On Wednesday 3 September, we welcomed OKS Catherine Conybeare (MR 1982-85) back to King's for a talk.

Catherine is an academic, classicist, and an authority on Augustine of Hippo. She is currently Leslie Clark Professor in Humanities at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, USA. In August 2025, Catherine published her latest work, Augustine the African. 

I arrived at King's in 1982 to join the 'classical sixth' and take Greek and Latin A Level. There I encountered gentle, scholarly Martin Tennick; precise, exacting Peter Dix; and dynamic, amusing John Godwin, whose passion for the texts he taught inspires me in the classroom to this day. Between the three of them I could hardly have been better equipped to embark on a lifetime of classical scholarship.

- Catherine writing for the OKS Magazine in Autumn 2021 

During the talk, Catherine gave a brief overview of the life of Augustine of Hippo. She reminded pupils that she was not going to be talking about 'your Augustine', the well-known Saint Augustine who brought Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England. Instead, her talk was focused on Augustine of Hippo, one of the world's most influential theologians. Much of the discussion was centred around Augustine's African identity, eventually answering the question "Does geography matter?" Catherine traced Augustine's travels from North Africa to the European continent and back again, placing his African origins firmly at the centre of his story.

Talk host, Dr Dan Cardinal (Head of RS and Head of Philosophy at King's), expertly facilitated the discussion and invited pupils and staff to ask questions at the end. 

Each question was sharp, curious, and full of insight, reflecting not only the pupils’ deep engagement with the subject but also the clarity and inspiration of Catherine’s delivery. Catherine’s remarkable knowledge and her ability to bring Augustine’s world vividly to life made for a truly captivating and memorable talk. The talk ended with an opportunity for pupils and staff to have their copies of Augustine the African signed. 

We were also pleased to welcome Catherine’s former housemaster, David Reid, and Janice Reid, former Head of Religious Studies, who joined us to show their support.

A huge thank you to Catherine for returning to King's and leaving everyone inspired by her knowledge and passion.

Augustine the African is out now and can be purchased from Profile Books, Amazon and bookshops. Find out more here.