Rev. Dr Charles Waddell

Fr Charles is a priest of the Archdiocese of Perth. He has recently published Jesus Matters (St Paul’s Publications). Fr Charles holds a PhD (USA) and an STL (Rome). He shares his life with a blind dog named Prego.

Dr Alex Deagon FHEA

Dr Alex Deagon FHEA is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at Queensland University of Technology.

Paper title: The Tools that B(l)ind: Technology and Religion
Technology is the new religion. In this paper I argue technology is in the process of replacing religion both substantively and functionally. Substantively, technology represents the culmination of human creation undergirded by reason without reference to the supernatural, and in that sense is a kind of surrogate of the secular. Functionally, technology echoes the binding nature of religion (re-ligare – to rebind) through its ubiquity and its esoteric rules which govern our lives. With this view of technology as descending from the secular and rising to a place of dominion, it is not surprising that the beliefs and practices of religion would decline. I propose that a recognition (‘re-cognition’) of technology as techne, a tool to be used for good, rather than a religare, a binding, will facilitate the development and improvement of religion and religious engagement.

Dr Colin Barr

Dr Colin Barr is a Senior Lecturer at The School of Divinity, History and Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen.

Paper title: Ireland’s Empire and why it still matters
In the 19th century, Irish Catholic priests, nuns, and bishops spread out across the English-speaking world to form what contemporaries described as a spiritual ‘Greater Ireland’.  They took control of the Catholic Church from New Zealand to New York and then built a common Irish-Catholic culture through which people and ideas moved freely, and in which Irish Catholics in Boston very often came to have more in common with Irish Catholics in Ballarat than they did with their own Protestant neighbours.  This Irish spiritual empire thrived long into the twentieth-century, not least in Australia, and its legacy is still present today.’

Mr Greg Sheridan AO

Greg is the Foreign Editor at The Australian & author of ‘God is Good for You’

Paper title: Is God dead or Just Hiding: Finding God in Contemporary Culture
Despite its recent gravitation towards secularism, Australia remains a nation formed and influenced by Christianity. The Judeo-Christian culture has been instrumental in shaping the Australian way of life and continues to contribute to so much of what we see as “good”. Are we to believe those who argue that a society without God is better, or are there signs of life demonstrating that believing in God is a rational and sensible choice in today’s culture? This talk will unpack these questions in light of the beauty and strength of the Christian tradition.

Prof Matthew C. Ogilvie

Professor Matthew Ogilvie is a native of NSW. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Sydney College of Divinity (1990 & 1992) and a PhD in theology from the University of Sydney (1996). Professor Ogilvie taught at Australian Catholic University and the Catholic Institute of Sydney. During 2003 he was a postdoctoral research fellow at Boston College. Between 2003 and 2009 he taught at the University of Dallas where he also served as Director of Philosophy & Letters and Coordinator of Online Education for University of Dallas School of Ministry.
He has a number of publications reflecting his wide theological interests, which include systematic theology, religion and science, religion and terrorism. In 2001 Marquette University Press published his first book Faith Seeking Understanding: The Functional Specialty ‘Systematics’ in Bernard Lonergan’s Method in Theology.
In 2008 Professor Ogilvie was made an academic fellow of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), which enabled him to travel to Israel to study counter-terrorism.
In addition to his academic publications, Professor Ogilvie has engaged a variety of audiences in churches, schools, professional organisations and in the mass media. He has also served as a consultant on online education in Australia, North America and the Middle East.

Rev. Dr Charles Waddell

Fr Charles is a priest of the Archdiocese of Perth. He has recently published Jesus Matters (St Paul’s Publications). Fr Charles holds a PhD (USA) and an STL (Rome). He shares his life with a blind dog named Prego.

Fr Tom Scirghi S.J. - Visiting Scholar from Fordham University, New York

Fr. Thomas J. Scirghi is Associate Professor of Theology at Fordham University, where he specializes in the theology of sacraments and liturgy, as well as homiletics, the theory and practice of preaching. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California; an S.T.L. from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the Doctor of Theology from Boston University. A member of the Northeast Province of Jesuits, he has taught at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and the Jesuit College of Theology in Melbourne, Australia. In 2013, he was appointed to the Thomas More Chair of Catholic Studies, a joint appointment to the University of Western Australia and the University of Notre Dame, Australia. He has lectured on liturgy and preaching for clergy and laity throughout America, as well as in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Recently he published Everything Is Sacred: An Introduction to the Sacrament of Baptism (Paraclete Press), Living Beauty: The Art of Worship, with his colleague Alejandro Garcia-Rivera (Rowman and Littlefield Press) and Longing to See Your Face: Preaching in a Secular Age (Liturgical Press, 2017). He is also a frequent contributor to Pastoral Liturgy magazine.

Mr Derek Boylen - Director of Centre for Life, Marriage and Family

Derek is a marriage counsellor and Director of the Centre for Life, Marriage and Family for the Archdiocese of Perth. He has been a presenter for the Centre for Faith Enrichment since 2016. He is also a sessional lecturer with the University of Notre Dame in the Discipline of Counselling and a former president of the national Catholic Society for Marriage Education.

