The Irish Centre for Faith and Culture

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Background

The Centre was founded not in view of a short-term response to current trends but in order to become a feature in the life of the Catholic Church in Ireland. The Centre strives to make a long-term contribution towards serious reflection on the Irish Church’s adaptation to the changing cultural conditions of life. The forging of links with similar Catholic Centres, in particular within Europe, may help to filter a wider experience and parallel reflection into the Irish context.

The current director of the ICFC is also the Professor of Faith and Culture in the Faculty of Theology at St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare.

The research centre has organised a number of conferences and has published reports and books as part of its remit.

Aims

  • To initiate reflection on faith and culture in the various dimensions of their contemporary relationship
  • To encourage research into the relationship between faith and culture in Ireland.
  • To support and publicize existing initiatives in the area of the relationship between faith and culture.
  • To promote and assist the work of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
  • To maintain links with Catholic faith and culture centres in other countries by means of visits, exchanges, and representation at international conferences.
  • To promote dialogue between the two university institutions present on the campus of Maynooth within the context of the general aims for which the Centre has been established.

Understanding

The following headings indicate the broad parameters within which the work of the ICFC will be pursued.

  • Faith and Mission in the present world.
  • Faith and its challenge to cultural relativism and indifferentism.
  • Faith and contemporary educational theory and practice.
  • Faith and the emergence of a mass-media culture.
  • Faith and the challenge posed by the economic basis of contemporary culture.
  • Faith in dialogue with the political culture on the island of Ireland.
  • Faith challenged by the artistic expression of modernity and post-modernity.
  • Faith in dialogue with science and technology.
  • Faith and the challenge posed by an increasingly urban culture.

Further Information may be obtained from: Professor Michael A Conway Irish Centre for Faith and Culture St Patrick’s Pontifical University Maynooth County Kildare
Tel: +353 (0)1-708-3349 Fax: +353 (0)1-708-3348 E-mail: icfc@may.ie

If you live outside Ireland, check out our dedicated area for international students.

Let’s talk

For Undergraduate queries: email admissions@spcm.ie.

For Postgraduate queries: email pgadmissions@spcm.ie.

For The Centre for Mission & Ministries queries, email: cmmadmissions@spcm.ie.