Speaking about The Church

I am available to give individual talks in parish and/or diocesan settings. My speaking fees are generally $1000 for an individual address and $1500-1750 for a one day multiple-presentation workshop. The fee for presentations given over more than one day will be negotiated on an individual basis.. Queries regarding speaking engagements can be made by clicking on the "Contact" tab on the home page of my website and sending me an e-mail.

New Models for Episcopal Leadership in a Global Church PDF Print E-mail
The Catholic church has always remained committed to the need for the office of the bishop to preserve the church's unity and the integrity of its apostolic faith. However, it is legitimate to wonder whether in the global church of the twenty-first century a new vision of church leadership is needed, one that remains faithful to our tradition but which is also open to the unique demands of our time. This presentation will review basic Catholic teaching regarding the office of the bishop and then propose some models for a new vision of episcopal leadership.
 
The Catholic Church: European Export or Global Church? PDF Print E-mail
The Catholic church has grown dramatically in the southern hemisphere. In this presentation I will explore how the emergence of the church of the global south is challenging all of us, north and south, to re-imagine what it means to be a catholic church.
 
Does the Papacy Have a Future PDF Print E-mail
Few realize it, but the papacy is one of the oldest continuous democratic institutions (popes are, after all, elected by the college of cardinals!) in western civilization. In the minds of some, the papacy is a hopelessly outdated relic from a medieval past; for others it is an object of intense and unswerving devotion. Many in the ecumenical movement see the papacy as a stumbling block to the reunion of the churches. In this presentation I will consider both the historical development of the papacy and various calls for papal reform before exploring a possible new future for the successors of St. Peter.
 
Becoming a Community of Holy Conversion PDF Print E-mail
We live in a time in which public discourse is dominated by the politics of demonization. Unfortunately, many of these demonizing tendencies have been imported into the life of the church. Our church desperately needs a theology of dialogue or, if you will, "holy conversation" to help us become the community God wishes us to be.
 
Why Vatican II Did not Fail PDF Print E-mail
Here I explore all of the reasons why, a few weeks before the opening of Vatican II, there was every reason to expect the council to be a complete failure. The reasons why Vatican II did not fail, against all reasonable expectations, have much to teach us about our church today.