News & Events

We are delighted to welcome Dr Alexander O’Hara, as Research Fellow at the Loyola Institute. Dr O’Hara is a historian of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages specialising in monastic history and theology, the medieval cult of the saints and medieval Latin literary culture. A graduate of the University of St Andrews and Oxford University, he has held Research Fellowships at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, the University of St Andrews and the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.

The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development is committed to partnering with ecologically-focused clergy and theologians to augment the faith voice in hastening the transition to cleaner, healthier and more sustainable communities.In conjunction with the publication of Eco Bible, Vol. 1: An Ecological Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, they are sponsoring two webinars featuring theologians speaking to religion and ecology.

Marking the third anniversary of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, the event was hosted by Gangwon Province, PyeongChang County, and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and organized by the PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation. The slogan of the event was Peace! Here and Now and it sought to identify new challenges and opportunities in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula and across the world in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. David Mitchell contributed a video presentation on the peacebuilding role of sport in Northern Ireland during a session on sport and peace in Korea around the world.

To celebrate the Irish School of Ecumenics 50th Anniversary, you are welcome to participate in the first event of a Webinar Series which will be taking place over the coming year. Entitled: Ecumenical Movement and Reconciliation in Ireland and Beyond - Like wheat that springs up green. Takes place on 28 January, 2021 at 5 PM WEBINAR - Free attendence with registration via Eventbrite. Click here for more information.

November 20, 2020, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York (UK) - First-year PhD student Stephen Huws discussed his recently published article on a William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones stained glass window in Yorkshire, reconstructing the damaged window in its original context and the religious significance it held for its community.

Faith Seeking Understanding Lecture Series continues online from January 2021. Tickets can be purchased from Evenbrite - €20 payment for all four lectures. All Welcome.

Kate Oxsen, studying with the Loyola Institute and who is completing her Ph.D. with Prof. David Shepherd, has been appointed to a tenure track position in biblical studies at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago

Trinity Long Room Hub’s Behind the Headlines series resumes with Head of School, Professor Siobhán Garrigan, speaking on theology’s wisdom for facing radical uncertainty. The webinar takes place on Tuesday 6th October at 7.00pm. Click the link to register.

The School of Religion is now taking applications for PhD studies via distance learning. This path allows students to study towards their research degree from their residential location, while participating in required modules and partaking in the School’s postgraduate and research community via online activities. Visit our PhD page to learn more.

Listen to our current MPhil postgrad Paul Corcoran talk about his experience of studying theology at the Loyola Institute this year

Watch here to hear about our exciting postgraduate courses in Theology: the Postgraduate Certificate and the MPhil, from our lecturers and current students. All of this information is also here to read on the relevant dedicated pages. The application deadline is Friday 31 July, and courses start on Monday 28th September.

We have a number of different scholarships available for both the Postgraduate Certificate and the MPhil in Christian Theology. Please note the deadline for scholarship applications is midday on Wednesday 29 July 2020. In order to qualify for consideration for a scholarship – you must have successfully completed the Trinity online application process for your chosen course.

Join our Online Open Evening Zoom Webinar on Thursday 16th July at 6:00pm to hear more about this exciting course and the scholarships available! This will also be streamed Live on Facebook.

Starting on Monday September 28th there is an opportunity to study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Christian Theology. Modules are shared with the MPhil students. You will study two compulsory modules Readings in Classical Theological Texts and Jesus of Nazareth: Son, Christ, Word (Monday evenings, first semester). You must also study one optional module. In the first term the optional module offered is Theology and the Arts (Thursday evenings). The optional modules to be offered in the second term are still to be confirmed. More details see LINK

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Loyola Trust the Loyola Institute is pleased to announce that the School seeks to appoint an Assistant Professor to teach and supervise in theology in the Catholic tradition. As well as contributing to the School’s Undergraduate and Postgraduate taught courses in theology, the appointed person will be expected to supervise MPhil and PhD dissertations, to participate across the range of School activities and especially to contribute to the development of the Loyola Institute. A full job description and details can be found here

Fáinche Ryan joined Tom Holland, historian and author of ‘Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind’ on RTE Radio 1 The Leap of Faith in a Covid inspired discussion on ‘the moral question’ and what is ‘the right thing to do’. Listen back here.

Given our current global situation, Christian hope is an important and timely subject of academic reflection. This is taken up by Prof. Con Casey in his article “How Deep Are the Well-springs of Hope,” published in the latest edition of Doctrine and Life (Vol 70, May-June 2020). You can find this inspiring article here.

