St Thomas More, our centre’s titular inspiration and patron saint, was a master of words across a number of tongues. He was a prodigious letter writer, a poet, a composer of prayers, an orator and a legislator.

Thomas More was not a mere literary stylist. He had an attention and devotion to the truth and meaning of words and language. Each utterance and sentence for More reflected the moral, intellectual and spiritual authenticity of the person. In part, this refusal to “play false” cost him his life.

The great artist of imagery in words, the English writer G.K. Chesterton wrote of his saintly and great compatriot five centuries later:

“A mind like More’s was full of light, like a house made of windows; but the windows looked out on all sides and in all directions. We might say that the man had many faces … but none of them were masks.”

Like Chesterton, Thomas More was a great conversationalist. It was an important social and spiritual work of charity for him. We know from the memoirs and letters of his friends, such as the German-Swiss artist Hans Holbein (d. 1543) and the great Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), that the More home was a vibrant hub of the best conversation. Conversation there was free-flowing, culturally rich and hospitable.

So important was conversation for St Thomas More that it flowed back into the form of his writing. One of his last important works was A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation (1553).

Dialogue was written in the Tower of London while More endured his final imprisonment before his execution. The fictional conversation is set in Hungary under the shadow of Suleiman’s devastating Ottoman invasion across the Danube with superior artillery and calvary (1526) and his subsequent sorties and sieges.

The Dialogue’s two protagonists are two Catholic Hungarians, the young Anthony and his old uncle Vincent. Their conversation ranges over many things: how to pray in a world of political cynicism, how to develop virtue, how to imitate Christ and how to live in a time of political, social and religious disruption. Perhaps it was a world not so different from our own.

In the same spirit, there is much to celebrate with the recently launched TMC YouTube interviews. These interviews are not only about asking questions in a journalistic manner – they are fascinating conversations about life in a time of perplexity.

The interviews’ host – Mark Makowiecki, the Queensland TMC organiser – is excellent at researching and selecting very interesting people for these conversations. He has a talent for cultural and theological foresight across a range of topics. He also has a great flair for engaged listening, which encourages the subjects but never intrudes.

This skill allows the viewer/listener to come into the room with the person at the heart of the interview, who becomes more enthused and insightful as Mark gently poses well-aimed points and questions.

At the time of writing, there are six fascinating interviews and this week the first of the Book Discussions (also organised and hosted by Mark). Each chat involves a different personality speaking with Mark about a topic close to his or her heart and life.

If you are a busy person commuting, minding the children or going for a walk, these interviews work very well as podcasts too.

It is difficult to pick a favorite amongst the interviews so far – they are all intriguing.

People following recent theological debates will find Mark’s interview very interesting with the retired theology professor and Pennsylvania-based Catholic Worker farmer, Dr Larry Chapp. Larry explores his own theological journey and defines himself not as a “rad trad” (a radical traditionalist) but as a "traditional radical". Larry speaks about being inspired by the Servant of God, Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin and accepting the ups and many downs of running a farm, relying on the New England weather and sharing produce with the disadvantaged.

In another interview, Mark speaks with Dutch professor Kees de Groot and they discuss the life, artistry and sometimes patchy Catholicism of Hergé (the Belgian Georges Prosper Remi), the creator of the beloved comic creation, Tintin and his fellow characters.

For parents and grandparents interested in exploring the heroism of the saints with their young charges, there is a wonderful interview with Alex Dee, the former Hollywood actor turned radio dramatist, who has produced the very popular Saints Alive series for families.

There is a delightful interview with Dr Alan Harrelson of the Pipe Cottage who speaks about his conversion to Catholicism, his academic life at Liberty University Kentucky and he speaks of novelist Flannery O’Connor’s insights into the theological and cultural uniqueness of America’s South.

These interviews provide such a range of topics, they are ongoing and explore some of the key interests of the TMC – just social practice, living more simply, economic literacy, comic literature, genial theology and fascinating minds.

If you want to join an engaging conversation from which we guarantee you will be nourished with much mindfood, we encourage you to subscribe to the Thomas More Centre YouTube channel. You can also find and follow us on Facebook.

Congratulations to Mark and our IT guru Gabriel – what a refreshing and truly intelligent addition to the cultural landscape.

Anna Krohn
Executive Director
Thomas More Centre