Patristic Symposium

The Symposium, Maynooth was founded in 1986 by The Revd Professor D. Vincent Twomey, SVD, Professor of Moral Theology at the St Patrick’s College, and The Reverend Dr Thomas Norris, lecturer in Dogmatic Theology at the same college. The Reverend Thomas Finan, Professor of Ancient Classics was invited to be the Honorary President, thus establishing a special link with the Department of Ancient Classics in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, which continues to this day. The members of the Symposium come from various universities and colleges in Ireland. From the outset, the Symposium has enjoyed Ecumenical status and promoted an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Fathers of the Church and Late Antiquity. 

The aim of the Symposium has been to provide a relaxed forum for scholars of Patristics and related subjects, to stimulate discussion about the Fathers of the Church and their enduring relevance. [Read more on our statues page…] 

Ordinary Symposium meetings generally occur three times a year, and comprise two hour-long papers read by members or invited speakers, from both Ireland and farther afield, followed by lunch. 

Conferences are held every three years or so, the Proceedings of which are published by Four Courts Press, Dublin. The first six Conferences covered the areas of Neoplatonism, Scriptural Interpretation, Christology, The Holy Trinity, The Great Persecution, and Salvation, respectively. The Seventh Maynooth Patristic Conference took place in 2008, and had as its theme: The Holy Spirit in the Fathers of the Church. Please click here to see the Programme.

The Eighth Maynooth Patristic Conference will be in 2012 and will have as its theme The Beauty of God's Presence. To view registration options, see our Registration page.

For further information, please contact: 

Professor Em. Dr D. Vincent Twomey SVD
Hon. Chairman
Tel.: 01-628 6391
Email: dv.twomey@may.ie 

Dr Janet Rutherford
Hon. Secretary
Email: bearpair@mac.com