A new collection of essays on the American writer Flannery O’Connor has been published. The volume demonstrates the enormous interest in her ‘southern gothic’ fiction, and its relevance for today. Michael Kirwan’s essay, ‘Ulysses on the Liffey’: Sacred Monstrosities in O’Connor and Joyce’ explores the connections between O’Connor and James Joyce.

The sixth Power of the Word Conference has been postponed due to the COVID 19 pandemic until 2021. The conference will be rescheduled to take place here in the Loyola Institute, Trinity College, Dublin. For more information follow the attached link.

Thinking with hope towards the next academic year, and seeing students once more face to face, we want to bring to your attention the new brochure outlining opportunities for the study of theology at the Loyola Institute. As well as the MPhil in Christian Theology, from September 2020 students can study for a postgraduate Diploma, or a postgraduate Certificate, in Christian theology, in the Catholic tradition, at the Loyola Institute.

Prof John O’Callaghan, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, gave a public lecture titled: When Mercy Became Compassionate. This free public lecture which took place on Monday 9th March at 7:30pm in the Loyola Institute (Room G16).

The story of Christianity in Dublin, and that of Christianity and Dublin, as it emerged over the centuries is a fascinating one. While Ireland is still one of the most Christian countries in Western Europe, many ask’ will Dublin be Christian in 2030’. The speakers at this session explored the expression of Christian faith in Dublin both historically, and in the twenty-first century, with contributions from both academics and contemporary practitioners. Speakers included Salvador Ryan, Professor of Ecclesiastical History at St Patrick’s College Maynooth, who spoke about Dublin Catholic culture from 1850-1950, pondering how ’Catholic’ Dublin Catholicism was in that period; Patsy McGarry from the Irish Times and Dr Faínche Ryan, School of Religion at Trinity. The event was chaired by Dr Cornelius Casey, Associate Director of the Loyola Institute at Trinity

Prof Tina Beattie, Professor of Catholic Studies at Roehampton University, gave a public lecture titled: “Listening to the Essence of Things“: Theology, language and meaning in the context of Laudato Sí. This free public lecture took place next Wednesday 19th February at 7:30pm in the Loyola Institute (Room G16).

The role of the church in a pluralist society is a narrative that is being written by many people at many different levels of the church. In this context on Friday 31 January, Prof Graham Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford delivered the inaugural Loyola Institute lecture. This was followed by the launch of the book The Church in Pluralist Society: Social and Political Roles, by Bishop of Cloyne, William Crean. Contributors to the book include: J. Bryan Hehir, Terry Eagleton, Patrick J. Deneen, Hans Joas, William T. Cavanaugh, Massimo Faggioli, Fáinche Ryan, Patrick Riordan, and Cornelius Casey. 6–8pm at Regent House, Front Arch, TCD, and podcast now available by clicking here.

The role of the church in a pluralist society is a narrative that is being written by many people at many different levels of the church. In this context on Friday 31 January, Prof Graham Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford delivered the inaugural Loyola Institute lecture. This was followed by the launch of the book The Church in Pluralist Society: Social and Political Roles, by Bishop of Cloyne, William Crean. Contributors to the book include: J. Bryan Hehir, Terry Eagleton, Patrick J. Deneen, Hans Joas, William T. Cavanaugh, Massimo Faggioli, Fáinche Ryan, Patrick Riordan, and Cornelius Casey. 6–8pm at Regent House, Front Arch, TCD, and admission is free.

Prof. Cornelius Casey (Loyola Institute), addressed the subject of Hope in our Loyola Lecture on Weds 20th November. ”Optimism is not enough in a time of need. Optimism shatters easily enough in dire need; on a personal level, (’will it turn out well for me?’) or concerning our human Planet, (how will it turn out for us?). Hope is different, deeper, tougher, more persistent. In Christian terms it is a foundational virtue, - faith, hope, love. ’The faith I love the best, says God, is hope’. (Charles Peguy) . Can hope be learned, cultivated? Can we be schooled in hope? How is it practised in this time of need?“ The podcast of this lecture is now available on Soundcloud here.

Prof. Corinna Salvadori Lonergan, Fellow Emerita, Italian Department. This event took place on Wednesday 2 October, 7:30pm Loyola Institute, School of Religion, Room G16

The first official General Assembly of the Kircher Network, the family of Jesuit institutions of higher education in Europe and the Near East, met in Innsbruck, Austria, from the 7th to the 9th of July 2019. It provided a valuable opportunity to meet with rectors and deans of the institutions that form the Kircher Network. Of particular interest to the Loyola Institute was the meeting of the theological institutions.

Each time Pinocchio told a lie, his nose grew long. So we have all come to believe, from the popular films and stories which have grown out of Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio. The original story is more complex. ..’ Thus began Dr Fáinche Ryan’s article on the importance of truth-telling in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

Loyola students from the MPhil module in Theology and Art - Lian Gu, Mary Ellen Hawkey, Amanda Dillon (Adjunct Lecturer), Patrick Logue, Miriam Hennessy and Dorothy Glennon in St Apollinaire en Classe, Ravenna.

