Fr Matthew Jarvis OP is inspired by an evangelisation conference in London with the world-famous American bishop
Bishop Robert Barron was back in London. At the Evangelisation and Culture Conference: The Bible, following his 2023 Wonder conference, he spoke eloquently of "Biblical renewal". He described how the Bible is ‘a book of patterns by which we see the world’. Seeing Biblically will ground a spiritual renewal.
Masterminded by Brenden Thompson, appointed the first UK Programme Director for Word on Fire in September 2023, the conference at the Excel Centre brought together more than 1,500 people from all over the UK and beyond. Alongside the speaker events, a "Jubilee Expo" showcased organisations bringing renewal in the Church. Of course, many people came simply because Bishop Barron was there. But when Brenden joked that British Catholics experience only one degree of separation, his serious point was that "communion is intrinsic to mission". His own friendships had built this conference and he hoped our encounters would generate new bonds as we "meet Christ in his word" and transform our culture.
