The Second Bi-annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of

The Second Bi-annual Meeting
of the
Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality (SSCS)
hosted by the
Spirituality Association of South Africa (SPIRASA)
20-24 May 2015
On the holy, the Holy One, sanctification and saints
Mark Chagall: The dream of Jacob 1966.
The ladder is not about a descent from holiness to the earthly plane.
Through prayer we commune and bring to the Holy One
all we meet on earth through our life.
Wednesday May 20
Pre-conference meeting and Workshops
Bernard McGinn: Orientation to Mysticism
7h15.
8h30-8h55.
Registration
Opening and announcements
9h00-10h30. Bernard McGinn: An orientation to Mysticism.
10h30-11h00: Refreshments
11h00-12h30. An orientation to Mysticism (continued)
Publication recommended:
Bernard McGinn: The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism (Random House,
2006)
12h30-13h30: Break
Kees Waaijman: Spirituality in the 21st Century
13h30-15h00. Kees Waaijman: Spirituality in the 21st Century
15h00-15h30. Refreshments
15h30-17h00. Spirituality in the 21st Century (continued)
Publication recommended:
Karl Rahner: Christian living formerly and today. In: Theological Investigations 7.
(New York: Herder and Herder, 1971).
Thursday May 21
Opening Session. Scripture and Holiness
7h15-8h00.
8h00-8h10.
8h10-8h30.
8h30-9h00.
Registration
Devotions: Celia Kourie
Opening and announcements
Opening plenary address. Kees Waaijman: Holiness in spirituality a biblical perspective
9h00-9h15. Discussion
9h15-9h45. Ann W. Astell. The Song of Songs and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux’s Life
of Saint Malachy
9h45-10h15. Huub Welzen. The transformation of the temple in the Gospel of John
10h15-10h35. Discussion (papers in session 1)
10h35-11h00: Refreshments
Parallel sessions A and B
11h00-11h20. Christo Lombaard. Hol(e)y
texts; Hol(e)y lives: on the Psalms and
spirituality. With particular attention to
Thessalonia Deprince, Thomas Merton and
Beat Weber - described, compared and
evaluated
Dirk van der Merwe. Conceptualizing
holiness in the Gospel of John
11h20-11h30. Discussion
11h30-11h35. Short break
11h20-11h30. Discussion
11h30-11h35. Short break
Session 2. Holiness in history
Plenary session
11h35-12h05. Paul Decock. Philo at the beginnings of Christian Spirituality
12h05-12h35. Celia Kourie. The beauty of holiness. Mystical transformation in John
of the Cross
Break: 12h35-13h45.
Gumboot performance by the Ekurhuleni Primary School
Plenary session (continued)
13h45-14h15. Glenn Young. The “shock of recognition”. Meister Eckhart’s preaching
and homiletic theory
14h15-14h45. Discussion (papers in session 2)
14h45-14h50. Short break
Parallel sessions A and B
14h50-15h10. Rachel Wheeler. Holy
feigning in the Sayings of the Desert
Fathers
15h10-15h30. Chris de Wet. The
preacher’s diet. Regimen, sexuality, and
holy masculinity in the Homilies of John
Chrysostom
Simon Cashmore. The prayer of fire and
the pursuit of holiness in the writings of
John Cassian
Tara K. Soughers. From ordinary
Christians to saints. Holiness as
friendship with Christ in the writings of
Teresa of Avila
15h30-15h50. Discussion
15h30-15h50. Discussion
15h50-16h15: Refreshments
Plenary session
16h15-17h00. Annemarie Paulin Campbell, Puleng Matsaneng, Frances Correia.
Training of Spiritual Directors in the South African Context. The
presentation will be concluded with a musical item (15 minutes)
Friday May 22
Parallel sessions A and B
8h15-8h35. Lisel Joubert. The growth of
the holiness of Mary. From flat character
to theological construct
Petros Parginos. “Holy Folly”. The
significance of the Holy Fools as
exemplified by St. Symeon of Emesa
8h35-8h55. Judy Lam. The “holy of
holies” text for mystic and missionary.
The mystical impact of the Song of Songs
on the missionary spirituality of James
Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), founder of
the China Inland Mission
Kees Thönissen. Holiness in the field of
spirituality: proposing hermeneutic
foundations for the discipline of Christian
spirituality as existentially supported by
the life of St Francis of Assisi
8h55-9h15. Discussion
9h15-9h20. Break
8h55-9h15. Discussion.
