Origins of the St
Catherine of Siena Institute
| We started as Housetop, an
international centre for faith formation that was founded in 1983 in the
archdiocese of Westminster. The name ‘Housetop’ derives
from Christ's injunction that his good news should be proclaimed “from the housetops”.
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Housetop is a Charity,
registered in England and Wales as Housetop Care Limited (no 1053251).
It became known for its video courses. The Seven Circles of Prayer, which is still widely used in
schools and parishes throughout the UK, won awards ‘for creative
excellence’ (USA) and as ‘best catechetical video’ (OCIC).
Our Walking on Water series of
video courses has been adapted by catechetical centres in all continents in 14
languages.
In 1995 we launched How to Make Sense of God. The
course book received a prize from the Catholic Press Association (USA). The
accompanying film Journey to
the Centre of Love was honoured with the Grand Prix award of the
International Catholic Film Festival (1995).
We believe in adult faith formation, that is: we treat believers as adults. We
respect people’s doubts, their search and individual pace. We realise the
importance of every person’s own experiences. We encourage people to think
for themselves so that their commitment of faith will be deep and lasting.
Christ wants free, happy, knowing disciples.
We continue our
‘proclaiming from the housetops’ through our website:
Mystery and
Beyond..
New
focus on the ordination of women
Our Housetop team has been
conscious of the theological reasons for ordaining women from the start. In
1977 our Director, John Wijngaards, wrote Did Christ
Rule Out Women Priests? (McCrimmons), which was published in many
countries. The matter came to a head in 1998 when the Vatican declared that the
exclusion of women from the ordained ministries was definitive and should no
longer be discussed.
This clashed with
all we know from scripture, tradition and theology.
It
provoked a response in conscience.
“All the
faithful, both clerical and lay, should be accorded a lawful freedom of
inquiry, freedom of thought and freedom of expression” Gaudium et
Spes, no 62.
We launched our
campaign for
the ordination of women in the Roman Catholic Church.
Its success and
the need of securing its future led to the founding of our
St. Catherine of Siena
Institute.
Please, contact
me and other members of the core team
here.
Jackie Clackson
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