of Dominic White’s book, including a response by Catherine Pickstock, Norris Hulse Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge is now available on the Margaret Beaufort Institute YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/f-4NArJ6CnU. Living in the age of the retouchable selfie, the issue of how one presents oneself to the world has never been more critical for those navigating the world of social media.  In this [...]

Musings on the Readings for the Thirty-Third Sunday of the Year - 15th November 2020 When I am working with parish groups exploring how the readings for each Sunday are put together, I have fun explaining how the First Reading is usually from the Old Testament, it's purpose being to point towards the Gospel. However, this Sunday's offering seems to be, at first glance, far removed from doing that. [...]

A very Medieval Pilgrimage and the Power of Relics Evelyn Nicholson - April 2020. Since my own conversion to the Catholic faith some years ago, I  accepted the idea of relics, but never really ‘got’ them,  rather enjoying the reports that St Teilo had his mortal remains divided into three portions, so that the three monasteries connected to him would each have a fair share! [1]This view changed in [...]

A Tribute to Cambridge Professor Nicholas Lash Nicholas Lash, Norris-Hulse Professor Emeritus of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, died aged 86 at home in the early hours of July 11. His funeral is to be held today at noon at the Cambridge Chaplaincy, Fisher House. Nicholas was involved in the formation of the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology. Janet, his widow, says he was honoured and proud to [...]

After a bad morning, bad in every sense, It was good to walk again in fields of green, to take in dappled sunlight in the shaded lanes To be soothed by the glide of a brace of swans in a brook.   Then through a curved gate to a grassy plain flanked by horse chestnut trees,in flower, I was not prepared for the encounter. You dropped in altitude, majestically [...]

Surprise Training When you say “Surprise!”, everyone reacts differently. For some, it is something nice to look forward to, for others it is an unpleasant experience, an uncontrollable element that breaks into your life. But one thing is always the same – it is not possible to train for it, because of the essence of its unpredictability. That is why we often find ourselves in situations where we [...]

Interconnectedness In my retirement, I have been blessed by the companionship of many people, mostly women who are finding creative ways of processing through this time of social distancing.  Some are introverts and find it a welcome gift of extra time to paint and to write; others are coordinating conference calls and numerous screen-time gatherings to combat the quiet.  One of these friends is a clinical social worker [...]

Bossy Angels Have you noticed how bossy angels are? In today’s reading from Acts 8, there is Philip minding his own business, when along comes an angel who imperiously demands that he gets up and goes, and so Philip does and look what happened next... In Scripture, all the angels greet with an instruction: ‘Go!’ ‘Get up!’ ‘Do not be afraid!’ even ‘Hail!’ They immediately get our attention. [...]

Sacrifice – God so loved the world I started writing this blog a while ago, following an excellent seminar by Professor Susan Docherty at the Margaret Beaufort Institute, looking at the rewritings of the Old Testament. This was an excellent introduction to the other literature that has been discovered that enriches and expands our understanding of the Old Testament. One of the texts we looked at tackled that [...]

Theology, Creativity and the Arts Postgraduate Study Day It can feel quite life affirming when a theme or themes evolve from a conference. The conference title 'Theology, Creativity and the Arts PG Study Day' told us something of the area but, being broad, you couldn't predict a direction. Margaret Beaufort Institute provided an ideal setting for friendly and informative  interaction with a stroll across their delightful garden between [...]

An Upside Down Weekend This weekend’s readings for Christ the King seem to be upside down.  We don’t usually celebrate kingship by focusing on torture, crucifixion, mocking, jeering, offering vinegar or sour wine and abusing our King as detailed in today’s Gospel.  Usually kingship is associated with fine clothes, gold, rich wines, rich food and wealth.  So just what is going on here?  It is no accident that [...]

Why the Body Needs Plato (and Plato Needs the Body) It’s all Plato’s fault. Once he was the power behind the throne of Christian theology, with his heavenly world of ideas/perfect forms and a Father God creator. The medieval Scholastics started to pull away when they adopted more down-to-earth Aristotle. But Aquinas continued to make use of Platonism (such as for his doctrine of participation), as did later [...]

The Kingdom of God I’ve taken to using the Pray as you Go app – it helps to hear the Gospel rather than read it for oneself. The trouble is, as well as getting the reading aloud, questions are posed about it which can be more or less helpful. Today’s questions were not helpful, but they did inspire me to write this as a result, so maybe they [...]

Towards a Discerning Church: Responding to the Call of Pope Francis One of the key imperatives for today’s Church, according to Pope Francis, is ‘to grow in discernment, in the ability to discern’ (Address to Polish Jesuits, July 2016).’ In Evangelii Gaudium(EG) he says: ‘Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out’ (20). It is clear that his reforms are motivated by a [...]

The Symbolism of Evil In late June, I was sitting in Paris, gazing at Soleil Couchant, a darker, yellower piece amongst Monet’s water lily series. It would be nice to pretend that I was doing so with artistic insight or with deep reflections on the nature of changing creation. But a significant motivation of my extended contemplation was that outside the Jardin des Tuilerieswas a crowded thirty degrees in [...]

Ageing: A Gift or a Burden? On March 7th, the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology hosted a Symposium, “Ageing: A Gift or a Burden?” Its express purpose was to examine the theological and spiritual implications of the current narratives of ageing. Our day began with a presentation from Kenneth Howse, a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing and formerly of the Centre for Policy on Ageing. [...]

Sir Roger Scruton Seminar On a pleasant afternoon over tea and cake, Sir Roger Scruton led a seminar of about a dozen students, tutors, and academics in the charming library of The Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology. The seminar was organized by Dr. Férdia Stone-Davis, one of the theology tutors at the institute, who introduced Professor Scruton, and gently set the quiet and contemplative mood of the seminar. [...]

Giving Space to Silence It has become customary to use silence as a tool for remembering those who have suffered and perished during war and situations of conflict, as a result of acts of violence or terrorism, and through systemic failures, such as Grenfell Tower. The appropriateness of silence to such practices of commemoration is clear: words fail in such moments, and where words fail, silence falls. But [...]

Holding onto Hope It is always interesting when the real world breaks through into the theoretical world. As a researcher, I can get lost in the academic ideas and need to be brought back down to earth with a bump. I need, especially as a Practical Theologian, to keep grounded. An important ‘grounding’ happened for me recently. I had been doing my homework for the Critical Reading Seminar [...]