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Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College welcomed Dr. Topping, our Executive Director, to deliver the esteemed annual Dr. Keith Cassidy Lecture.   Dr. Topping delivered an insightful talk to a packed crowd of students, faculty, clergy, and local community members on ways that Newman can offer guidance for the Church today.  He proposed an analysis on the chief ills of modernity through the lens of Newman’s thought, and suggested that "if the pathogen of modern life is fragmentation, N

“This is a great mystery” (Eph 5:32). With these words, St. Paul describes the sacrament of marriage. A mystery—not like the popular literary and film genre—is something we can always come to know more broadly and more deeply; a mystery is inexhaustible. My recent experience at the marriage retreat organised by the Gregory the Great Institute confirmed Paul’s position; marriage is a great mystery. I say this for two reasons. First, it was clear from the variety of couples who

Our recent marriage retreat was a great success, with 32 couples attending - well beyond our goal of 20. The weekend blended the gift of getting away together with opportunities to learn about building Catholic culture in the home. Couples were enriched by strong, practical talks, and the joy was evident throughout, from shared conversations to the lively dancing that brought everyone together. Feedback reflected this enthusiasm, with one couple calling it the “best marriage

We were pleased to join “Leadership Where it Matters Most” with Brett Powell, the Chief Executive Officer of Divine Renovation. Brett is joined by Dr. Ryan Topping, theologian, author, and founder of the Gregory the Great Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation on family, Catholic education, culture, and vocations.  Watch their talk on Cultural Renewal here!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdZ5N0PEuo&t=752s

In addition to publishing Magnalia and conducting research on Catholic life in Canada, our fellows publish articles on a range of fascinating topics. Most recently, on behalf of the Institute, Dr. Joseph Woodard published an article in the Catholic Register on Mary and Joseph. The article argues that Mary and Joseph, as a sinless mother and a saintly father, must have freely and consciously embraced their roles through a deep understanding, rather than being silent or distant

Dr. Topping joins Lisa Canning of Wayside Academy in Ontario for a webinar to discuss the importance of Classical Education.  The webinar was well attended. Dr. Topping presented a slideshow that visually illustrated the origins of classical versus progressive education.  His presentation convincingly made the case that classical education is the form of education most consonant with the Church’s vision of the human person.  Dr. Topping’s discussion identified the three quest

From October 24-25, at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College, in Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Dr. Topping travelled to deliver a lecture at a gathering organized by the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.  1. Dr. and Mrs Topping at dinner with leaders from the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and Seat of Wisdom College. The weekend served as an amazing opportunity to promote and share the good work going on out west through the Gregory the Great Institute. Many in Ontario were excited to hear

Victor Carpay works in Communications and Development at the Gregory the Great Institute. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, reading and has served in various political campaigns in Alberta. In this episode, he joins David Skuban with the Catholic Canuck Podcast to discuss the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk and describes a vision for cultural renewal in Canada. Towards the end of his podcast, Carpay touches on why he believes the Gregory the Great Institute will play a

Check out our latest Webinar! Today, on the Feast of all Saints, St. Cardinal Newman is declared a Doctor of the Church!

Our recent conference held in October united Christians from all over Canada, aiming to tackle questions around education, moral imagination, AI, and what it means to be human, through the lens of C.S. Lewis' work, The Abolition of Man . A Gathering of Minds and Hearts The conference had a variety of attendees, but through our Institute's vision to equip Christians to renew culture in light of faith and reason, it brought together various leaders who share a desire for cultur

In preparation for the 2025 Renewing Culture Conference, "Educating for Virtue", groups across Canada met to discuss C.S. Lewis' Abolition of Man. The Institute provided a study guide, but otherwise groups were free to establish their own terms - typically meeting between one and three times. Numerous participants have expressed hopes for another study soon. Below are pictures of a few of the groups. Look out for our 2026 studies soon to be announced!

In preparation for the first Renewing Culture Conference, the Institute hosted a webinar with several participants in our cross-city St....

The first ever St. Gregory Folk Music Camp was a glorious success. The two and half day camp featured Morning Prayer, virtue talks,...

Families joined participants for Sunday brunch On July 3-4 , some 30 professionals from across Canada met together to pray and discuss great texts from the Catholic intellectual tradition. This year's theme was "Renewing Culture." Seminar participants read and discussed texts from Benedict XVI, Gregory the Great, the Russian short story writer Anton Chekov, the American English professor John Senior, John Paul II, and the contemporary political philosopher Patrick Deneen.

We are planning on fully launching by October 3rd. More news to come soon.