4 Riverside Avenue
Riverside
CT
Early Encounters: European and Asian Cultures at the Crossroads
Sundays, October 17– November 21
11:45 AM in St. Catherine’s Lucey Parish Hall
(4 Riverside Avenue, Riverside, CT)
Robert Henrey will resume his 2021 lecture series, Early Encounters: European and Asian Cultures at the Crossroads (1500-1850), starting October 17. His goal has been to share his long-standing interest in the historical, religious and linguistic backdrop to the complex but fascinating story of how adventurers, traders and scholarly missionaries brought back home a growing awareness of the richness they had encountered.
The series began this past spring with a four-part, virtual discussion of how 16thcentury Portuguese maritime dominance dramatically accelerated a process of mutual awareness that stretched back to the Ancient World and how India, with its long history of attracting and fostering diverse cultures, became the stepping stone for those looking to explore yet farther eastward. This fall series will continue the story, by inviting discussion on how westerners made early inroads into China and Japan thanks, in large part, to the remarkable achievements of Jesuit missionaries – with dramatically different and unforeseen outcomes. These in-person, illustrated presentations will also address how East and West gradually became aware of each other’s cultures leading to our increasingly interconnected world and are designed to stimulate discussion–the process of mutual understanding is taking on increasing urgency and is far from over!
Join us for these engaging events on four Sundays at 11:45 AM following the 10:30 AM Mass!
October 17 – Part One: The Jesuits Reach China’s Forbidden City
October 31 – Part Two: A Japanese-European Honeymoon
November 7 – Part Three: The Chinese Middle Kingdom keeps the Barbarians at Bay
November 21 – Part Four: Japan Bars the Gate leaving it a crack open to Dutch Learning