On Thursday, 30 October 2025, at Dominikánská 8 (Prague), theologian and philosopher Eduard Fiedler (TRIERTIUM) participated in a panel discussion entitled “How Faith Happens” (in Czech „Jak se děje víra“), convened around the recently published translation of Klaus Hemmerle’s book.
Why this conversation matters
Hemmerle — a German bishop, philosopher and theologian associated with the Focolare Movement — places emphasis not on faith as a static set of propositions, but as a dynamic event of relation: God addressing the human person, the person responding, and transformation unfolding in community.
In this light, the panelists (Eduard Fiedler, Lenka Jeřábková, David Bouma) engaged with Hemmerle’s Trinitarian understanding of faith, wherein the life of the Triune God is itself the paradigm and source of believing-life. Faith is not simply assent but participation in the Father’s calling, the Son’s self-giving, and the Spirit’s movement. This perspective invites a shift from individualised, propositional faith to communal, relational, ecclesial faith. The panel also explored implications for pastoral care and catechesis: if faith is event and relationship, then catechesis cannot remain primarily didactic but must foster encounter, response, and community.
Watch the full discussion
The full recording of the debate is available on YouTube:
Get the book
Hemmerle’s book Jak se děje víra? Cesty k jádru evangelia (published by Vydavateľstvo Nové mesto, s.r.o.) is now available for purchase in the Czech/Slovak market: https://nm.sk/obchod/jak-se-deje-vira/
Photos by PETR KRAMPL, ČLOVĚK A VÍRA
