The Franciscan Legacy Conference

To commemorate the 800th anniversary of St Francis meeting the Sultan Malek Al Kamil the Order, with ten other congregations of the Franciscan Family, provided financial support of this important conference. Over 185 people attended from across the globe. It was a wonderful intellectual event, and also a great experience for all at the Centre for Catholic Studies (CCS) to be surrounded by Franciscans for a few days. Audio recordings of the main sessions and a rich set of papers given by delegates can be found on the CCS website enabling more people to continue to learn from the event. Following the conference, conversations are in progress to explore the development of a long-term Franciscan presence in the public academy with the CCS at Durham. The Province has over a number of years financed scholarships and assistance to the administration of CCS. The trustees, conscious of the need to ensure that the charism of the Capuchins is maintained on these shores, are in discussion with Durham University to provide sponsorship for a 3-year Capuchin Fellowship which we believe affords us access to the Public Academy, thus influencing contemporary thoughtand practice.