Fraser Centre of Practical Theology

Abrahamic Communities Respond to Racism in COVID 19: Injustice Within
2020-10-22 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Toronto)
In this edition of the Abrahamic Talks Series, CJDT aims to explore the topic of systemic racism through a multi-faith lens.

About this Event

Deeply aware of the inequality faced by BIPOC individuals within our own communities, we are committed to confronting the challenge of systemic racism through educational programs, roundtable discussions, and other advocacy initiatives. The Abrahamic Talks Series is the first step in this long process of institutional self-examination and renewal, and we hope that our members will join us in this initiative. Featuring Guest Speakers include: Professor Jonathan Hamilton, Ms. Akilah Allen, and Imam Yasin Dwyer.
If you are interested or would simply like to hear three amazing speakers share their insights and learnings, please join us for the first 2020-21 Abahamic Talks Series, “Abrahamic Communities Respond to Racism during COVID 19: The Injustice Within.”

Zoom meeting link is available upon registration through this link: Abrahamic Talk Series: Racism During Covid 19

2021 Third Annual Scarboro Missions Lecture in Interreligious Dialogue
2021-02-11 19:30 - 21:00
PLEASE REGISTER BELOW!

“Interreligious Dialogue on Ecology:
Pope Francis and Asian Religions on the Protection of the Environment”

This lecture will first summarize Pope Francis’s teaching on the care for the Earth, our common home, as expressed in Laudato Si’ and Querida Amazonia. Next it will explore how the papal teaching can find support in Asian religions, especially Daoism and Buddhism. It will conclude with reflections on how this interreligious dialogue can be a source of inspiration for our common work for ecojustice.

Professor Peter Phan

The Ignacio Ellacuria , S.J. Chair of Catholic Social Thought

Department of Theology

Georgetown University

Washington D.C.

Respondent:

Michelle Voss Roberts

Principal and Professor of Theology
Emmanuel College of Victoria University at the University of Toronto

Henry Shiu
Assistant Professor of the Shi Wu De
Professorship in Chinese Buddhist Studies
Emmanuel College of Victoria University at the University of Toronto

Via Zoom Video | Free Registration Available Below

"From Congo to Canada" with Dr. Pamela Couture & Dr. Esther Acolatse
2021-03-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
TONIGHT! || Via Zoom Video
More Info & Zoom Link Available Below!
Poster Download
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“From Congo To Canada:
Practical Theology and the Representation of Communities“

Guest Speaker:
Dr. Pamela Couture

– Jane and Geoffrey Martin Chair in Church and Community, Emmanuel College
– Director, Toronto School of Theology
Professor Couture’s recent book We Are Not All Victims: Local Peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Lit Verlag, 2016) focused on the peacemaking and reconciliation practices of rural United Methodists Congolese, as they worked to rebuild their society following the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1997 to 2001. It also demonstrated her long-standing interest of using creative non-fiction in practical theology. Since being at Emmanuel College, she also co-edited a volume of essays produced by the International Academy of Practical Theology when it met in Toronto in 2013 and a volume of writings of emerging theologians, participants in the Global Theological Ecumenical Institute 2018, sponsored by the World Council of Churches, on evangelism and mission. Since that publication, her (delete: current) work has been focused on student vulnerability and the pedagogical practices of classrooms (delete s) teaching in interreligious spiritual care. As Director of the Toronto School of Theology, she is exploring the representation of communities in practical theology and narrative practices of leadership. With Bernd Schroeder of Goettingen University, she is co-editor of the International Journal of Practical Theology.
She is ordained as an elder by the United Methodist Church, holds annual conference membership in Northern Illinois Annual Conference, and is a voluntary ecumenical associate at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Burlington, Ontario. Her sermons are posted on their website, stlukesburlington.blogspot.com.

Respondent:

Dr. Esther Acolatse
– Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Intercultural Studies
– Director of Graduate Degree Studies, Knox College
As Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Intercultural Studies at Knox College, Esther teaches at the intersection of psychology and Christian thought in aid of human flourishing, with interests in the gendered body, cultural anthropological dimensions of medicine, health, and healing, and their implications for suffering, death, dying, and care at the end of life.
Her ongoing research explores methodological issues in the practice of theology of the Christian life, and the relevance of these themes in the global expression of Christianity, particularly African and Western dimensions in dialogue. Her current research focuses on issues around care and counseling with migrant families and implications for intra/interfaith dialogue and spiritual care for re-missioning the global church.

