French American Jesuit theologian Fr Nicolas Steeves SJ will examine the relationship between imagination and effective preaching at the 2026 St John Henry Newman Symposium.
The Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University will deliver the lecture, "Real Words: Preaching Savingly to Postmoderns", on 9 October at ACU's North Sydney Campus.
Fr Steeves has published numerous academic papers on St John Henry Newman, and also the role imagination plays in the world of theology and ecclesial life.
Helping people to see Jesus more clearly is the definition of good preaching but the postmodern world can blind people to this reality, Fr Steeves said.
"One of the many challenges postmodernity poses to how we know and act is the place of reality," he said.
"In our expanding postmodern hall of mirrors, we struggle to find the real and start doubting it can ever be found."
A longstanding scholar of John Henry Newman's theology, Fr Steeves said the 19th century thinker – who was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV in 2025 – paid close attention to this tension.
"John Henry Newman prophetically caught on to that struggle, and urged Christians to use real words—especially preachers, whose motive must be the salvation of their hearers," Fr Steeves said.
"Newman's subtle balance between freedom, reason, and dogma enlightens those who preach Christ to make their hearers see him."
The annual John Henry Newman Symposium lecture is co-hosted by Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA).
ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Zlatko Skrbis said Fr Steeves would offer a fresh understanding of St John Henry Newman's insights into Christian life.
"Fr Nicolas Steeves is an esteemed scholar of the great St John Henry Newman, and his commentary on Newman's theology is in high demand," Professor Skrbis said.
"We are delighted to welcome Fr Steeves to ACU, where he will offer fresh insights into the purpose of Christian preaching and its role in evangelisation."
The annual John Henry Newman Symposium, co-hosted by ACU and UNDA, was launched in 2022 by Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP.
The event honours the life and work of St John Henry Newman, including his influential 1852 collection of essays and lectures, later published as The Idea of a University.
The symposium reflects ACU and UNDA's shared commitment to fostering Catholic intellectual life and exploring the enduring contribution of Newman to theology, education and the life of the Church.
The St John Henry Newman Symposium will be held on 9 October at ACU's North Sydney Campus.
