15th–19th June, Maynooth & Online
Embedded Files
Summer Scripture School 2026
"Peace is a breath of the eternal: while to evil we cry out “Enough,” to peace we whisper “Forever.” Into this horizon the Risen One has led us. Sustained by this conviction, even amid what Pope Francis called “a third world war fought piecemeal,” peacemakers continue to resist the spread of darkness, standing as sentinels in the night."
– Pope Leo XIV, January 1st 2026
Important Update
As some of you may know, Kieran was recently in hospital and has been advised to rest over the coming weeks. Unfortunately, this means he will not be able to join us for this year's Summer School, though he will be with us in spirit.
However, we still plan to have a full schedule and have made some adjustments to the outline. While Kieran's four presentations on Ephesians will not go ahead, Jessie will offer two presentations on the letter as part of her own topic. Likewise, Seán will expand his topic with two additional presentations, spending more time on Genesis and including Jonah.
In the description for our Summer School last year, we noted that we were living in unprecedented and uncertain times. A year later, against the backdrop of another war, protests, and economic upheaval, those times have become even more uncertain and frightening. To speak of peace in today's world may no longer seem idealistic for many people, but even unrealistic. Yet, as Pope Leo XIV notes, "Peace is more than just a goal; it is a presence and a journey. Even when it is endangered within us and around us, like a small flame threatened by a storm, we must protect it, never forgetting the names and stories of those who have borne witness to it."
With this in mind, our Summer Scripture School for this year will explore how peace, reconciliation, and hostility are presented in key texts of the Bible, and how they might offer a word of path through a world that seems to have gone mad.
Course Overview
When registering, you have the option of two different types of attendance. In-Person & Hybrid, for those who wish to join us in Maynooth for all five days (or most of them); and Online Only (Individual & Groups), offering a livestream of each presentation via Zoom, and access to the recordings of each after they have taken place.
Both options are priced at €70 for the whole course:
For those joining in-person, this cost is per individual.
For those joining online only, this cost is per individual, household, group, or community.
For All Attendees
Twelve presentations (in-person and livestreamed), six each from Seán and Jessie (details further below).
Access to the course resources online, where you will find the livestream of the course, recordings of each presentation (after they take place), slides, and additional materials.
For In-Person Attendees Only
Tea, Coffee, and Croissants each morning between the first and second presentations of the day.
Optional activities each evening, aimed in particular at those staying in Maynooth, but open to all. These activities are informal, may focus more on Scripture in general than the overall theme, and they are not recorded or livestreamed.
Presentation Topics
Reconciliation in Genesis, Ruth, and Jonah
Seán Goan
Questions of conflict and division loom large in many biblical narratives, which seek to explore where and how God is at work through human weakness and failure. Seán intends to explore the idea of biblical storytelling across six presentations, considering texts from Genesis (from Cain through to Joseph) and then the intriguing stories of Ruth and Jonah. In all these narratives, questions of wrongdoing, prejudice and peacemaking are raised and explored in challenging ways.
Jesus as Peace Maker in the Gospels and Ephesians
Jessie Rogers
In the Gospels, Jesus is not only a preacher of peace but a maker of peace. In her first four presentations, Jessie will explore how Jesus proclaims the coming of God’s shalom through his teaching, his healing and table fellowship, his engagement in controversy and conflict, and ultimately through the mystery of the cross itself. Far from avoiding tension, the peacemaking of Jesus challenges injustice, restores broken relationships, and opens a path toward reconciliation and new creation.
In her final two presentations, Jessie will explore the theme of Christ as our peace through the lens of St Paul's theology and spirituality in Ephesians. Focusing especially on the vision of reconciliation in Ephesians 2 and the call to live in “the bond of peace” in Ephesians 4, she will consider how the peace won through the cross becomes the foundation for a new humanity and a reconciled community.
Further Information
Accommodation
Due to operational changes at the university, the availability of accommodation is severely limited this year. However, a number of college rooms (single or twin with shared facilities) have been reserved for the Summer School. Unfortunately, there are no ensuite rooms available at present.
To Book a Room
1. Please visit: booking.maynoothcampus.com
2. Select the dates of your stay.
3. Click on apply voucher and use the code TARSUS26
4. Click on show availability (do this after inputting the voucher code!)
Please note that no rooms may appear unless the voucher code is used. If you run into any difficulties, you can also call or email accommodation at 01 708 6400 or reception@spcm.ie
Tentative Schedule *
We will provide further details on individual events (e.g., keynote speaker, evening activities) in a programme booklet as June draws closer. This will be automatically sent out to all those who have registered, and available to view on this page for those who might still be considering joining us!
* There may be minor adjustments to the arrangement of this schedule, but the timeslots should remain unchanged. As Kieran cannot join us this year, we will not have the option for Mass each day. However, we will organise a prayer service or a liturgy of the word on days when Eucharist is not possible.
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