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Seminar 2:
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French paleontologist and Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) was an influential and highly regarded scientist in his field, and a tireless advocate for a Christianity capable of meeting the needs of the age. Teilhard was deeply distressed by the one-sidedness of both science and religion, and by the unnecessary and tragic consequences of their bifurcation. The title of this presentation catches the spirit of Teilhard's abiding concern — to stand confidently in both the empirical knowledge of science, and in the centrality of Christ. Teilhard's great synthesis was the fruitful consequence of this devotion equally to the external domain of empirical science, as much as to the interior domain of spiritual experience. A mystic may be described as one who is willing to take the inner facts as seriously as the outer. So it may be said that Teilhard's rich legacy is the witness of a faithful pilgrim who devoted equal commitment to both external and internal facts. This commitment was very costly, as the story of Teilhard's life with his church bears witness. That Teilhard was willing to bear this cost is relevant to his enduring legacy. That Teilhard's essential message, 60 years after his death, remains richly enlivening to those familiar with it, yet revolutionary news to an anxious and fearful church, is testimony to relevance of his spiritual vision in our time.
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Fr David Moore.
David's initial tertiary studies were in chemistry, and he worked for a few years as an industrial chemist. Crossing the great academic divide, communication studies and an education diploma led to secondary teaching in Media Studies, prior to his theological studies and formation as a priest. He served in that ministry in the dioceses of Perth and Christchurch, prior to moving to St John's Camberwell in late 2013. David initially 'met' Teilhard during training as spiritual director in Perth in the late 1980s. The relationship became serious in Christchurch at the start of the new millennium.