9h15-9h20. Break
Session 3. Systematic and contextual perspectives on holiness
Plenary session
9h20-9h50. Anita Houck. Holiness and humour
9h50-10h20. Kobus Kruger. Love in context
10h20-10h45: Refreshments
10h45-11h15. Bernadette Flanagan. Women and holiness. Lessons from Syncletica
of Egypt
11h15-11h45. Saju Chackalackal. Synthesis of mystical aspirations and social
commitment: St Kuriakose Elias Chavara of the nineteenth century India
11h45-12h25. Discussion (papers in session 3)
12h25-13h10: Break
13h10-13h55: Showcasing Kopanang Community Trust with a Musical Performance
and an overview of their activities and art work (Sheila Flynn)
Parallel sessions A and B
14h00-14h20. Judith Coyle. The holiness
of music. A consideration of ÉlisabethPaule Labat’s The Song that I Am. On the
Mystery of Music
14h20-14h40. Kurian Perumpallikunnel.
From holiness to wholeness
Sadrack Nelson. Holiness amid
alienation and poverty in the life of
Haitians
14h40-15h00. Discussion
14h40-15h00. Discussion
Phillip Musoni. Contestation of “the holy
places in the Zimbabwean religious
landscape”
15h00-15h15: Refreshments
15h15: Film: Romero
This drama depicts the last three years in the life of Oscar Romeo, the Salvadoran bishop
who became archbishop in 1977 and was assassinated on March 24, 1980, in San Salvador's
Divine Providence Hospital Chapel. Written by John Sacret Young, creator of the China Beach
television series, and directed by Australian John Duigan, we see the radicalization of a
moderate Catholic intellectual as he is exposed to the violence and human suffering in his
country (101 minutes)
Saturday May 23
Session 4. Embodiment of holiness
Parallel sessions A and B
8h15-8h35. Elmor van Staden. “Being
holy, means being myself” – Thomas
Merton (1915-1968)
Riaan van der Merwe. Vulnerable
embodiment: Encounter with the Broken
wholeness/holiness of Henri Nouwen
8h35-8h55. Jakub Urbaniak. Holiness
without the holy ONE(s). Towards an
eventual account of holiness
Charles Russell. Psychology and
Spirituality: The necessity of the body for
holiness
8h55-9h15 Suren Naicker. An exploration Stuart Devenish. Bodily sanctification.
of Swami Vivekananda’s metaphorical
Beauty, consecration and goodness in
conceptualization of holiness and divinity the lives of ordinary saints
within the Vedanta school of thought
9h15-9h45. Discussion
Break: 5 minutes
9h15-9h45. Discussion
Break: 5 minutes
9h50-10h10: Refreshments
Session 5. Holiness and the self
Plenary session
10h10-10h40. Carter Haynes. The true self. Insights from the psychology of religion
and contemplative spirituality
10h40-11h10. Susan Rakoczy. Thomas Merton’s integral holiness: The true self and
the quest for justice
11h10-11h40. Michael O’Sullivan. Authentic subjectivity and social transformation.
11h40-12h10. Discussion (papers in session 5)
Session 6. Teaching Spirituality
12h10-13h10. Panel discussion. Anita Houck, Francis McAloon, Bernadette Flanagan,
Celia Kourie, Pieter G.R. de Villiers
13h10-14h00: Break
7. Closing Session
Parallel sessions A and B
14h00-14h20. Annemarie Oberholzer.
Children’s experience of holiness. Are we
rendering effective spiritual care to
children in healthcare?
Nico de Klerk. Pilgrimage sanctification
through effective communication
14h20-14h40 Marlene Martin. Medical
science and spirituality in dialogue
Dudley Schreiber. Philosophy of metaReality and post-secular holism: The
makings of holiness?
14h40-15h00. Discussion
15h00-15h05. Short break
14h40-15h00. Discussion
15h00-15h05. Short break
15h05-15h35. Closing plenary address: Bernard McGinn. Mysticism and the
Reformation
15h35-15h50. Discussion
16h00-17h15. Celebrating Holiness.
Performance in the Chapel: Linden High School Choir with Duncan Fourie
(choir master).
17h15: Closure
17h30. Departure for conference dinner at Moyo's Restaurant
We gratefully acknowledge the support of
The Theological Faculty, University of the Free State and its Spirituality Program
(especially Prof. Francois Tolmie, and the Dean, Prof. Fanie Snyman)
St. Augustine College (especially Jakub Urbaniak and Judith Coyle)
Elmor and Carien van Staden
Celia Kourie
The Archbishop of Pretoria (William Slattery)
Duncan Fourie and the Linden High School Choir
Karin van Wyk