Oxford Newman Society Has a New Blog

The first Speaker Meeting of term got off to a cracking start with around fifty people packing the Blue Room to hear Fr. Thomas Crean OP speak on the subject of ‘Incoherencies of Atheism’. Fr. Crean is an Oxford alumnus and is well know for his stance against Prof. Dawkin’s celebrated book ‘The God Delusion’. In his talk Fr. Crean identified a number of philosophical inconsistencies in modern atheistic thought. Belief in God, he said, provides us with the answer. Those wishing to find out more should read his book ‘A Catholic Replies to Professor Dawkins’, which is available from Family Publications. Some of Fr. Crean's sermons can be read here.

Among those attending the talk it was good to meet two old friends of the society, Fr. Marcus Holden and Fr. Andrew Pinsent, the co-authors of the Catholic Truth Society’s excellent catechetical project ‘Evangelium’. Fr. Marcus is a Past-President of the Newman Society (the picture from his term as President hangs in the Chaplaincy’s Meeting Room) who is now serving as a curate in the Southwark diocese. Fr. Andrew, another old member of the society, has recently taken up a position as Research Fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Religion and Science at Oxford University.

In other news, HRH the Duchess of Kent has agreed to become patron of the Society. The Duchess was received into the Church in 1994, which attracted national attention as she was the first senior Royal to do so publicly since the Act of Settlement of 1701. In a graceful swipe at the Anglican Church, she said during a BBC interview, "I do love guidelines and the Catholic Church offers you guidelines."

In certain (rather more intimate) social circles, she prefers to go by the moniker, "Poor Mad Kate Kent" (making light of her diagnosis of depression).