“Our objective is to address matters and present writing of a standard that communicates the need for reflection, debate and engagement,” writes Stockland. He aims not for a mass audience, but for “a robust and enriched community of readers” seeking thoughtful commentary on faith and society.
Joining Stockland in the endeavor, sponsored by the Cardus Centre for Cultural Renewal, is Editor-in-Chief Father Raymond de Souza. A parish priest and Queen's University economics professor, Fr. de Souza has written for publications including Canada's National Post and the National Catholic Register.
The magazine represents one part of a larger project that will include public lectures, seminars, and other meetings meant to strengthen religious believers' public presence.
The Cardus Centre wants the Convivium Project – in its literary, electronic, and offline dimensions – to be a “community that that connects citizens committed to the renewal of Canadian culture and our common life.”
Convivium's first issue features National Post religion reporter Charles Lewis' thoughts on faith and journalism, Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Predergast's reflections on the upcoming new Mass translation, New Democrat MP Bill Blaikie's outlook on the “religious Left,” and a feature on “The Torments of China's Religious Believers” of various traditions.
Along with his “Small Talk” column offering notes on a range of news items, Fr. de Souza writes a “continuing survey” of cultural trends in his “From Sea to Sea” section. Its first installment includes discussions of Canadian Catholic convert and intellectual Marshall McLuhan, and the career of late New Democratic leader Jack Layton.
