Portsmouth and Plymouth to Make God's Word 'Loud and Clear'

Following our successful "Loud & Clear?" Conference in 2004, a second conference is to be held jointly at Exeter University in 2007 by the Catholic Dioceses of Plymouth, Clifton and Portsmouth, .

Portsmouth's three diocesan bishops will be present at the gathering of priests and lay people, which aims to build upon the successful 2004 Loud & Clear Conference.

Four keynote speakers, Nicholas King SJ, Daniel O'Leary, Bill Huebsch and Megan McKenna, will offer their insights into the Gospel and how God's word can be lived today.

Bath-born King will bring a wide-ranging knowledge of the Catholic Church to the conference, having taught in universities and schools in England as well as spending many years in South Africa. He has recently published a ground-breaking translation of the New Testament and currently lectures at Oxford University.

Author and speaker O'Leary was formerly the Episcopal Vicar for Christian Formation in the Diocese of Leeds but is known to many from his regular column in The Tablet.

Huebsch, from the US, established the Vatican II Project and was author of Vatican II in Plain English. His latest project: Growing Faith is an intentional and systematic adult catechetical process based entirely on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Megan McKenna is the internationally renowned author, lecturer, retreat leader and spiritual director, whose books include And Morning Came - Scriptures of the Resurrection, Praying the Rosary and Send my Roots Rain.

In addition to this, a choice of workshops will enable people to explore the ways in which we are called to live God's word today.