Evangelium Ireland will be holding its first annual conference outside the greater Dublin area when the Catholic apologetics event takes place in Cork city on Saturday March 21st.
The annual conference for Catholics between the ages of 18-40 has been held in Dublin or Maynooth since the Evangelium Project was launched in Ireland in 2014.
Since then, attendance at events has grown significantly, and the gathering in the Clayton Hotel Silver Springs will include a series of talks on theology, youth evangelisation and the link between Catholicism and culture.
Spiritual Director of Evangelium Ireland Fr. Gavan Jennings said that this year’s conference takes place at a time of growing evidence of an increasing interest in Christianity among young people.
“We have seen evidence of a shift internationally – what some scholars are calling a ‘Quiet Revival’ in churchgoing among Gen Z. In France, there was a record number of adult baptisms last year. Bible sales have been increasing significantly here in Ireland.
“Dr. Catherine Kavanagh will be giving a talk on St. Augustine, and it is clear that many of today’s youth are going through a similar process that Augustine went through, in his restless search for God.
“Our conference in Cork will provide an opportunity for them to learn more about the Catholic Faith through a number of talks and the concluding Q&A panel, while also attending Mass together and having many opportunities to meet other young Catholics,” Fr. Jennings said.
In addition to Fr. Jennings and Dr. Kavanagh, the speakers will include Paul Graas, an expert in youth evangelisation in the Netherlands, and Sr. Mary Andrea Lesko of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, who is the Diocesan Advisor for Post Primary Schools in the Diocese of Limerick.
Tickets for the conference can be purchased on Eventbrite.