Welcome to Episode 23 of Season 3 with the Reverend Dr. Stan Chu Ilo. Stan Chu Ilo is a Catholic priest from Awgu diocese, Nigeria; and Research Professor of World Christianity, African Studies and Global Health at the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois (USA). He is also an Honorary Professor of Religion and Theology at Durham University, Durham, England, and Visiting Research Scholar at the Institute of African Studies of the University of Nigeria. He is the Coordinating Servant of the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN). He is the winner of the 2017 Afro-Global Award for Global Leadership Impact in recognition of his work as the founder of the Canadian Samaritans for Africa that implemented more than 42 women empowerment and community support projects in 6 African countries. He is one of the editors and Board Member of Concilium, International Journal of Theology and serves on the editorial boards of numerous other journals including, the Journal of Global Catholicism, and the Journal of African Christian Biography and Journal Christian Ethics.

He currently serves on the senior advisory board of Templeton Religious Trust grant project on global spiritual formation for religious leaders. He is the principal convener of the Pan-African Catholic Congress, the third edition of which is taking place in Abidjan from August 4-10, 2025. He is the author or editor of 17 books including the forthcoming, Where is God in Africa? A Theology of Suffering and Smiling (with Orbis Books, 2025), Journeying Together in Hope for a Synodal Church in Africa (2024), Daily Walk with Jesus: African Biblical Reflections 365 for a Good Christian Life (2023) Someone Beautiful to God (2020), Wealth, Health and Hope in African Christian Religion (2018), Pentecostalism, Catholicism, and the Spirit in the World (2019)Handbook of African Catholicism (Orbis, 2022), Ecological Ethics for Cosmic Flourishing (Cascade, 2022); Under the Palaver Tree: Post-Vatican II African Ecclesiology (2023); A Poor and Merciful Church (2019), Church and Development in Africa (2014); The Church as Salt and Light (2011).

In today’s podcast, we are bringing you Stan Chu Ilo’s keynote lecture from May 3, 2025 at the CCE Promise of Christian Education: Past, Present, and Future conference in Vancouver. His lecture is called, The Promise and Praxis of Catholic Education: Hope for a Wounded and Divided World?

Please enjoy Stan Chu Ilo's lecture!

What Matters Most is produced by the Centre for Christian Engagement at St Mark’s College, the Catholic college at UBC. The CCE is a centre at St. Mark’s College that explores the Christian and Catholic intellectual tradition and seek to learn from others, other Christians, members of other religious traditions, and from those who do not claim any particular or formal religious affiliation. Our goal, then, is to talk to a lot of people, to learn from them, to listen to them, and to find out what motivates them, what gives them hope, what gives them peace, and what allows them to go out into the world to love their neighbors.

A few thanks are in order. To Martin Strong, to Kevin Eng, and to Fang Fang Chandra, the team who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.

I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.

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Thanks again for listening and remember what matters most.

John W. Martens

Director, Centre for Christian Engagement