If you would like to receive emails regarding this event please register below!

"Vulnerability, Recognition and Conscience: Making the Connections"
2021-04-28 14:00 - 16:00
SAVE THE DATE AND REGISTER BELOW!
Poster Download

“Vulnerability, Recognition and Conscience: Making the Connections”

Professor James F. Keenan explores what it means to form conscience in our polarised political and ecclesial climates. The discussion launches from an inherited historical understanding of conscience as something one merely has and does, a position that—based on recent ethical insights—fails to account for what precedes the having and doing, thus contributing to what Professor Keenan has coined the “politics of overlooking.”
Keenan’s insight is not the outcome of an abstract argument. The context for his insight that something precedes conscience occurs with what he terms the “politics of overlooking.” In such a political climate today, Keenan observes some students of ethics and citizens of conscience selectively choose who merits recognition and, by lack of recognition afforded, who is subsequently alienated and marginalized. For him, this selectivity of neighbour requires an alternative and updated formation of conscience.
Keenan suggests that we must move beyond an understanding of conscience as faculty and act only to consider that which supports and forms the future act of conscience. To achieve this, Keenan suggests three important moves: acknowledgment of the legitimacy of our vulnerable selves; development of the habit of recognizing the one who is overlooked in our political, ecclesial and social communities; and the development of the necessary work of conscience further as it emerges from the disposition of vulnerability and the subsequent practice of recognition.
In elucidating his proposal for conscience formation, Keenan draws upon the universal biblical stories of vulnerability and recognition, recent contributions by Judith Butler and Jessica Benjamin, as well as a collection of ethical interlocutors. Keenan’s innovative presentation of conscience formation is an interpersonal and institutional opportunity to transcend an understanding and application of conscience as only just a human act. Instead, what Keenan achieves is a presentation of conscience formation that acknowledges and prioritizes our personal and collective vulnerable selves as dispositional and generative in nurturing an encounter of mutual recognition that culminates in a transformed experience of inter-relationality.

Guest Speaker:
James Keenan, S.J., S.T.D
– Boston College
– Vice Provost for Global Engagement
– Canisius Professor; Director of The Jesuit Institute

Respondents:

Sturla Johan Stålsett, ThD.
– Vitenskapelig Høyskole: Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society
– Diaconal Studies, Religion and Society

Hilda Koster, PhD.
– St. Michael’s College
– Associate Professor of Eco-theology

Gerard J. Ryan, S.J., S.T.L, D.Phil.
– Regis College
– Director, Basic Degree Programs
– Assistant Professor, Political Theology

Via Zoom Webinar | Poster Coming Soon | Free Registration Available Below!

INDEFINITELY POSTPONED - "Decolonizing the Jesuits" (Fr. Bisson, SJ)
2021-10-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Dearest Fraser Community,
We regret to inform you that the Fraser Centre for Practical Theology (Regis College) event scheduled for October 13, 2021, entitled, “Decolonizing the Jesuits: A Theological Reflection and a Reflection on Theology” has been indefinitely postponed. We will be looking for another opportunity to re-schedule this event in the coming year.
Please feel free to read of other updates and events at the Fraser Centre at https://frasercentre.ca

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"Christian Spirituality of Mission in the Age of Migration"
2021-12-02 19:00 - 20:00
Lecture via Zoom Video | Registrations below!

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Past Event - 2022 Fourth Annual Scarboro Mission's Lecture!
2022-02-10 19:30 - 21:00
We invite you to register for our upcoming 2022 Fourth Scarboro Mission’s Lecture Below | Via ZOOM

“God Is Interreligious”
Honouring the Legacy of Ovey Mohammed, S.J.
Presented by Professor John D. Dadosky with respondent, Professor Abrahim H. Khan.

Click here to download Interactive Copy of Poster:
Interactive Copy of God is Interreligious Honouring the Legacy of Ovey Mohammed, S.J.

For more information about Ovey Mohammed, S.J. please click here: Regis College Memoriam

Register Here:

Past Event - 2021-2022 Abrahamic Talks Series
2022-02-24 19:00 - 20:30
The Fraser Centre for Practical Theology at Regis College, in collaboration with the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto and the Intercultural Dialogue Institute, invites everyone to join us on February 24, 2022 (7:00-8:30p.m.), over Zoom, for this year’s first Abrahamic Talk Series.
Click HERE to Register

In this edition of the Abrahamic Talks Series, CJDT aims to explore how Abrahamic religions can advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. In this talk, we explore the legacy of residential schools and ways Abrahamic faith communities can begin the process of reconciliation in Canada. As Abrahamic religions unpack the history and legacy of residential schools, how can we confront the role of faith in that system, and what responsibility do we have to mitigate future conflict?

