The Fraser Centre welcomes its new Associate Director – Fiona Li. Fiona Li is a PhD candidate at Regis College, specializing in feminist theology and Mariology. Her dissertation looks at the image of Mary the Pontifex and how her act of bridge-building, (specifically in Muslim-Christian dialogue, but more generally between the Divine and human) is similar to the act of bridge-building Canadian-born Chinese women participate in through their linguistic and cultural brokering. Bridge-building, regardless of whether it is between religious communities or between conversation partners, is centered on nurturing relationships and communication. And this is what Fiona believes to be one of the many roles of the Fraser Centre. 

Fiona succeeds Sr. Patricia “Petite” Lourdes Lao, RNDM, who served as the Associate Director from 2019-2021. The Fraser Centre is grateful to Petite for her invaluable work and collegiality, which contributed to the many successes of the Fraser Centre, and we extend our well-wishes for her future ministries. 

Sr. Patricia Lourdes "Petite" Lao, RNDM, is a religious missionary of the Congregation de Notre Dame des Missions (RNDM) who is currently in the Doctor of Ministry Program at Regis College, Toronto School of Theology.  Her missionary interests are indigenous advocacy and inter-religious dialogue.

She served in Delesan Kailawan Indigenous Heritage Center, Kulaman, Philippines, for 8 years.  Currently she is involved at the Native Peoples’ Mission in Toronto as a coordinator, working closely with the pastoral indigenous elder, and she is appointed board representative of the Archdiocese of Toronto in the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto (CJDT).  In collaboration with the director of the Bat Kol International Leadership Team based in Jerusalem, she has assisted in organizing grassroots work of Bat Kol International, to encourage Christians to engage in Jewish/Torah studies and dialogue.

Robert Mager will be Visiting Fellow of the Msgr. John Mary Fraser Centre for Practical Theology for 2019-2020. He has taught Christology and Fundamental Theology at Université du Québec (Trois-Rivières, 1994-2004), and Practical Theology at Université Laval (Quebec City, 2004-2015). He has served as Officer, Secretary and Vice-president of the International Academy of Practical Theology (2011-2017). Professor Mager has authored many articles on the fundamentals of practical theology and on religion in modern Quebec. During his stay at Regis College, he will be working on a model proposal for practical theology as a discipline. This Fall 2019, he will offer a public presentation entitled “Scandal or Trial? Quebec’s recent law on laïcité of the State, and the demise of religion” on Tuesday, October 8, 2019. The Winter 2020 lecture will be in French, “La théologie pratique comme pratique théologique. Une lecture d’Actes 10-11”, with English summary followed by bilingual discussion, on Thursday, March 12, 2020.

For more information about Professor Mager’s upcoming public lecture, please visit the Regis College event page.