Engaging Your Faith
Engaging Your Faith (EYF) is a series of short, online presentations that invite participants to reflect on what it means to be people of faith in the contemporary world. Experienced academics from Catholic Theological College present on a variety of topics such as: science and faith issues including AI, moral theology, the papacy, Eucharist, St Paul, religion and ethics, and Jubilee of Hope.
Accreditation
- In Victoria, these sessions are accredited by MACS for professional learning hours contributing to Accreditation to Teach in a Catholic School and for those maintaining accreditation.
- In Queensland, these sessions are eligible for accreditation hours to Teach Religion or Teach in Catholic Schools. For further details about the allocation of credit hours, staff should check with their accreditation team in their education office.
- In other dioceses, staff should check with their education office.
Cost
- $25 per session: General audience
- $40 per session: Teachers applying for Catholic school accreditation
Book online
All sessions are booked directly through Humanitix.
Please note that registrations close at 5pm two business days before each session.
13 sessions running in October 2025
Monday 13 October
7pm – 8.30pm
Enriching our Understanding of Christian Living
In what ways might Catholic moral theology help us to make decisions for the good amid the complexities of today’s world?
Dr Frances Baker RSM
Bookings close: Thursday 9 October
Tuesday 14 October
7pm – 8.30pm
Exploring the New Translation of the Lectionary
The Australian Catholic Bishops and those of New Zealand and Ireland have begun a joint project for a new lectionary, based on the Revised New Jerusalem Bible. Let’s have a closer look at some of its strengths and weaknesses in comparison to our current lectionary as we reflect on the art of biblical translation.
Rev. Dr Trevor Tibbertsma
Bookings close: Friday 10 October
Thursday 16 October
5.30pm – 7pm
When the Welcome Mat Wears Thin: Constraints on Immigration
St. John XXIII, in Pacem et Terris, says, “It is … the duty of State officials to accept such immigrants and—so far as the good of their own community, rightly understood, permits—to further the aims of those who may wish to integrate themselves into a new society.” (Para. 25) This presentation discusses the constraints on migration implicit in the Pope’s statement. What is necessary in order to preserve the cohesiveness of society and to avoid placing severe strain on society are among the issues discussed.
Prof. Jāņis Ozoliņš
Bookings close: Tuesday 14 October
Thursday 16 October
7pm – 8.30pm
Eucharist: Sacrament of Hope Against Hope
In the Jubilee Year of Hope, we can turn to the celebration of the Eucharist to help us reflect on the character of Christian hope. In the face of betrayal, abandonment, torture, and death, Jesus gathered his disciples to the Passover meal that foreshowed the liberation, renewal, and fulfilment of the reign of God. A fulfilment that would now include Jesus’ own self-gift in death. How do we participate in this paschal hope, for the sake of this world and for the life of glory to come?
Very Rev. Dr Kevin Lenehan
Bookings close: Tuesday 14 October
Monday 20 October
7pm – 8.30pm
How Does “Living/Walking by the Spirit” in St Paul’s Letters Encourage Us as Pilgrims of Hope?
Walk with Rosemary through Paul’s use of walking as living; for example, “live a life worthy of God” (1 Thess 2:12, Col 1:10), “live in love” (Eph 5:2), and “live as children of God” (Eph 5:8). We will consider how Paul’s model and encouragement informs our living/walking as pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee year.
Dr Rosemary Canavan
Bookings close: Thursday 16 October
Tuesday 21 October
7.30pm – 8.30pm
Theology and the Human Sciences in Conversation: Insights for Catholic Education
Sixty years ago the Second Vatican Council published Gaudium et Spes, affirming the Church’s mission in the modern world. Paragraph 62 of the document invited theologians to dialogue more closely with the findings of the human sciences. This session reflects on the ways this paragraph might stimulate research and reflection in the fields of Catholic education and theology.
Rev. Dr Jake Mudge
Bookings close: Friday 17 October
Wednesday 22 October
7pm – 8.30pm
Religion and Ethics: Exploring Some Connections
Exploring some connections between religious belief and ethics, this session considers the implications for both personal and societal ethical decision making in the Australian context. While the focus of the session offers challenges to all who are endeavouring to live as disciples of Christ in our world today, the central theme relates directly to the VCE Unit: Religion and Society.
Note: this is substantially a repeat of a session offered previously.
Dr Frances Baker RSM
Bookings close: Monday 20 October
Thursday 23 October
5.30pm – 7pm
Can a Scientist Believe in God?
Many people say (or fear?) that God and science don’t mix. In faith-based schools, 60% of secondary students say Christianity and science conflict. This session is an introduction to the “conflict myth” and will offer some clues about how to understand the science–faith relationship as a harmonious one. Note: this is a repeat of a session offered previously.
Rev. Dr Chris Mulherin
Bookings close: Tuesday 21 October
Thursday 23 October
7pm – 8.30pm
Pope Leo XIV and the Historical Significance of Papal Names
In this presentation, Max Vodola explores the significance of Leo XIV’s choice of papal name, its connection to Pope Leo XIII (1878–1903) of Rerum Novarum fame and the new Pope’s Augustinian background.
Rev. Dr Max Vodola
Bookings close: Tuesday 21 October
Monday 27 October
7pm – 8.30pm
An Introduction to AI and Transhumanism … for Christians
“Young people today can expect to live forever, but AI will run the world.” At least that is the view of some techno-enthusiasts. This session will consider artificial intelligence and transhumanism, and it will reflect on how Christians might think about future developments.
Note: this is a repeat of a session offered previously.
Rev. Dr Chris Mulherin
Bookings close: Thursday 23 October
Tuesday 28 October
7pm – 8.30pm
John’s Prologue (Jn 1:1-18): An Introductory Cosmological Tale that Points to Jesus’ Identity
In this talk John’s Prologue will be discussed as a Christological hymn that summarises the theo-centric approach that underpins John’s “spiritual” Gospel. It will look at the possible origins of this ancient hymn, its structure, and its theology as a background to reading John’s ultimate aim: to bring people to faith in Jesus in order to have “life in his name.”
Br Dr Paul Creevey FMS
Bookings close: Friday 24 October
Wednesday 29 October
7pm – 8.30pm
Physically Distant, Spiritually Close: How St Paul Kept in Touch with the Churches He Founded
Saint Paul didn’t have Zoom or Facebook, but he kept contact with the local Christian communities that he established as he travelled from city to city. How did he do it, and what can we learn from his methods?
Dr Catherine Playoust
Bookings close: Monday 27 October
Thursday 30 October
7pm – 8.30pm
Catechesis in a Secular Age
The 2020 Directory for Catechesis is the third in a series of Directories issued since Vatican II to inform the pastoral leadership exercised in settings such as parishes and schools. This most recent Directory responds to cultural developments such as globalisation and the impact of social media. In this session, key implications of the Directory for pastoral leadership in a secular age will be explored.
Dr Paul Sharkey
Bookings close: Tuesday 28 October