About this Event
Welcome!
Thank you for wanting to learn more about Southwark Archdiocese Life in the Spirit Seminars for 2023!
The Seminars are being run jointly by the Cathedral parish at St George's Cathedral, the Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis and the Southwark Catholic Charismatic Renewal Team. (See the FAQ section below for more on the parish, Agency and team.)
We're delighted to be offering three options for joining the Seminars - in person at St George's Cathedral, in person at one of our Hub locations around the diocese, or on Zoom.
There are five weekday sessions and an all-day retreat at the Cathedral on Pentecost Saturday, 27 May.
At the Cathedral, the weekday sessions are on Tuesdays (2, 9, 16 and 30 May and 6 June), starting with a meal at 6.45pm, with those participating on Zoom joining online for 8pm.
Most of the Hubs are also meeting on Tuesday evenings, but some are meeting on Wednesdays or Thursdays - see the Where are the Hubs located? box below.
You'll find below the information you need:
- to decide if you'd like to take part in the Seminars - we hope you will!
- to choose the joining option that works best for you
- to register for your chosen option - which you can do via the "Reserve a spot" button.
What are Life in the Spirit Seminars?
(you can skip this section if you already know the answer to the question!)
Life in the Spirit Seminars comprise a series of talks and discussions held on five weekday evenings and an all day retreat, supported by short daily reflections.
The Seminars are designed as an introduction to a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. They provide an opportunity for you to find out more about that life, and to be helped in taking the first steps of a new relationship with Our Lord.
They include the opportunity for you to be prayed with for a fuller release of the Holy Spirit to live a deeper Christian life. That's referred to as being "Baptised in the Spirit". We'll explain all about this as the Seminars proceed. It's nothing to be afraid of - quite the contrary!
The Life in the Spirit Seminars grew out of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. In 2019, Pope Francis asked CHARIS International - the newly-established Catholic Church entity serving the worldwide Catholic Charismatic Renewal - to make the Baptism in the Spirit available around the world, to everyone in the Church.
What are the talk topics?
- GOD'S LOVE - Tue 2 May - Speaker: Abhy Thomas
- SALVATION - Tue 9 May - Speaker: Maria Heath
- NEW LIFE - Tue 16 May - Speaker: Mike Goldsmith
- RETREAT DAY AT THE CATHEDRAL - Sat 27 May (Pentecost Saturday) - Speaker: Michelle Moran. Followed by Vigil Mass of Pentecost at 6pm, Celebrant: Bishop Philip Moger
- GROWTH - Tue 30 May - Speaker: Yoofi Clark
- TRANSFORMATION - Tue 6 June - Speaker: Alice Hall.
Visit https://aec.rcaos.org.uk/liss for more on the content of our Seminars, including brief bios of our great Speakers.
Where are the Hubs located?
If you'd like to come to the Seminars in person but don't live close enough to St George's Cathedral, why not join us at one of our "Hub" locations around the diocese listed below? You'll be given the option of choosing a Hub, or to join us on Zoom, when you register.
The weekly sessions at each Hub will be on Tuesday evening, unless noted below:
BECKENHAM St Edmund of Canterbury and Light of Christ Prayer Group, meeting at St Edmund's Church Hall, Village Way, Beckenham BR3 3NP - Wednesday rather than Tuesday evenings - from 8 to 9.30 pm followed by refreshments
CANTERBURY St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church, 59 Burgate Road, Canterbury CT1 2HU
EAST DULWICH John Paul II Centre, Lordship Lane, East Dulwich SE22 8ND - Thursday rather than Tuesday evenings
NEW MALDEN St Joseph's Catholic Church, Montern Road, New Malden KT3 3QW
ORPINGTON Holy Innocents' Catholic Church, Strickland Way, Orpington BR6 9UE - meeting in the Father Phelan Centre on Thursday rather than Tuesday evenings
PURLEY Meeting in private homes (addresses to be provided on registration) - contact [email protected]
RAMSGATE Shrine of St Augustine, St Augustine's Road, Ramsgate, CT11 9NY
TUNBRIDGE WELLS DEANERY St. Augustine's Church, Crescent Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 2LY
TWICKENHAM St Margaret's of Scotland Church Hall, 130 St Margaret's Road, Twickenham TW1 1RL - same timings as the Cathedral, with a meal offered on arrival
What are my joining options?
You have three joining options - you can register for any of them by registering on this page - see the How do I register? box below.
First option - join us in person at St George's Cathedral
We are delighted that for the first time our Seminars will this year be based at our diocesan Cathedral, at the invitation and with the whole-hearted support of the Dean of the Cathedral, Father Michael Branch, and the Cathedral parish.
Everyone is welcome to come to the Cathedral for the Seminars, whether or not you are members of the Cathedral parish community - though of course we hope that many Cathedral parishioners will take part, alongside Father Michael himself.
The Tuesday evening sessions at the Cathedral will start at 6.45 pm with a meal in the Amigo Hall, before moving into the Cathedral for 8 pm where our Speakers will be giving their talks live. Each talk will be followed by small group discussions back in the Amigo Hall, ending at around 9.30 pm.
Second option - come in person to a local "Hub"
We are very grateful to the parishes and groups who have agreed to host "Hubs" at different locations around the diocese - listed in the Where are the Hubs located? box above.
If you live or work within range of a Hub, you can choose to attend the Seminars there, watching the Music Ministry and the talk each week on the Cathedral's Livestream and taking part in an in-person small group discussion.
The local organisers for each Hub are deciding for themselves the day and time of the meetings there (they can fix the meetings on a day other than Tuesday, if they wish, using a recording of the Livestream).
Third option - join us online on Zoom
Given the large geographical spread of our Archdiocese, you may not live close enough to St George's Cathedral or any of our Hubs to make coming in person on a succession of Tuesday evenings a realistic option.
If for that or any other reason you can't come in person, all is not lost - as we can testify from two years' experience of running the Seminars on Zoom, you can have a wonderful experience of the Seminars by joining us online!
If you choose this option, the Zoom joining details will be sent to you after you have registered. You'll be invited to join the Tuesday evening sessions in good time to watch the Music Ministry and the talk on Cathedral Livestream from 8 pm. That will be followed by an online small group discussion, with the evening ending at around 9.30 pm.
For every option - Retreat Day at St George's Cathedral, Sat 27 May
We hope that as many participants as possible - including those meeting in Hubs and online, as well as those attending the Cathedral each week - will gather at St George's Cathedral for our Retreat Day on Pentecost Saturday 27 May, from 11 am to 5 pm, with the option of staying for the Vigil Mass of Pentecost at 6 pm, at which Bishop Philip Moger will preside.
We will provide further details of the Retreat Day, and of the alternative arrangements in place for those who cannot attend it, closer to the time.
How do I register?
When you have chosen which option works best for you, simply click on "Reserve a spot" and submit your details and your choice of option (and if applicable, your chosen Hub).
That will work for each of our three joining options; but if you want to join at St George's Cathedral or a local Hub, you might be given the chance to register locally by completing a form or sending an email to a local organiser.
Either way, once you've registered you'll be provided with all the details that you need.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
In person at St George's Cathedral, Southwark and at other Hub locations around the Diocese and on Zoom, Cathedral address - Westminster Bridge Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00