Cathedral Chats began during the recent pandemic as a way of connecting with the wider Hamilton community through topics of broad public interest. These conversations were the brainchild of the Rev. Dr. Rob Jones, then assistant curate at Christ’s Church Cathedral and Dean Tim Dobbin, and originally took place entirely via Zoom.
Later, as the pandemic restrictions eased, the conversations were moved to in-person events at the Cathedral, which were also broadcast via the Cathedral’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, with online viewers invited to ask questions through the chat feature.
The intent of these podcast-style interview conversations was that they were compelling and accessible to people both inside and outside of the Cathedral community. The range of topics has been broad: social justice issues and advocacy, current events, and academic research.
The goal of Cathedral Chats is not “faith-based” conversations; rather, the Cathedral aims to welcome the local community, demonstrating a desire to host significant, timely, and thought-provoking conversations. Cathedrals have been and remain civic spaces where the community can gather to discuss matters of public interest.
Treaty rights and Indigenous sovereignty; conspiracy theories and contemporary politics; homelessness and the housing crisis; anti-racism in the Church; youth mental health; gentrification, inequality, and social tensions in post-industrial Hamilton have all been explored in recent years.
Lynda Lukasik, director of Hamilton’s Office of Climate Change Initiatives (right) spoke about gentrification in Hamilton.
Last fall, the Cathedral invited Lynda Lukasik, director of Hamilton’s Office of Climate Change Initiatives to share what actions the City is taking in this important area and what everyone could do to help. In the winter, we hosted a roundtable of community leaders engaged in affordable housing to identify solutions to the local housing crisis. And in the spring, we looked at the growing issue of Christian nationalism with the help of Dr. Carmen Celestini, whose academic research is on this topic. She reported being both surprised and delighted that a church wanted to discuss the concerns and potential impact of this burgeoning ideology in Canada.
The Cathedral looks forward to hosting three more chats before next summer: Climate Justice Cathedral is sponsoring a conversation on responsible investing in the fall; our community engagement and spiritual formation teams will each offer public forums in winter and spring.
We remain deeply grateful for the capacity to host these events, for the experts willing to share their time and knowledge, and for the interest and support of the wider Hamilton community.
Cathedral Chats: Engaging Contemporary Issues
Cathedral Chats began during the recent pandemic as a way of connecting with the wider Hamilton community through topics of broad public interest. These conversations were the brainchild of the Rev. Dr. Rob Jones, then assistant curate at Christ’s Church Cathedral and Dean Tim Dobbin, and originally took place entirely via Zoom.
Later, as the pandemic restrictions eased, the conversations were moved to in-person events at the Cathedral, which were also broadcast via the Cathedral’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, with online viewers invited to ask questions through the chat feature.
The intent of these podcast-style interview conversations was that they were compelling and accessible to people both inside and outside of the Cathedral community. The range of topics has been broad: social justice issues and advocacy, current events, and academic research.
The goal of Cathedral Chats is not “faith-based” conversations; rather, the Cathedral aims to welcome the local community, demonstrating a desire to host significant, timely, and thought-provoking conversations. Cathedrals have been and remain civic spaces where the community can gather to discuss matters of public interest.
Treaty rights and Indigenous sovereignty; conspiracy theories and contemporary politics; homelessness and the housing crisis; anti-racism in the Church; youth mental health; gentrification, inequality, and social tensions in post-industrial Hamilton have all been explored in recent years.
Last fall, the Cathedral invited Lynda Lukasik, director of Hamilton’s Office of Climate Change Initiatives to share what actions the City is taking in this important area and what everyone could do to help. In the winter, we hosted a roundtable of community leaders engaged in affordable housing to identify solutions to the local housing crisis. And in the spring, we looked at the growing issue of Christian nationalism with the help of Dr. Carmen Celestini, whose academic research is on this topic. She reported being both surprised and delighted that a church wanted to discuss the concerns and potential impact of this burgeoning ideology in Canada.
The Cathedral looks forward to hosting three more chats before next summer: Climate Justice Cathedral is sponsoring a conversation on responsible investing in the fall; our community engagement and spiritual formation teams will each offer public forums in winter and spring.
We remain deeply grateful for the capacity to host these events, for the experts willing to share their time and knowledge, and for the interest and support of the wider Hamilton community.
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