The 17th International Congress of Christian Archaeology on "Frontiers - the transformation and Christianization of the Roman Empire between Center and Periphery" starts in Utrecht on Sunday, 1 July, 2018, and moves to Nijmegen for the second half of the week, ending with an excursion to the Catacombs at  Valkenburg on Saturday, 7 July 2018. The full program of events, including a public session on "The Destruction of Christian Heritage in the Near East" is posted at: https://ciac.sites.uu.nl/. 
International Catacomb Society Vice President, Prof. Annewies van den Hoek (Harvard University, emerita), a member of the congress' Dutch National Steering Committee, is chairing the Persia, Armenia, and Georgia session on Monday, 2 July, from 17:30-18:15, and presenting the following day in the Roman North Africa session on "The Reaper, a wandering therapeutic image". Her husband, ICS advisor John J. Herrmann, Jr., curator emeritus at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will also deliver a paper on "Coptic influence in Mediterranean painted pottery" in the session "Center and Periphery II", on Tuesday, 3 July, from 14:30-15:30.
The Congress is co-organized by current ICS advisor, Prof. Sible L. de Blaauw and ICS past director Prof. Leonard V. Rutgers, who served on the society's board in the late 1990's.
The International Catacomb Society warmly congratulates Professors de Blaauw, Herrmann, van den Hoek, Rutgers, and colleagues on the organization and planning of this quinquennial event.