Purpose

The purpose of our gathering of people of different faiths and humanists is a dialogue, not merely of a mutual tolerance, but rather of a mutual respect and cooperation around the values and ethics we all share, believers and non-believers. It is an opportunity to build bridges of understanding and to break down the barriers of fear, born of ignorance, skepticism and indifference. It is meant to encourage a sense of solidarity and cooperation between believers and non-believers that may be carried back into the communities where the participants live and

work. “What we are called to respect in each person is first of all his life, his physical integrity, his dignity and the rights deriving from that dignity, his reputation, his property, his ethnic and cultural identity, his ideas and his political choices. We are therefore called to think, speak and write respectfully of the other, not only in his presence, but always and everywhere, avoiding unfair criticism or defamation.”

−Pope Francis Aug 2, 2013

Co-sponsored

by the UK and US Provinces

of the Xaverian Missionaries

Xaverian Missionaries

Fr. John Convery SX

UK Province

Calder Avenue

Coatbridge ML5 4JS

01236 707 907

http://mediades.co.uk/xavs/

www.confortiinstitute.org

jc@xavs.org

Fr. Carl Chudy SX

US Province

2 Helene Court

Wayne, NJ USA 07470

973-942-2975

www.xaviermissionaries.org

missionmedia@xaviernmissionaires.org

provincial @xaviermissionaries.org

CommonCommon GroundGround:: A Conversation Among

Religious Believers and Humanists

on Values and Ethics

“The familiar stark divide between people of religion and without religion is too crude. Many millions of people who count themselves atheists have convictions and experiences very like and just as profound as those that believers count as religious.”

−Ronald Dworkin Religion Without God

“I feel close to all men and women who, al-though not claiming to belong to any religious tradition, still feel themselves to be in search of truth, goodness and beauty…. [Atheists and ‘nones’] are our precious allies in the effort to defend human dignity, in building a peaceful coexistence between peoples, and in carefully protecting creation.”

−Pope Francis March 20, 2013

November 8-10, 2013

Conforti Institute

Coatbridge, Scotland

Presenters

John Sivalon, MM The author of God’s Mission and Postmodern Culture: the Gift of Uncertainty is a Maryknoll priest, he missioned in Tanzania before serving as Superior General of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (2001-2008). He has a masters in sociology and doctorate from St. Michael s College at the University of Toronto. Currently teaching theology at the University of Scranton, he received a Bachelor's in Sociology, a Master's in Theology and Masters of Divinity from Maryknoll and a Master's in Sociology from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Dr. Sivalon previously served at Union Theological School, New York, N.Y, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL, and University of Dar es

Salaam, Tanzania.

Chris Stedman The author of Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious is the Assistant Chaplain and Values in Action Coordinator for the Humanist Community at Harvard University,

and the founder of the first blog dedicated to exploring atheist-interfaith engagement, NonProphet Status. In 2011, the Huffington Post listed Chris's work as one of the Top 11 Religion Stories of the year and named him one of the top interfaith activists on Twitter. Religion Dispatches listed him at #5 in the Top 10 Peacemakers in the Science-Religion wars.

Presenters

His books include The Death of Christian Britain:

Understanding Secularisation and Religion and

the Demographic Revolution and Women and

Secularisation in Canada, Ireland, UK and USA

since the 1960s. His current research projects

include A Social and Cultural History of Modern

Humanism, covering Scotland, UK, Ireland,

Canada and USA using oral history.

Maureen Sier As the Director and

Development and

Education Officer of

the Scottish Inter-Faith

Council Dr. Sier

manages national and

international projects

facilitating dialogue

between faith

traditions and organizes interfaith events

liaising with the Scottish Government on

religious and civic matters. She worked in the

Equality Unit of the Scottish government where

she helped develop a national network of

interfaith groups. Dr. Sier holds a Masters in

Cultural History, an MLitt in Anthropology and a

Doctorate in Theology. She was a recipient of a

William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Award for

Interfaith Engagement and Community Action.

Presenters

Prerna Abbi A Secular Hindu, Ms. Abbi is

the Alumni Program Associ-

ate at Interfaith Youth Core.

She earned her BA in Citizen-

ship & Democracy and Inter-

cultural Communication at

Syracuse University’s Max-

well School. After graduat-

ing, she served two terms as

an AmeriCorps member with

Habitat for Humanity, work-

ing as a volunteer coordinator and developing an

intensive curriculum for youth and faith community

involvement in service and social justice. Prerna has

been passionate about interfaith cooperation from

a young age, and has been involved with IFYC since

2008, having served as a member of IFYC's Fellows

Alliance, and leading a session on engaging those

with exclusive truth claims in interfaith cooperation

at IFYC's Leadership in a Religiously Diverse World

conference.

Callum Brown The Professor of Late Mod-

ern European History at the

University of Glasgow is a

social and cultural historian.

