In the long term, the hope is for the Gregory the Great Institute to become a major contributor to the “great conversation,” bringing the wisdom of Christendom to Canada’s beleaguered and floundering culture.
We live in exciting times. As a native-born Englishman, I rejoice at the news that St. John Henry Newman is soon to be named a Doctor of the Church, the only Englishman so honoured other than the incomparable St. Bede the Venerable. As an American citizen, I rejoice at the election of the first pope to be born in the United States and hope that his pontificate will reflect the dynamic orthodoxy that is driving the renewal of the Church in North America. A great example of such orthodox dynamism is the newly-founded Gregory the Great Institute, north of the border in Canada, which holds its first annual Renewing Culture Conference in Alberta this October.
The Institute is under the patronage of His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, whom I first met twenty years ago when, as Archbishop of Edmonton, he organized an archdiocesan Tolkien and Lewis Conference. More recently, I saw him at the annual Chesterton Conference at which he was guest of honour. With such a patron at the spiritual helm, the Gregory the Great Institute is in good and safe hands. It has also received endorsements from two men whom I admire greatly, Michael D. O’Brien and Fr. Aidan Nicholls, the first of whom is a great novelist and painter and the latter of whom is one of the most formidable theologians of our times.
The Institute was founded by Ryan N. S. Topping, its Executive Director, who is described by Fr. Nicholls as “among Canada’s most important philosopher-theologians [whose] work on renewing Catholic culture over the years stands in the tradition of Cardinal Newman and G.K. Chesterton”.
Dr. Topping and I go back many years. I can’t recall where and when we first met but I know that we already knew each other when I became a Fellow of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in New Hampshire in 2012, at which he was already a Fellow. A friendship was forged, which has ripened through the years although our paths cross far less frequently.
Enthused by the founding of Gregory the Great Institute, I was keen to find out more and Dr. Topping was equally keen to tell me more. The mission of the Institute, says Dr. Topping is “to renew culture in the light of faith and reason through formation programs, short courses, and research that focuses on Catholic life in Canada”. He told me about the programs the Institute has run this summer, including a three-day Socratic-style “Faith and Reason seminar” on Great Books for Catholic professionals, as well as a folk-music camp for Catholic youth. The official launch, however, will be this October 3-4 with the Gregory the Great Institute’s first annual Renewing Culture Conference in Edmonton, Alberta. “Each year, we will look at the theme of renewal through a classic text,” Dr. Topping explains. “This year’s text is C.S. Lewis’ Abolition of Man. Talks will focus on themes ranging from the renewal of classical education, to the celebration of human nature in the light of AI, to the proper role of the imagination in moral formation.”
The conference was inspired by similar conferences in the United States, especially the University of Notre Dame’s Annual Ethics and Culture Conference and Benedictine College’s Transforming Culture Conference. “Our conference aims to draw together tradition-oriented Christians working and serving in a variety of vocations and occupations – from homemakers and clergy, to professionals, craftsmen, artists and scholars.”
In preparation for the conference, individual reading groups across multiple cities will be reading C.S. Lewis’ book as an appetizer for the true feast of wisdom that the conference will offer. “We are hoping this will help build a common mind and draw a wide network of friends together into a great conversation,” Dr. Topping says.
In the longer term, the hope is for the Gregory the Great Institute to become a major contributor to the “great conversation”, bringing the wisdom of Christendom to Canada’s beleaguered and floundering culture. “Our chief problem, it seems to me, is a lack of confidence,” Dr. Topping explains. “Lack of confidence stems from lack of formation. As Catholics, we have the greatest tradition in the world. We have the eucharist, we have the saints, we have beautiful art, and yet we routinely feel embarrassed about asserting our identity. In a small way, we hope to offer formation that inspires greater confidence among Catholics.”
One of the major influences on Dr. Topping was Pope Benedict XVI, whose vision of “creative minorities” acting as leaven in society was inspirational. “Here in the Canadian context, there are two goods we seek to strengthen: we want to encourage young men to launch well into manhood, and we want to encourage believers who are naturally leaders to draw consciously from the riches of faith and reason. We hope to become a rallying point for those looking to move beyond what Bishop Robert Barron once termed ‘beige Catholicism’.”
One of the truly adventurous aspects of the Gregory the Great Institute is its plan to start a trade school for Catholic men. “We need a new generation of young men ready to defend their faith, form families, and able to make a living. A Catholic trade school can help with that.”
Other potential projects are the starting of a Canadian Catholic think-tank and the launching of a program of on-line and in-person short courses that will support lay-people interested in deepening their faith. In addition, there are plans to offer Catholic leadership coaching for men. Anyone interested in getting to know more can visit the Gregory the Great Institute’s website, sign up for its Newsletter or Facebook page, or simply contact the Institute directly at info@gregorythegreat.ca.
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The featured image is “Pope Gregory IX approves the Decretals handed to him by St Raymond of Penafort” (detail), by Raphael (1483–1520), and is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.