You are invited to Tracey Rowland’s book launch

We extend a cordial invitation to you for our special book launch event with the renowned Australian theologian, Professor Tracey Rowland. Professor Rowland is currently the John Paul II Research Professor at the University of Notre Dame Australia and a member of the Pontifical Academy for the Social Sciences. She is a former member of…

Forming ourselves for hope and resistance

It may have struck people as unduly militant, but our first in-person event for the Thomas More Centre in Melbourne was a conversation with Catholic priest, broadcaster, activist and scholar Fr Sam Randall on the topic, “Communities of Resistance”. The title was chosen carefully. It drew upon Fr Randall’s deep studies into the key actors…

The disrupting surprises of holiness

Despite the highly secularised and anti-theistic forces dominating the modern era, one of the most instantly and globally recognised women of our times is Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Since her canonisation in 2016, Mother Teresa’s universal feast day has been celebrated on September 5 each year. There is a sense of “planting seeds” for the…

The power of memory

So often in our discussions about the Thomas More Centre and our exploration of contemporary ways to refresh it for the future, we bump into memories of events and inspirational figures from the past. Some of these figures are vividly alive through their words and example, while others serve as friends and teachers whose wisdom…

Champions of sanity and love

In his insightful and now classic book about St Thomas Aquinas, G.K. Chesterton reflects on the cultural and religious importance of saints at certain points or epochs of history. Chesterton calls these heroes of holiness powerful “antidotes” against the moral, intellectual and spiritual diseases of their times. He writes: “Indeed that is why the saint is…

A tribute to the visionary of life re-enchanted

The Olympic Games in Paris are teaching us many things. One thing is clear: that the moral, historical and artistic language and symbolism of Europe’s secular elite are clearly incoherent and bankrupt. The notorious “drag supper” tableau on the river Seine has been called out by many, including Bishop Robert Barron, as a sleazy mockery…

Gratitude:For pillars and patrons

It has been so refreshing to spend time with the fresh and nimble-minded young people at the YPAT retreat some weeks ago. It was especially delightful to have some donors and mentors from the earlier Thomas More Centre (TMC). TMC is uniquely blessed with this intergenerational continuity of interest and affection. This week we want…

Fruits of the Thomas More Centre’s paideia

1. What is Paideia? It was a great honour to be one of the speakers at an engaging colloquium entitled, “Authentic Humanism and the Crisis of Culture”. The day-long event on July 6 took place in the Italian Club in Hobart, and was hosted by Dr David Daintree and his team at The Christopher Dawson Centre…