2021-2022 Interactive Abrahamic Conversation Series Poster Download

Join us in dialogue as we explore ways for faith leaders and youth to begin the process of reconciliation.

Past Event - “Lacombe’s Ladder” by Prof Darren Dias, O.P.
2022-03-22 19:00 - 20:30
Fraser Center invites you to Save the Date and Register below! | Via Zoom Webinar

Registration Form:

"Invisible: Toward a Theology of Visibility" Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim
2022-09-23 15:00 - 17:00 | Charbonnel Lounge (Elmsley Hall @ University of St. Michael’s College), 81 St. Mary's Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1J4, Canada
Welcome to the new academic year at the Msgr. John Mary Fraser Centre!
Our first event is a co-sponsored event with the Elliot Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology (University of St. Michael’s College), the Dominican Institute of Toronto, and SSHRC funding through the Research Administration Committee (University of St. Michael’s College). On Friday September 23, 2022, from 3-5 PM at Charbonnel Lounge (Elmsley Hall at the University of St. Michael’s College; 81 St. Mary’s Street, Toronto), Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim will be giving a lecture entitled, “Invisible: Towards a Theology of Visibility.”Dr. Kim is a Korean-American liberation theologian, who serves as Professor of Theology on the faculty of the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana (USA). She is a graduate from University of St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology (PhD, 2001), and Knox College (MDiv, 1995). She is the author and editor of 20 books and is a much sought-after lecturer. Among her most recent publications are:
Invisible: Theology and the Experience of Asian American Women (2021); Hope in Disarray: Piecing our Lives Together in Faith (2020), and Intersectional Theology: An Introductory Guide, co-authored with Susan Show (2018) and Planetary Solidarity: Global Women’s Voices on Gender an Climate Justice, co-edited with Hilda P. Koster (2017). Dr. Kim also regularly writes for Baptist News Global, Sojourners, Faith and Leadership, and Wabash Center and have published in TIME, The Huffington Post, Christian Century, US Catholic Magazine and The Nation. She is the host of Madang podcast which is hosted by Christian Century and an ordained Presbyterian Church (USA) minister. For more information on Dr. Kim: https://esr.earlham.edu/faculty-staff/grace-kim/Invisibility persists throughout the Asian North American story. On the one hand, xenophobia has long contributed to racism and discrimination toward Asian Americans. On the other hand, terms such as perpetual foreigner and honorific whites have been thrust upon Asian Americans, minimizing their plight with racism, and erasing their experience as racial minorities. Invisibility is not only a racial and cultural issue, but also a profound spiritual issue. The Western church—and its theology—has historically obscured the concerns of Asian North Americans. Their experiences provide a window to understand how other groups and individuals are also made invisible and marginalized. This lecture will explore Invisibility as a theological and spiritual concept and see how we can work towards inclusion, liberation and embrace through a Theology of Visibility.We hope to see you all there!
– This free event does not require a registration –

Registration Open! 5th Annual Scarboro Missions Lecture 2023
2023-02-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Regis College, 100 Wellesley St W, Toronto, ON, M5S 2Z5, Canada
The 5th Annual Scarboro Missions Lecture titled,

“Microaggressions and Racial Subtleties in the Story of Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife (Gen. 39; Surah 12): Resonances and Applications in a Contemporary Racial Climate”

will be held online and in person at Regis College’s St. Joseph Chapel on
Thursday February 9, 2023 at 7:30 PM.

Our speaker will be University of Dayton’s

Professor Cyril Orji

Poster below!

Free Registration Here:

Click here for PDF Poster Download 5th Annual Scarboro Missions Lecture

Today! Panel Reflecting on Pope Francis’ Visit to Canada
2023-03-28 19:00 - 21:00
Msgr. John Mary Fraser Centre for Practical Theology presents
six key speakers in upcoming panel reflection on Pope Francis’s visit to Canada.

This free event will be ONLINE via Zoom.
Webinar Link will be sent through registration email.

Register below | Please click poster below to enlarge!

Register Here:

Registration OPEN - Scarboro Missions Lecture 2024
2024-02-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Regis College, 100 Wellesley St W, Toronto, ON, M5S 2Z5, Canada
Registration Below!
