“I want an intelligent, well-instructed laity [who] understand how faith and reason stand to each other, what are the bases and principles of Catholicism...”
– St John Henry Newman
It’s tough when you’re asked a controversial issue about your faith…
Catholic Voices is here to help!
Ever since it was created for the UK papal visit in 2010, Catholic Voices has been developing methods and training to help Catholics express the Church’s positions on controversial issues. We help lay men and women to do what our speakers have long been doing on television and radio —open hearts and minds, and change the terms of the discussion.
Catholic Voices operates on an embarrassingly simple idea: that to communicate the Church in contemporary Western culture you can’t just speak and expect to be heard. To be understood, you first have to learn to step outside the ‘frames' imposed by our culture that stop you from being heard. Therefore, at the heart of the Catholic Voices method of communication is a technique called ‘re-framing’. It is an approach that seeks to turn controversy into an opportunity to share the story of the Church.
Often people are filled with dread when asked tough questions about the Church’s position. Catholic Voices has found that through a combination of finding common ground, speaking to the positive intention behind the criticism and employing principles of civil communications, you might not win the argument but you may win the heart.
In this virtual workshop participants will:
Hear practical ways of applying the genius of the Gospel to ‘hot-button’ and relevant topics.
Become more confident in the the art of sharing the Church’s story with charity and clarity even in the midst of controversy.
Learn about the work of Catholic Voices and its unique approach to telling the Church’s story and training others to do the same.
Presenter
Brenden Thompson
Brenden studied Youth Ministry and Theology at St Mary’s, Twickenham before going on to do a Masters in Applied Theology at Oxford University.
Brenden is the CEO of Catholic Voices. Having made multiple appearances on TV & Radio including on the BBC, Sky News & Al Jezeera, he speaks to thousands every year about the Gospel with joy and enthusiasm, and trains others in how to share the Christian faith with charity and clarity.