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The Vancouver School of Theology is delighted to confirm that an international campaign to permanently endow a major new initiative in theological education has been gathering momentum behind the scenes, and is about to go public. The O’Driscoll Forum is billed as “A Celebration of Preaching, Teaching and the Liturgical Arts.” Beginning next year, the multi-day program will be an annual highlight of the summer curriculum at Vancouver School of Theology. The Forum is named in honour of Herbert and Paula O’Driscoll.

“Herb” O’Driscoll is a former parish priest and cathedral dean, internationally renowned
conference and pilgrimage leader, hymnodist and storyteller, and author of over fifty books, who continues to write and speak prolifically and eloquently at age 93. Perhaps above all, he is a great preacher and teacher of preaching, who has spent a lifetime showing how the stories and traditions of our faith speak eloquently to contemporary concerns, and mentoring others to do the same.

At the heart of each summer’s O’Driscoll Forum will be visits by globally distinguished teachers
and practitioners of preaching, teaching and the liturgical arts. They will be invited to give public lectures, and to spend a few days on the VST campus sharing their experience with a group of aspiring young practitioners of these skills, in a collegial “master class” format, much like the one Herb pioneered and practiced over many years at the College of Preachers in Washington, DC. Many Forum offerings will also be available online.

A live, public, online launch event will be broadcast on Tuesday, May 31st, at 4pm Pacific. Herb will speak and read from his recent book of memoirs. There will be greetings and tributes from distinguished past and present colleagues, and reminiscences from folk who have gone on pilgrimage with Herb and Paula, or crossed paths with them in other ways. Richard Topping will speak about plans for the O’Driscoll Forum. The program will also be recorded and available for later viewing.

The event will be livestreamed on vst.edu/odriscollforum.

For more details about the Forum, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to watch the launch
event live on May 31st (or recorded thereafter), please visit https://vst.edu/event/online-launch-of-the-odriscoll-forum/.

Below is the full media release from VST and information package that outlines the project in more detail.