Guest Lecture

On Thursday 30 October 2014, at the invitation of Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache, Professor Jonathan Wooding, FSA, FRHistS, FHEA, Sir Warwick Fairfax Chair of Celtic Studies (University of Sydney), offered an exciting lecture for T7281A Early Church Fathers. The three-hour lecture, titled "Ocean fathers and last nations - Celtic theologies of the early Christian period," was hosted in the main hall of the College, and attended by the students in patristics, other students and alumni of St Andrew's, together with members of the Faculty and friends. Here are some thoughts shared by Father Doru after the event:

"Providence strikes once again the humble community of St Andrew's with mercy, offering us another blessed opportunity for enrichment! When, at the suggestion of Chris and Mario Baghos, I contacted Professor Jonathan Wooding and he generously welcomed my invitation, I knew that something wonderful was about to happen. And it did! Jonathan's lecture took the form of an initiation narrative, which led us from the literary sources, the historical facts and the geographical setting of Ireland to the early Christian mythos of the Celtic fathers and monks - a mythos which conditioned these pioneers of North-Western Christian spirituality to seek the promised land through self-exile and pilgrimage in the 'desert of the pathless sea.' We heard about the eschatological drive behind the quest of these Celtic peregrini, who applied themselves to asceticism and prayer not out of contempt for the world but in order to find 'the promised land of the saints' or paradise close to home, in their here and now. A new chapter was thus opened to the audience, who absorbed the flow of information with unquenched thirst. No wonder, therefore, that I had to step in to put an end to the crossfire of questions and comments that ensued! I once again thank Professor Wooding for his erudite, enlightening and entertaining presentation. My gratitude, likewise, to my colleagues, Dr Guy Freeland and Dr Philip Kariatlis, to Emeritus Professor Diana Wood Conroy (University of Wollongong) and her family, Dr Bernard Doherty (St Mark's National Theological Centre, Canberra) and Father Athanasios Giatsios, who attended the event, and all present."