The 2026 Laishley Lecture: Rev. Dr Richard Lennan. Thursday 30th April, 7pm.

'Formation for Discipleship: Engaging the Synod's Project'

'Formation', traditionally applied only to religious and seminarians, is central to the vision for the whole church in the Final Document (2024) of the Synod on Synodality. Effective formation, the Synod proposes, fosters a church whose members value mutuality and creatively serve the gospel in society. The lecture proposes an understanding of 'formation' attuned to the Synod's vision and sketches the contours of a church formed for discipleship in a complex world. Please book here.

About the 2026 lecturer

Richard Lennan is a priest of the diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in Australia, ordained in 1983. His graduate theological studies were at the University of Oxford and the University of Innsbruck, where his doctoral dissertation was on Karl Rahner's ecclesiology. From 1992-2007, Richard taught at the Catholic Institute of Sydney and served as President of the Australian Catholic Theological Association (2005-07). Since 2007, Richard has taught in the United States and is currently Professor of Systematic Theology in the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, where he also chairs the Ecclesiastical Faculty. Richard was a theological consultant for the Plenary Council of Australia (2021-22) and has written several articles on the theology and practice of synodality. His wider research focuses on ecclesiology, ministry, and the theology and spirituality of Karl Rahner. Richard has authored or edited eleven books, the most recent being Karl Rahner's Spiritual Theology, published in December 2025 as part of the "Classics in Western Spirituality" series.