Christ Week 2010
God? What has He done for me lately?
The 2010 Christ Week mission was titled “God? What has He done for me lately?” The yearly mission at the University of Sydney involves daily talks and evangelisation in order to spread the good news to all students. The 2010 mission was a huge success. Listen to the talks below on xt3.com.
The Bible: Fact or Fairytale? Rev. Dr. John Fleming
Jesus-Lunatic or Lord? Mr. Robert Haddad
God-What has He done for the lately? Bishop Julian Porteous
The Death of God: Why is it important? Rev. Dr. Tony Percy
Cardinal Pell: The Tough Questions
Cardinal Pell came to the University of Sydney on August 24 for an open Q&A forum. Students asked questions on topics as varied as same sex marriage, aids in Africa, liturgy, contraception and the Church’s finances. Listen to the talk on xt3.
Happiness: A Lost Art?
Miss Lia Santilli explores the concept of happiness in the world today. What is it and where can it be found? Listen to the talk on xt3 here.
Proof that God Exists
Mr Chris Gordon looks at Aquinas’ 5 proofs for the existence of God. Listen to the talk on xt3 here.
The Dark Ages: Myth vs Legend
Mr Daniel Hill explains some of the misconceptions of the so called ‘dark ages’. Listen to this talk on xt3 here.
Marriage or Cohabitation
Is cohabitation a viable option? Once you live together for a while it’s the same as a marriage right? Listen to a talk given by Joanne Lucas here to find out more on the topic.
Are all Christians “Saints”? What of Mary MacKillop?
Lawyer, teacher, apologist, Convenor Emeritus of the University Chaplaincies and present director of the Sydney Archdiocesan Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Mr Robert Haddad jumps straight into the question of “sainthood” raised by the imminent canonisation of Bl Mary of the Cross. More popularly known by her family name “MacKillop”, the announcement of Bl Mary’s second miracle late last year continues to generate significant discussion in the Australian popular press about the Catholic understanding of saints and the process of canonisation.
Mr Haddad begins with a brief history of sainthood and canonisation, drawing from the testimony of St Polycarp of Smyrna and the scriptural references to saints, especially in the writings of St Paul. Moving through the various objections raised both by journalists and their commenters he then considers the meaning and execution of “canonisation”, the authority required to declare someone “saint”, and the proper Christian understanding of what a saint actually is.
This one is well worth a listen at XT3! Come again next week for Fr Robert Steward speaking on “Poverty: Real Freedom”.
Does marriage matter any more, or is cohabitation just as good?
Psychologist and theologian Mrs Joanne Lucas explores an issue pressing upon university students, the merits of marriage and cohabitation. Does marriage really warrant the effort, stress and expense? Is it not just as good to simply start living together, and put the spare cash into something useful like a mortgage? Does everyone have the right to marry, and if not… should they?
What’s a marriage worth anyway?
Mrs Lucas brings fascinating insight to the issue from the perspective of a practicing psychologist, making excellent use of current studies and statistics.
Join us next week for the inimitable Mr Robert Haddad’s “Are All Christians Saints? What about Mary MacKillop?”
God: Male or Female?
Sr Mary Sarah OP, Dominican Sister of St Cecilia (Nashville) and Women’s Officer of the USyd and UTS Catholic Chaplaincies today took us “on a trip down memory lane, to the time before memory, and the time before time”. Exploring the question of sex in God, Sister considers such various contemporary interpretations as the hermaphrodite god, the god of public relations, the god on whose nature everyone gets a vote, and the god who is a divine expression of patriarchy. Taking a very Chestertonian approach, today’s speaker demonstrated the intellectual prize that is Catholic philosophy – it stands up not just to rigorous philosophical examination but also the standards of common sense.
Join us next week in hearing Mrs Joanne Lucas answer the question: “Should I move in with my partner?”
Life Week 2010: Round-up
Life Week 2010 at the University of Sydney has been a roaring success! Each seminar attracted from 60 to over 100 participants of many backgrounds and philosophies. All of the speakers were informative, engaging and entertaining. Many thanks to XT3 for providing audio recordings of the Life Week seminars: to listen to the talks click the titles or visit XT3.
Life Week began with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered on campus by the recently ordained chaplain of the neighbouring University of Notre Dame, Sydney; Fr Vincent Magat OP (standing in for USyd Chaplain Fr Dominic Murphy OP). From there we went to the Manning Lawn for our weekly free barbecue, attracting all kinds of happy, hungry students. Follow the link to see more photos on Flickr.
Rector of the Seminary of the Good Shepherd, Rev Dr Tony Percy speaks on the nature of human sexuality, its proper fulfilment and the difficulties experienced by people attracted to others of the same sex. Beginning with the fundamental difference between man and woman, the respect for complementarity and a proper understanding of the nature of marriage, Fr Percy reflects on the insights of such unlikely minds as Pope John Paul II, Thomas Merton and Sigmund Freud.
Abortion and the Law
General Practitioner, Pregnancy Counsellor and Bioethicist Dr Cathy Lennon gave a detailed outline of the present state of abortion laws in Australia, particularly the intention to protect patients and practitioners. Bringing light to recent controversies within Australia, Dr Lennon outlined the flaws in the present legal provisions and the ways in which they have been abused by incompetent or malicious doctors. Unfortunately this seminar could not be recorded, in part due to the violent reaction of some pro-abortion activists who were present. Dr Lennon’s seminar attracted by far the largest and most diverse audience, which only emphasises the importance of life issues in the university culture.
General Practitioner and Bioethicist Dr David van Gend gives an enlightening summary of the many uses proposed for human cloning, as well as the abuses that have taken place worldwide. Starting with a detailed but understandable outline of the underlying scientific principles, Dr van Gend moves through the various ethical and legal debates surrounding the issue and outlines the alternative stem cell methods which address the failures of embryonic stem cell science. Learn more at Dr van Gend’s blog.
Women’s officer at the University of Sydney Catholic Chaplaincy and (Nashville) Dominican, Sr Mary Madeline OP asks us after a week of learning about the various attacks on human life: are you surviving or thriving? Why indeed do we value life at all, what is so special about human life that we should treasure it?
With the close of Life Week the regular seminar schedule recommences next Wednesday with Sr Mary Sarah OP asking “Is God male or female?” The free barbecue also returns to its usual time of Tuesday at 13:00 (just after Mass) on the Manning Lawn.
Veritas Seminar Series 
