Dr Sheila Cassidy
Doctor, author, spiritual thinker and former political prisoner in Chile , tortured for supporting victims of the Pinochet dictatorship.
Author of Audacity to Believe (1972), Sharing the Darkness. The Spirituality of Caring (1988), Prayer for Pilgrims (1994), The Loneliest Journey (1997), Good Friday People (2002).
Delle Chatman is a playwright, an actress, a screenwriter, a teacher, a visual artist, and a published author. Her scripts have spanned many genres and have been produced by ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS. A screenplay written for Sidney Poitier – “FREE OF EDEN” – premiered on the Showtime Network, celebrating the importance of education and personal integrity. For seven years, she directed the screenwriting program at Northwestern University, and now has two books in print – “The Death of a Parent: Reflections for Adults Mourning the Loss of a Father or Mother” (ACTA Publications, 2001) and “The Unteachable Ten: Wisdom and Visions for All Students of Life” (Infinity Publishing, 2001). Taking her passion for photography and painting to the marketplace for the first time just a few years ago – Chatman received praise from Francis Cardinal George of Chicago for her work as a photographer and painter focusing on religious themes. She has studied theology at Catholic Theological Union, and currently hosts the PBS award-winning, faith-based program “30 Good Minutes.” She appears as a regular contributor of reflections on the Hallmark Channel’s daily broadcast called “New Morning.” She cherishes that television ministry along with her service on the Lay Preaching Team at her home parish, St. Gertrude in Edgewater Chicago.
Prof René van Eyden
Retired Professor of Dogmatic Theology at Utrecht University with specialization on Women and the Church.
Author of numerous articles including the classic
* ‘Women Ministers in the Catholic Church?’ (1968)
*'Women Priests: Keeping Mum or Speaking Out?' (1996) and
*'The Creation of Womanhood: a Hierarchical Construction' (2001)
Dr Garret FitzGerald - deceased
Airline Executive. Lecturer in Economics. Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs (1973-1977). Leader of Fine Gael Party. Prime Minister of Ireland (1981-1987). President of the European Council of Heads of Government, and Deputy European Chairmanship of the Trilateral Commission. Chancellor of the National University of Ireland . Weekly column writer for the Irish Times.
Author of Planning in Ireland (1969), Towards a New Ireland (1973), The Israeli-Palestinian Issue (1990), All in a Life. Autobiography (1991), Modern Irish Democracy (ed.; 1993), Reflections on the Irish State (2003). He wrote numerous articles including the classic ‘Women Ministers in the Catholic Church?’ (1968).
Prof Mary Grey MA Oxon, PhD Louvain
Professor of Pastoral Theology at the University of Wales; Hon Fellow at Sarum College; prev. Prof of Feminism and Christianity at Nijmegen University; President of the European Society of Women in Theological Research (1989-1991). Author of In Search of the Sacred (1989), Redeeming the Dream (1989), From Barriers to Community (1991), The Wisdom of Fools Seeking Revelation Today (1993), Beyond the Dark Night (1997), Prophecy and Mysticism (1997); The Outrageous Pursuit of Hope (2000), Introducing Feminist Images of God (2001), Sacred Longings (2003).
Prof Catherina Halkes PhD - deceased
Retired Professor of Theology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen . Pioneer in Europe of the Theology of Feminism. Author of De horizon van het pastorale gesprek (1977), Als vrouwen aan het woord komen (ed. 1978), Met Mirjam is het begonnen (1980), Op water en brood (ed. 1984), Vrouwen, mannen, mensen (1984), Bibliografie feminisme en Christendom (ed. 1984), Feminisme en Spiritualiteit (1986), Zoekend naar wat verloren ging (1987), En alles zal worden herschapen (1989), Boeiende Beelden (ed. 1992), Roomse dochters (ed. 1992).
Prof Michael Hornsby-Smith BSc(Soc) PhD
Retired Professor of Sociology at the University of Surrey ; prev. Chairman British Sociological Association’s Sociology of Religion Study group (1990-1993). Author of Catholic Education (1978), Roman Catholic Opinion (co-author 1979), Roman Catholics in England (1987), The Changing Parish (1989), Roman Catholic Beliefs in England (1991), The Politics of Spirituality (1995).
Baron and Baroness Holvoet Bourguignon
Baroness Holvoet BA Law & MA Philology; prev. lecturer in Zaire , Tunisia , Paris , Brussels & Toronto . Author of Les femmes dans l’oeuvre romanesque de Simone de Beauvoir.
