Ry Donal Musgrave
SIXTEEN speakers of all denominations, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Ramsey, and five Catholic priests, will be taking part in an intensive campaign to get the basic tenets of Christianity across to 5.000 university students at Liverpool next November.
At more than 100 coffee-style meetings, discussions, and a fullscale union debate which Fr. Joseph Christie. S.J., will lead, they will mingle with the students in an effort to stimulate interest in the Christian Faith. Archbishop Ramsey will give four lunch-time talks on doctrine.
In an effort to promote national interest more than 10,000 requests for prayers will be sent out from the university. All the contemplative orders in the country will also be circularised.
Fr. Thomas McGoldrick, Liverpool University Chaplain, told the CATHOLIC HERALD this week that the campaign is expected to have a major impact on the life of the university.
"The idea is to show that Christianity has an important message for the whole world and that the message cannot be ignored. It must be met. We are not challenging the students and that is why we call the campaign 'Christian Encounter Week'. The word 'mission' is offputting and only brings up images of hell-fire and brimstone.
"The-effect is calculated to cause a ferment of interesting discussion through the university and to provide many students who have no beliefs and are unsure of themselves with something concrete to think about."
About 14 per cent of the students at Liverpool university are Catholic. Archbishop Beck of Liverpool has given strong approval to the campaign.