Mr Joe Tedesco

Though originally schooled in Computer and Information Science, completing a Bachelor of Science degree in 1998, Joe Tedesco turned to theological studies soon after, completing bachelor and masters level degrees in theology from UNDA and Murdoch University. These studies focused on various areas of theology including theological anthropology and biblical theology. While studying, Joe was involved in various ministry programs that allowed him to exercise his passion in faith formation aimed primarily at youth and young adults – presenting various talks and seminars at conferences and in parish settings. More recently, Joe has been involved in teaching introductory level theology at the University of Notre Dame to students of various ages and backgrounds, something he has now been involved in for 10 years. Currently he is also working on a thesis focusing on ‘Wisdom Literature’ and its relationship to moral theology. Along with his wife of 16 years and two young children, his life remains very vibrant and full.

Dr Marco Ceccarelli

Dr Marco Ceccarelli is the Director of the Centre for Faith Enrichment.

Marco is committed to offering people an educational experience that allows them to draw on the richness of the Catholic tradition. He is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Notre Dame Australia and has taught European history and literature at The University of Western Australia. He holds a PhD in History/European studies (Jesuit studies) and an MA in European literature.

Marco is a former Journalist and Assistant Editor for the Archdiocesan Communications Office.

Ms Natalie Thomas

Natalie is a Theology tutor with the University of Notre Dame’s School of Theology and Philosophy. She holds a Masters of Theology from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Studies in Melbourne and a Masters of Philosophy by Research from the University of Notre Dame Australia in Fremantle. She has provided numerous presentations, and workshops to young people in the Archdioceses of Perth and Melbourne. Natalie has an interest in how a relationship with God impacts our every day life and our deepest relationships and is passionate about others in personal growth and formation.

Dr Margaret Scharf, OP

Dr Margaret Scharf is a member of the Dominican Sisters of WA and is currently the director of the Dominican Institute for Spirituality. Recently returned to Perth after 17 years in the United States, she is a Retreat guide and spiritual director, including the formation of Spiritual directors, and presenter of adult faith formation programmes to parish groups and school staff. Her past ministries include primary education and administration, Motor Mission, and training of catechists in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. She has a D.Min in Spiritual Direction (GTF, Indiana), MA in Spirituality (Gonzaga University), M.Ed in Religious Studies (ECU Perth), and a GDA Intercultural Studies-Aboriginal(ECU Perth). With publications in Australia and the USA, she continues to compose liturgical music.

Rev. Dr Charles Waddell

Fr Charles is a priest of the Archdiocese of Perth. He has recently published Jesus Matters (St Paul’s Publications). Fr Charles holds a PhD (USA) and an STL (Rome). He shares his life with a blind dog named Prego.

Deacon Greg Lowe (WA Catholic Migrant Refugee Office)

Deacon Gregory Lowe is the inaugural Director of the new Western Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (WACMRO). WACMRO seeks to promote the acceptance and settlement of migrants and refugees into Australia. It aspires to support migrants and refugees in a manner that upholds their dignity to enable them to feel a sense of welcome and belonging in the parish and broader community. Rev. Gregory was ordained deacon by Archbishop Hickey in 2006 for the Perth Archdiocese. Currently, he is the Parish Deacon in the Innaloo / Karrinyup parish where he conducts baptisms, marriages,
funerals and assists at the Sunday Mass.

Mrs Anita Finneran (Catholic Institute)

Anita is a lecturer at Catholic Institute of WA. She has a great passion and interest for Catholic Social Teaching, having recently been in the position of the role of Justice Educator WA & NT for Caritas Australia. She was also a State Youth Representative and a Trustee for the St Vincent de Paul Society in NSW and, prior to having children, spent a number of weeknights and weekends assisting with Night Patrol, Women’s and Children’s Refuge and Youth Vinnies initiatives, accompanied by her husband.

Anita’s background in education includes working in Catholic secondary schools for the past twenty years as a member of the Executive Team and Religious Education Coordinator. Along with Religious Education, she was also a teacher in English and Drama Studies and Social Justice Coordinator for both Sydney and Parramatta Dioceses.

Deacon Greg Lowe (WA Catholic Migrant Refugee Office)

Deacon Gregory Lowe is the inaugural Director of the new Western Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (WACMRO). WACMRO seeks to promote the acceptance and settlement of migrants and refugees into Australia. It aspires to support migrants and refugees in a manner that upholds their dignity to enable them to feel a sense of welcome and belonging in the parish and broader community. Rev. Gregory was ordained deacon by Archbishop Hickey in 2006 for the Perth Archdiocese. Currently, he is the Parish Deacon in the Innaloo / Karrinyup parish where he conducts baptisms, marriages,
funerals and assists at the Sunday Mass.

Mrs Anita Finneran (Catholic Institute)

Anita is a lecturer at Catholic Institute of WA. She has a great passion and interest for Catholic Social Teaching, having recently been in the position of the role of Justice Educator WA & NT for Caritas Australia. She was also a State Youth Representative and a Trustee for the St Vincent de Paul Society in NSW and, prior to having children, spent a number of weeknights and weekends assisting with Night Patrol, Women’s and Children’s Refuge and Youth Vinnies initiatives, accompanied by her husband.

Anita’s background in education includes working in Catholic secondary schools for the past twenty years as a member of the Executive Team and Religious Education Coordinator. Along with Religious Education, she was also a teacher in English and Drama Studies and Social Justice Coordinator for both Sydney and Parramatta Dioceses.