Baron Holvoet PhD Law & BA Sinology (Louvain), MA Egyptology & BA Assyriology (Brussels); ret. Director of National Office of Pensions (Belgium).
Lord Raymond Hylton MA Hon Dr Soc Science
Parliamentarian, House of Lords. Chairman NIACRO - N. Ireland Association for Care and Resettlement of Offenders; Vice Chairman Partners in Hope, re Children at Risk in Moscow .
Promoted just legislation regarding the treatment of minorities, care for the handicapped and the prosecution of UK child abusers overseas.
Sister Naoko Iyori
MA History, and Diploma from Pastoral Institute of Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain. Retired lecturer at Dept. of Sociology at various Universities in Japan. Lecturer at Institutes of On-going Religious Formation and of Lay Missionary Formation. Visiting research associate at the Centre for Religion, Culture and Gender in the Dept. of Religions and Theology at Manchester Univ. UK (1998~1999). Works with Japanese Council for Justice and Peace since 1980 as well as with Asia Partnership for Human Development, a Catholic International Development Organization (1989 ~ 1998). Collaborated with UN Human Rights Committee and with HABITAT for the cause of Asian women and children(1988 ~1996). Works for the reconciliation and recovery of justice of the drafted women in Asia and Pacific Area during the WW II. Wrote several books such as Report on People's Development in Asia (1990), Issues of Environment and Development of the Squatters in Asia & Latin America (1992), Democratization of Asia and Women (1994), Guatemalan Indigenous Women (1997) and many articles on the human rights of women. Translated into Japanese Helder Camara's Sister Earth: Ecology and the Spirit (1998) and John Wijngaards’ The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church (2005). Marie R. Joyce PhD
Marie Joyce BA (Hons), M Ed Psych, PhD, Visiting Senior Research Fellow in a Research Institute in Melbourne. Registered Psychologist in the State of Victoria, Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society. Member of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists and Chair of the APS Ethics Committee (2001 - 2004). Convenor of the APS Ethical Guidelines Advisory Committee. She has published widely both research papers and theoretical works in the area of Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy and its applications for children, adolescents and parents. Her other major teaching and research interest is cognitive development, that is, the ways in which individuals' mental structures grow in complexity. She is an Associate Fellow and Supervisor of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York and a Faculty member of the Australian Institute for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. Marie supervises the theses of Masters and Doctoral students and undertakes her own research projects. Her current research projects include the evaluation of an education transition centre for marginalized young people (aged 11-15) who have dropped out of school, and the evaluation of a residential model of care for homeless young people. She also has a deep commitment to human rights and is involved in a project to deliver tertiary education to refugees on the Burma-Thai border. She is also currently participating, as an interviewer, in a project called Detention Remembered, an initiative of Spare Lawyers for Refugees to create an audio-visual record of asylum seekers' experience of detention in Australian Detention Centres. Marie is the mother of five adult children and grandmother of eight. Prof Eric Jurgens PhD (Law)
Member and Assistant President of the Senate (Eerste Kamer) of the Parliament of the Netherlands (1995 - now). Member of the Dutch House of Commons (Tweede Kamer; 1972-1975; 1990-1994). Chairmain N.O.S. (Dutch Radio & TV Umbrella; 1975 - 1985). Professor of Government Law at the Free University of Amsterdam (1987 - 1999) and the National University of Limburg (1991-2000). Has been a member and chairman of numerous national and international institutions. At present chairman of Union of State Libraries (2004 - now). Publications: P.P.R. op aarde (1968); Omroep als publieke dienst (1985); Omroeprecht en auteursrecht (with N. van Lingen 1986); De stenen tafelen: een nieuwe moraal voor burgers en overheid? (editor, 1992); Tweede Kamer op orde (with J. A. van Schagen, 1993); De heren van Den Haag zijn onderweg (anthology of 100 poems, with F. Niessen, 1993); Een onparlementair stelsel (with W. Vermeend, 1993). Writes and has written many articles. Decoration: Officer of the Order of the Dutch Lion (1985).