His research interests in-

clude the social and cultural

history of religion and secu-

larisation, the social history of modern humanism,

and the history of community ritual in Scotland and

Britain, Canada, USA and Ireland. He also has inter-

ests in historical theory (postmodernism), personal

testimony (using oral history and autobiography), in

quantitative methods.

Program

Friday 4:30 PM (onwards) Arrival & Registration 5:45 PM Supper 6:30 PM Welcome & Intro Xaverian Missionaries & Will Storrar 7:00-8:35 PM Session 1: John Sivalon, MM & Chris Stedman 8:35-9:35 PM Q&A Plenary: Will Storrar 9:45 PM Social Time

Saturday

8:00 AM Breakfast 9:30-11:00 AM Session 2: Callum Brown Break 11:10 AM - 12:10PM Session 3: Prerna Abbi & Maureen Sier 12:10-12:30 PM Q&A Will Storrar 12:30 - 1:30 Lunch 1:30-4:10 PM Session 4: Open Space dialogue facilitated by Will Storrar 4:15PM Supper 5:15 PM Transport to Parliament for Panel Discussion 9:00 PM Transport to Conforti Social time available on return

Sunday

8:30 AM Breakfast 9:30 AM-12:30 PM Closing Plenary and next steps planning 12:30 PM Lunch and depart

Moderator

William Storrar The Director of the Center of

Theological Inquiry in Princeton

previously held the Chair of

Christian Ethics and Practical

Theology at the University of

Edinburgh where he directed the

Centre for Theology and Public

Issues. He is an Extraordinary

Professor of the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, a

Magnusson Fellow and Visiting Professor of Glasgow

Caledonian University and an elected member of the

International Academy of Practical Theology and the American

Theological Society. His publications include the co-edited

volumes, Public Theology for the 21st Century, and A World for

All? Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian

Theology. He is a Distinguished Advisor to the Global Network

for Public Theology and a Salzburg Global Fellow. He chairs the

editorial board of the International Journal of Public Theology,

and serves on the editorial boards of theological journals in

Germany and South Africa. Dr. Storrar graduated with an MA,

BD, and PhD from the University of Edinburgh and is an

ordained minister of the Church of Scotland.

Participants

Aktay, Mary (Communications Dir., XM USA)

Allison, Anthony (Post-doctoral Researcher)

Barcroft, Rev. Dean Ian (Representing Bishop Gregor Duncan,

Scottish Episcopal Church)

Beltagui, Dr. Salah (Convenor of the Muslim Council of Scotland)

Biguzzi SX, Bishop George (XM Italy)

Buchanan, Kevin (Scottish Trade Union Congress)

Calder, Jan (Humanist Society of Scotland)

Canning, Michael (Education Team Conforti Institute)

Catt, John (British Humanist Association)

Chudy SX, Fr. Carl (Provincial XM USA)

Conroy, Michael (UCATT)

Convery SX, Fr. John (Provincial XM UK)

Cottier, Lee (British Humanist Association)

Crampsey SJ, Fr. Jim (Conference of Religious Scotland)

Duffy SX, Fr. Patrick (XM UK)

Eadie, Pauline (Conforti Institute)

Fenton, Rory (Dialogue Officer, British Humanist Association)

Foy, Hugh (Conforti Institute)

Fulton, Rev. Sally Foster (Chair, Church of Scotland, Church and

Society)

Gallacher, Prof. Tom (Bradford University)

Galloway, Rev. Kathy (Dir. Christian Aid Scotland)

Hill, Geraldine (Conforti Institute)

MacQuarrie, Rev. Stuart (Chaplain of Glasgow University)

Martin, Helen (Conforti Institute)

McCarey, Jennifer (Branch Development Officer UNISON

Scotland)

McLelland, Gary (Networking Chair Edinburgh Secular Society,

Humanist Society of Scotland)

Quigley, Kevin (Dir. of Education, Salford Diocese)

Pellot, Brian (RNS)

Pepinster, Catherine (The Tablet)

Richards, Prof. Collin (Manchester University)

Rodell, Jeremy (Chairman and Newsletter Ed., SW London Humanists)

Rodger, Ian (Humanist Society of Scotland)

Smythe, Isabel (Committee for Interreligious Dialogue, BCS)

Smyth FMS, Br. Stephen (Gen. Sec. Action of Churches Together

Scotland)

Slaven, John (Scottish Trade Union Congress)

Slavin, William (Salford Diocese)

Smellie, Stephen (Vice Convener Unison)

Storgato SX, Fr. Marcello (XM Italy)

Welsh SX, Fr. Tom (Dir. Pontifical Mission Societies Scotland - XM UK)

Hosts

The Xaverian Missionaries are a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. They strive to participate in intercultural and interfaith dialogue, be it formal or informal through dialogue of life and experience; advocate for and have solidarity with the poor; share the legacy of their founder, St. Guido Conforti; and tell the story and witness of their members in the variety of ministries and countries where they serve. Currently eight hundred Xaverian missionaries serve in: Bangla-desh, Burundi, Brazil, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Dem. Repub-lic of Congo, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, the UK and the USA.