PORTSMOUTH ABBEY SCHOOL ANNOUNCES 2010
PORTSMOUTH INSTITUTE CONFERENCE
School to Hold Second Annual Conference Dedicated to Exploration, Discussion of Catholic Life in the 21st Century
June 2010 Conference: NEWMAN AND THE INTELLECTUAL TRADITION
Portsmouth Abbey today announced its second annual Portsmouth Institute, a conference program of summer study focused on issues pertaining to Catholic life in the 21st century. The Institute will provide scholars, intellectuals and all those interested in Catholic faith and life with a unique opportunity to interact with leading experts in spiritual, theological, historical, scientific, artistic, political, sociological and other aspects of contemporary society and engage in exploration of the roles and relevance of modern Catholicism.
This year's Portsmouth Institute conference will be held June 10-13, on Newman and the Intellectual Tradition. The conference will be held just months prior to Cardinal Newman's beatification, which is now expected to be presided over by Pope Benedict XVI personally during his official visit to England next September.
The Portsmouth Institute will feature leadership and participation by the Abbey's monastic community and faculty. Institute programs are designed to offer attendees frequent opportunities for informal discussion as well as access to recreational opportunities on the School's campus, at Carnegie Abbey, and in nearby Newport. In keeping with its mission, the Institute's yearly sessions will also provide opportunities for attendance at Mass, the Divine Office and "mini-Retreat" sessions centered around the Abbey's landmark Church of St. Gregory the Great.
"It is a tremendous privilege to be able to offer such an outstanding array of scholars paying tribute to the life and thought of the venerable John Henry Newman at this momentous time," said Portsmouth Institute director, James MacGuire '70, in making the announcement. "We look forward to an intellectually exhilarating exploration of this great thinker and giant of the Church."
The speaking roster to date includes a number of distinguished speakers. Father Ian Ker of Oxford University, author of the definitive intellectual biography of Newman, will speak on "Newman's (and Pope Benedict XVI's) Hermeneutic of Continuity;" Professor Peter Kreeft of Boston College will speak on Newman's great poem, The Dream of Gerontius; Dr. Paul Griffiths of Duke University will speak on Newman's The Grammar of Assent; Father George Rutler, Pastor of the Church of Our Saviour in Manhattan, will speak on "The Anglican Newman and Recent Developments;" and Edward Short, whose book on Newman and his contemporaries will be published next year, will speak on "Newman and the Americans." Deacon John Sullivan of the Boston Archdiocese will preach about his miraculous healing after praying to John Henry Newman. P atrick Reilly, the president of the Cardinal Newman Society, will speak on "Newman and the Renewal of Catholic Identity in American Catholic Higher Education," and Father Paul Chavasse of the Birmingham Oratory will speak at dinner Friday evening on the Newman cause for canonization, of which he is the former postulator.
The School's Musical Director, Troy Quinn, is planning a Saturday evening concert featuring major sections of Elgar's monumental The Dream of Gerontius as well as a shorter concert on Friday evening. Although the main body of the conference will be Friday and Saturday, there will be recreational opportunities at Carnegie Abbey and elsewhere on Thursday afternoon, a welcome cookout at Green Animals Thursday evening, and a closing Mass and brunch on Sunday morning for all who wish to attend these additional events.
"As with last year's inaugural conference on The Catholic William F. Buckley Jr.," MacGuire commented, "in addition to the formal sessions there will be ample time for prayer, sport, music, humor and friendship. We welcome any and all who might be interested in this year's Newman conference to join us on our wonderful campus and promise that you will leave Portsmouth Abbey refreshed, stimulated and inspired."
"We look forward to welcoming old and new friends alike to Portsmouth Abbey and School," said Dr. James DeVecchi, headmaster, "so that they can become better acquainted with the academic and spiritual excellence that has been nurtured here for the past 80 years on the beautiful shores of Narragansett Bay."
For More Information:
The complete conference program, schedule and registration information for Newman and the Intellectual Tradition is available at www.portsmouthinstitute.org, or by contacting Cindy Waterman at: (401) 643-1244; cwaterman@portsmouthabbey.org, or c/o Portsmouth Abbey School, 285 Cory's Lane, Portsmouth, RI, 02871.
Additional queries may be addressed to James MacGuire at jmacguire@portsmouthabbey.org.
