From July 7th–8th, our brother Tommy Piolata attended a small round-table symposium—organized by our Capuchin confrere Benjamin Johnson (Province of Australia)—on the early Capuchin reform. The title of the symposium was: Early Modern Capuchins in Context: Spirituality, Culture, and Catholic Reform. Our Province was one of its sponsors. Scholars from Australia, Italy, France, and the US gathered in Durham, England, to share research on different aspects of our early Capuchin roots. Tommy's contribution was entitled: The Marian Unfoldment of Christ's Absolute Primacy in St. Lawrence of Brindisi. St. Lawrence, a Doctor of the Church, was one of a line of Capuchin friars who dedicated themselves to study and writing.
Br. Tommy discussed the way in which Lawrence's doctrine on the primacy of Christ "unfolds" through a reflection on Mary, mother of Jesus. That is, as Lawrence had written, "it includes the joint-predestination of Mary, His Mother, and ultimately provides a basis for her participation in the Passion, when she stands next to her Crucified Son. In this regard, Lawrence even speaks of Mary's spiritual priesthood."
The conference was held in England and our confrere reported that it was a "wonderful event: a great gathering that opened doors for further research and, just as importantly, it established new connections and relationships. I'm deeply grateful to our brother Ben for being a leader and pioneer!"
In the photo, to Br. Tommy's left is Jared I. Goff who presented with him in one of the sessions. Dr. Goff (often known as J. Isaac Goff) is a scholar of Dogmatic Theology and Philosophical Theology specializing in the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition. He teaches at the College of St. Joseph the Worker in Steubenville, OH, and Ss. Cyril & Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA, In the second picture above, our Capuchin confrere Jean-Louis Sohet, OFM Cap. (France) serves on the faculty of Rome's Antonianum University, and our brother Ben, mentioned above, is on the right.
In the group picture above the friars from left to right are:
Jean-Louis Sohet (far left, without habit), Isaac Webb OFM Cap. (Australia),
Wayne Hellmann OFM Conv. (Our Lady of Consolation Province), Tommy, Ben and, to the far right, is James Boner (Great Britain).
