About Us
Dr Andrew Beards
Dr Andrew Beards is a lecturer in philosophy at Allen Hall, London. For over thirty years he has lectured in Philosophy and Theology in Canada and the UK. Andrew has published work in academic journals and is the author of books, including Objectivity and Historical Understanding, (Brookfield. VA & Aldershot: Ashgate, 1997), Method in Metaphysics: (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008), Insight and Analysis, (New York and London: Continuum, 2010), Philosophy the Quest for Truth and Meaning, (Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 2010) and Lonergan, Meaning and Method: Philosophical Essays, (New York and London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016)
Dr Caroline Farey
Dr Caroline Farey was one of the 10 people from around the world chosen for the working party for the new General Directory for Catechesis to be launched in the Autumn 2020AD. Her experience comes from her collaboration with Dr Petroc Willey, who articulated an ‘Annunciation pedagogy’ out of an in-depth study and application of the General Directory for Catechesis (1997) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Together with a catechetical team she taught this ‘Annunciation catechesis’, put it into practise and enabled it to be refined and developed over 20 years across the English speaking world, including the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Malta, the United States, Ireland and the UK.
She also worked at St Mary’s College, Oscott, 2001-2011, teaching Thomism, especially his Anthropology, Epistemology and Metaphysics. It was during this time that she completed her STL at Leaven, PhL at Maynooth and Pontifical Doctorate at the Lateran, Rome.
In Autumn 2012 this work was recognised when she became one of 10 women, 3 lay women, experts at the Synod on the New Evangelisation for the transmission of the Faith, where she contributed … READ MORE…
Carol Ann Harnett
Carol Ann’s first career was in primary school teaching, but with the arrival of her family, her attention turned to parish catechesis. With nearly 35 years’ continuous experience in this field, she has worked with all age groups from the youngest to the oldest in all forms of catechesis, including
preparation for the Sacraments, RCIA and ongoing formation for both adults and children.
Her dissertation for her master’s degree in Catechesis and Religious Education was on the formation needs of the parish catechist and this has been the focus of her professional life since then. After a short spell with a local ecumenical venture which took Bible stories into local primary schools, Carol Ann moved to the Maryvale institute where she ran the Maryvale Catechist Course in both the UK and overseas… READ MORE…
Kate Goddard and Geoff Callister
Writer and Producer, respectively, of the film Discovering God Within
Using her love of colour and the use of textured fabrics, together with her creative skills she learnt at the Royal School of Needlework, Kate combined her involvement in music with her passionate interest in imaginative writing, and wove all these elements into making the film ‘Discovering God Within’, for which she wrote the script and main music themes, together with designing and creating sets and costumes.
As a convert from Anglicanism, Kate discovered on her Catholic journey, the effectiveness of pedagogical methodology in catechesis, especially through the use of visual imagery. She found that this methodology is a powerful tool, as it not only bridges the gap between catechesis and evangelisation, but also lends itself well to the passing on of The Faith to both children and adults, since the imagination and emotions are engaged on an immediate level that words alone, cannot achieve. READ MORE…