It has been another busy term at the Loyola Institute, with our first MPhil students graduating, and our research seminars really picking up momentum. For more of Loyola’s activities, see our Newsletter

Loyola Institute MPhil graduates Anne Potter, Edith O’Nuallain, Leslie Flores, Eoin Walshe and Paul McManus throw their caps in the air, watched by Loyola Institute Director Dr Fáinche Ryan and Dr Con Casey. For more information on the M.Phil. see here.

Newly elected Trinity College Fellow Dr Fáinche Ryan (in centre) with from left Dr Cornelius Casey Associate Director Loyola Institute, Trinity College Provost Patrick Prendergast, Trinity College Registrar Professor Paula Murphy and Professor Paul O’Grady, Department of Philosophy Trinity College Dublin.

As part of Trinity Week 2019, theme of SILENCE, the Loyola Institute hosted a screening of the award winning film, Die Grosse Stille. When this film was proposed in 1984, the Carthusians wanted time to think. Sixteen years later Philip Gröning was permitted to document the life of the Grande Chartreuse monastery. The result is a work of contemplation, a promise of transcendence, a journey into a world of ritualistic repetition. This screening offered an opportunity to experience the silence of Carthusian life. PLEASE NOTE: Screening took place in the Samuel Beckett Theatre in the Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin.

This is the last Loyola Lecture of this academic year. Brian Mac Cuarta SJ, the Jesuit Archivist in Rome, addressed us on the theme of English and Scottish Catholics in Ireland, c. 1580 – 1641.

Loyola Lecture Series was delighted to welcome Prof. Deirdre Raftery, Professor of the history of education at UCD, and an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Prof. Raftery is author of Nano Nagle; the Life and the Legacy (2018). Deirdre Raftery was Fulbright Scholar in the Humanities (2015-2016), at Boston College and a Visiting Fellow of the University of Oxford in 2010. She is a Life Member of the University of Cambridge.

“To Whistle Creation” is the enigmatic title that Aidan Matthews, poet and drama producer at RTE had chosen for his Loyola Lecture. What promised to be a thought provoking lecture Aidan addressed the issue of the Church: “our present capsize” - ‘the Swiss Robinson Family focus: how to turn an irreversible shipwreck into a temporary tree-house, and why not to’. The Lecture took place in the Loyola Institute/ISE Building. Aidan has been educated by Jesuits since he was eight. After being both a Shinner and a Trinner at UCD and TCD, he studied under Rene Girard at Stanford when Silicon Valley was still a dairy farm. Born in Donnybrook, when the milk-floats were horse-led, he continues to work there in the RTE Radio Centre. His most recent books are Fasting and Feasting (Veritas), a response to those identical twins, Christmas and Easter, and Strictly No Poetry (Lilliput), poems about the church, the culture, and the culture wars, by a Roaming Catholic. He is married to Trish Bourden, who has gifted him with two children and a kidney, for almost forty years.

Congratulations to Marcus Gaffney, the recipient of a scholarship being offered for a Ph.D. building on the theme of an international conference organised by the Loyola Institute, entitled The Role of Church in a Pluralist Society: Good Riddance or Good Influence? Marcus’ work will focus on human freedom, from a theological perspective. Marcus recently presented a paper at the Emerging Scholars forum at a meeting of Irish Branch of the European Society for Catholic Theology (ESCT) in Thurles recently.

Loyola Lecture Series was delivered by Prof. Piotr Roszak (Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland) took place on Wednesday 13th Feb 2019 at 7.30 pm, here in the Loyola Institute/ISE Building, TCD, Room G16.

Congratulations to Dr Mary Stefanazzi on her recent publication in New Blackfriars Victor White OP: War and the Narrative of Human Flourishing. You can read the article here.

Evening and Short Courses brochure for academic year 2019-2020 are available at this link. Please note that the School of Religion offerings are in the brochure from page 32. If you have any questions regarding any of our modules, please feel free to contact the Loyola Institute by e-mail at loyola@tcd.ie or by phone 01 896 4790.

‘The Call of Literature: Theology, Philosophy and Literature in Conversation’. The sixth Power of the Word Conference will explore aspects of the ‘call of literature’, for authors and audiences alike. The conference will take place here in the Loyola Institute, Trinity College, Dublin. For more information follow the attached link.

On Wednesday 28th November 2019, at 7.30pm , Loyola Lecture, Room G16. Dr Ann Buckley addressed the topic of Singing and Prayer in the Middle Ages.