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC of the Shaws
Chair of the London International Festival of Theatre (1994-2002). Chair of the British Counsel Board; Chair of the Human Genetics Committee; Vice-President of the Haldane Society; Hon Fellow of the institute for Advanced Legal Studies; Board member of the Independent newspaper. She holds nineteen honorary doctorates in law. Author of Eve was Framed (1992), Just Law: The changing face of justice (2004). She contributed to The Bar on Trial (1978), Child Sexual Abuse within the Family (1984), Balancing Acts: On being a mother (1989) . Creator of BBC television series Blind Justice (1987). Moderator of the BBC’s Hypotheticals. She received the UK ‘Woman of Europe’ award, 1995, ‘Campaigning and Influencing’ award (National Federation of Women’s Institutes 1996) and The Times ‘Lifetime Achievement in the Law’ award, 1996.
Patrick Lister MA MBA CBE KSS
Pro Chancellor Coventry University .Member of the Catenian Association since 1953, President 1960-1961.
Prev. Founder Member and Chair of the Catholic Union UK; Fellow, Institute of Logistics & Transport; Director and Chief Executive, Engineering Employers West Midlands Association (1983-1984); Chairman of Governors, Coventry University (1986-1997).
Arlene and Leonard Swidler
Arlene Swidler (deceased) MTh, author of Woman in a man’s Church (1972), Sister Celebrations (1974), Human Rights in Religious Traditions (1982), Mainstreaming (1985), A New Phoebe (ed. 1990), Homosexuality and World Religions (1993). She and Len were co-founders of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies (1964) and co-editors of the classic research volume Women Priests (1977); Temple University , Philadelphia .
Prof Leonard Swidler is Founder/Director of the Institute for Interreligious, Intercultural Dialogue (Philadelphia 1985), and Co-Founder/Director of the Global Dialogue Institute (1995), holds degrees in History, Philosophy, and Theology, was visiting Professor at Graz (Austria), Hamburg and Tübingen (Germany), Nankai University (Tianjin, China), Fudan University (Shanghai), and Temple University Japan (Tokyo), University of Malaya (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). He has published more than 60 books, including: Dialogue for Reunion (1962), Jewish-Christian Dialogues (1966), Bloodwitness for Peace and Unity (1977), Jewish-Christian-Muslim Dialogue(1978) From Holocaust to Dialogue (1981), Buddhism Made Plain (1984), Religious Liberty and Human Rights (1986), Breaking down the Wall Between Americans & East Germans, Christians and Jews (1987), Catholic-Communist Collaboration in Italy (1988), After the Absolute: The Dialogical Future of Religious Reflection (1990), Death or Dialogue. From the Age of Monologue to the Age of Dialogue (1990), A Bridge to Buddhist-Christian Dialogue (1990), Human Rights: Christians, Marxists, and Others in Dialogue (1991), Muslims in Dialogue. The Evolution of a Dialogue over a Generation(1992), For All Life: Toward a Universal Declaration of a Global Ethic. An Interreligious Dialogue (1998), Theoria & Praxis. How Jews, Christians, Muslims Can Together Move from Theory To Practice(1999), The Study of Religion in the Age of Global Dialogue(2000).
Dr Suzanne Tunc
MA Law, DD (Theology), Assistant Counsellor in the Legal Department of the International Monetary Fund (1947-1950), wrote (with her husband André Tunc) the classic Le Droit des États Unis, ,vols. 1-3, 1950, a book which has seen many reprints. She lived for some time in many countries, like the USA, UK, Switzerland and visited many others, including Japan. She now lives in Paris, France. Other publications of her hand are: Brève Histoire des Femmes Chrétiennes (1989), Les Femmes au Pouvoir. Deux Abbesses de Fontevraud (1993), Des femmes aussi suivaient Jésus (1998), and Croire au XXI Siècle (2005). She also translated into French J. Wijngaards book The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church, Unmasking a Cuckoo's Egg Tradition. (2001)
First Woman President of the Methodist Conference (1992-1993);
Writer, broadcaster and public speaker. Chair of the influential Anglican organization WATCH: Women and the Church. Writes regularly for BRF’s Day by Day with God. Contributes to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. Author of Sea Urchin: A Childhood at Sea (1989), Divine Embrace (2001) and Voices of this Calling (editor, 2002). 
Doctorate in theology at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium .
Officer of the British Methodist Church Overseas Division. Vice-Moderator of the World Council of Churches (1968-1975). Organizer of Religious Broadcasting in the BBC’s World Service (1979 – 1987). She is the author of Evidence for the Power of Prayer (1987), Candles for Advent (1989), She Flies Beyond (1993), Worship in Every Event (1997) and Living by Grace. She also wrote television and film scripts and was co-editor of the Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement.