Father King’s Conversations: Alison More

29 July 2009

Father Robert King, the Catholic Chaplain to the University of Bristol and Clifton Diocese Vocations Director, continues his weekly podcast series exploring faith and culture today (29 July).  A new episode of ‘Father King’s Conversations’ is online every Wednesday only on cliftondiocese.com.  Father Robert is in conversation with leading thinkers and local people who enrich our lives through their cultural work.  Today Father Robert speaks with Alison More.

Dr Alison More, a lecturer in medieval theology, stops en route from America to Belgium to discuss her passion for the thirteenth-century beguine way of life. Beguines were small communities of women who sought an active yet contemplative life.

She explains her work to unearth the rules by which they lived in the archives of some of Belgium's most picturesque cities and towns. In the conversation she explains the process of shifting through and translating manuscripts to piece together as thorough a picture as possible of their life and raison d'être. She's driven by a desire to understand what drives ordinary people to extraordinary lengths. She understands spirituality as the lived experience of religion and shares her considerable insights into medieval spirituality and the proclamation of the gospel as a way of life.

Alison's interest in communicating human stories was first realised as a ballet dancer. She explains how movement convey the pains and joys of life and questions what motivates us as people. Communicating experience is integral to the human condition and Alison presents the case for a clear link between faith and culture.

You can listen to our podcast in the multimedia panel on the right.  Next week, in the concluding episode of the series, I’m joined by Father Michael Robertson, our Parish Priest at St Bonaventure's, Bishopston, Bristol. I'll also be bringing you a special addition to next week's programme.

Father Robert King

Last week's episode is still online.