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Biomedical researchers, healthcare professionals, and students from across the country gathered at Buckden Towers from 17 – 19 April for a unique retreat exploring the relationship between faith, healthcare, and the life sciences.
Hosted by the Diocese of East Anglia and supported by the Equipping Christian Leaders in an Age of Science (ECLAS) project at St John’s College, Durham, the weekend brought together 25 full-time participants, with a further seven joining for the Saturday programme.
The retreat formed part of a wider initiative led by Dr Katharina Patommel and Fr Peter Wygnanski who have been co-directing a development programme aimed at supporting Catholics working in healthcare and scientific fields. Earlier stages included workshops at the chaplaincies of the University of East Anglia and Cambridge, as well as an expert panel discussion featuring Archbishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues, alongside leading voices in bioethics and public policy.
At Buckden Towers, participants were invited to reflect more deeply on their vocation through a balance of prayer, talks, and fellowship. The programme included daily Mass, the Divine Office, and Eucharistic Adoration, alongside a series of themed talks addressing vocation, contemplation, and hope. Guided lectio divina and opportunities for quiet reflection provided further space for personal prayer and discernment, as the retreat hoped to provide not only opportunity for discussion but, most of all, encounter with Christ and with one another.
Fr Peter Wygnanski noted, “The wisdom of the expert panel we held strongly pointed towards a need for this kind of retreat; a means of spiritually supporting those working in healthcare, research, and other professional environments where principles of faith can be difficult faithfully to live out or even explicitly challenged. The deep engagement with the programme by those who came, and the simple fact that this retreat was significantly over subscribed, have evidenced the importance of prayer and encouragement in this context, especially when experienced in the context of a community of those who experience shared challenges in their faith and work.”
Dr. Zinia Pritchard, D.Min, Certified Spiritual Care Practitioner, CASC/ACSS, O.P.A, Director of Pastoral and Spiritual Practice at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, who was in attendance on the Saturday, commented, “The diocesan initiative to lead an ECLAS sponsored retreat responsive to the spiritual formation needs of Catholic scientists, medical, and mental health practitioners is to be applauded. I found the retreat leaders’ integration of faith within their lived practice inspiring. The container of community cultivated through the spiritual space of retreat provided a safe space for prayer, reflection and sharing.”
The setting of Buckden Towers, with its rich ecclesial history and peaceful surroundings, provided an ideal backdrop for the weekend. From shared meals to moments of silence in the chapel, the retreat fostered a strong sense of community rooted in prayer.
The organisers hope this initiative will continue to grow, building a network of Catholic professionals equipped to witness to the dignity of the human person in healthcare and scientific practice.
