Thank you so much for an
incredible conference. The angels themselves were jealous at the gathering.
Where to begin? It was a fantastic line up of brilliant scholars and the
humanity of everyone shone through.Teresa was beaming her wild wonders down from the
beatific life. I had
so many life affirming conversations and interactions all in the name of
theology following God. All our theologising at the conference was rooted in
the God who is actually living and real, and for me it made a huge difference.
It showed that real theology is possible.' (A participant)
‘I thank you for this beautiful and unforgettable conference in
Twickenham where so many (if not all) of us have been blessed in so many
different ways. This has been the perfect combination of academic and mystic
where our mind, heart and soul were made One in the Trinity. I have attended
many conferences in my life but this one has been the most fruitful in so many
different ways that I have not yet finished uncovering.’ (A participant)
On 18th June 2015 over one hundred delegates from five
continents – academics, contemplatives, clergy and lay people – gathered to
celebrate the life and work of the great ‘Santa’ of Avila – Teresa of Jesus,
whose 500th birthday we celebrate this year. The aim of the
conference was to create a space where the latest academic research on her
writing might intersect with the contemplative lifestyle of those living out
the Carmelite charism. This was achieved by a full programme that included
academic presentations from the leading writers on Teresa, space for prayer,
artistic exploration and, of course, chat and relaxation over meals and drinks.
The first day was taken up by placing Teresa in her context and seeing
how the historical circumstances of 16th Century Spain shaped her
place in the pantheon of the Christian mystical tradition. This was begun by
two leading interpreters of the tradition – Emeritus Prof Bernard McGinn of
Chicago University and Fr Wilfrid McGreal of Aylesford Priory, Kent, one of the
first Carmels founded in England after the Carmelites left the Holy Land. The
afternoon witnessed a lively debate between Professors Sarah Coakley
(Cambridge), Peter Tyler (St Mary’s) and Edward Howells (London University)
over Teresa’s debt to the medieval mystical tradition. Finally the day
concluded with a heart-centred reflection from the American mystic, James
Finley, one time novice of Thomas Merton.
The second day began with a presentation from Archbishop Emeritus, Rowan
Williams who chose as his subject the importance of the Eucharist in Teresa’s
theology. He was followed by two Carmelite friars – Fr Matt Blake ODC of the
Boar’s Hill Priory and Fr Iain Matthew ODC of the Teresianum in Rome who
presented two important aspects of Teresa’s thought – her role as foundress and
the place of Christ’s resurrection in her description of the soul. The day
culminated with a magnificent Votive Mass of Teresa celebrated in the historic
University Chapel. The principal celebrant here was Fr Tony Lester OCarm, UK
Carmelite Provincial, and we were honoured to be joined by the Spanish Ambassador
to the Court of St James – HE Frederico Trillo-Figueroa y Martínez-Conde – who
took a particular interest in the travelling Teresa exhibition displayed at the
back of the Chapel. The liturgy was celebrated to the accompaniment of music by
St Teresa’s fellow Avilan, Tomás Luis de Victoria, brilliantly sung by
Cherry-Willows Pauls and her choir.
Our final day began with a spirited video conference given by the
celebrated French theorist and feminist Prof Julia Kristeva. Following her
post-Lacanian deconstructivist approach to Teresa a dialogue was initiated by
Prof Gillian Ahlgren and taken up by the Carmelite sisters, Sr Jo, Sr Philomena
and Sr Mary on how Teresa’s 16th Century experiences can be lived
out in today’s postmodern world.
The opening comments from our delegate with which we began sum up the
feeling at the end of the conference. We felt we had glimpsed the unending
genius of this remarkable woman – mystic, foundress, thinker and saint – in a
unique event which will stay in our hearts and minds for many years to come.
The proceedings of the conference will be published by Ashgate in 2017
and in the meantime papers from the conference and videos can be found on www.smuc.ac.uk/inspire and http://www.teresaofavila.org/multimedia.html
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