All Hallows Staff Prominent in International Associations for the Study of Spirituality 

The newly created British Association for the Study of Spirituality (BASS) held its inaugural international conference in Windsor, England, from 4th - 6th May. The conference explored the relevance of spirituality for the socio-economic, political and cultural challenges in contemporary society.  

Dr Michael O’Sullivan, Head of Theological Studies and Director of the MA in Applied Christian Spirituality, delivered a paper on Spirituality and Social Justice and chaired an international panel on Spirituality, Psychology and Counselling.  Dr Bernadette Flanagan, Director of Research, chaired an international panel on Spirituality and Social Work.

Taken at the BASS conference, May 2010,  are (l-r): William O'Brien, Dr Bernadette Flanagan, Dr Eunice Minford, and Dr Michael O'Sullivan.  William and Eunice were MA students in Applied Christian Spirituality at Milltown Institute of Michael and Bernadette.  That MA programme finishes at Milltown in 2010-11, and will be replaced by a similar programme beginning at All Hallows on August 16th of this year.

Some of the leading international figures in the field of spirituality studies research, namely, Linda Woodhead, Harold Koenig, Rebecca Nye, Bob Neimeyer, and Ursula King, delivered papers.

The creation of BASS is a further and very important manifestation of a worldwide trend concerning the emergence and development of spirituality as a new academic discipline.  BASS aims to promote the study of the interfacing of spirituality and fields of human life like social care, health care, counselling, and business studies.

Dr Flanagan and Dr O’Sullivan were also contributors to the Second European Conference on Spirituality, Religion and Health, in Berne, Switzerland, from May 13-15, where they were in the company of leading international scholars like Professor Kenneth Pargament, Professor Harold Koenig, Professor John Swinton, and Professor Maria Kopp.