“In a world engulfed by crises and confusion, that sow the seeds of division and despair, let us listen anew to the wisdom and young voices of hope that awaken us to the horizon of another possible world.”
We were delighted to welcome Rev Dr Liam Hayes to New Hall for the second talk in our series ‘Finding Hope in Uncertain Times’. A good crowd gathered, undeterred by the dark, wet January evening (and others joined online). We were pleased to be joined by students from St John Payne and New Hall schools who shared their vision of hope and of the world today, through pre-recorded videos and reflections/questions as part of the Q&A.
The recording of event can be seen here:
Dr Liam Hayes is the Director of the Centre for Ecclesial Ethics and a Senior Research Fellow at the Margaret Beaufort Institute in Cambridge. In the Centre’s recently published Believing, not Belonging research, Liam explored the complex reasons why so many Catholics no longer come to Church and the ecclesial ethical implications of such ecclesial estrangement. Liam has recently contributed to the upcoming publication Towards a Theology of Catholic Experiences of the Liturgy: Views from the Pews, (St. Mary’s University Press, 2025), and is currently researching the significance of lay participative governance for effective ecclesial renewal. Liam is a priest of the Diocese of Brentwood and worked for over sixteen years with CAFOD as a Theology Adviser before taking up his current post. Liam serves on the academic reference groups of both CSAN and the School for Synodality. In his leisure time Liam enjoys cycling, music, cooking and playing the piano badly!