Ecumenical

National Council of Churches Australia expresses sorrow over the death of Archbishop Aghan Baliozian OAM.  To read the media release, please click here. 

Cardinal Pell sends his deepest condolences to His Grace, Bishop Daniel on the passing of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III.  The read the Cardinal's message click here.
 
  •  Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity please click here.
  •  National Council of Churches in Australia Triennial Forum 2010 click here.
  •  The-Impulse-of-Gods-Grace-1The Impulse of God’s Grace: Pastoral Letter on the Centenary of the Ecumenical Movement 2010, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Download here.
 
 
 
 
 
This week as you may be aware is the Week Of Prayer for Christian Unity.  The beautiful prayer below has been prepared by the National Council of Churches for all Christians to include in their prayer this week.  It is an opportunity to be united in Spirit with our brothers and sisters of other Christian Faiths.
 
Quoted in Cardinal Cassidy’s book Rediscovering Vatican II: Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue(Paulist Press, 2005) on Ecumenism:
 
“Together with a change of heart and a holier life, prayer is an essential element in promoting Christian Unity.  Such spiritual ecumenism should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement (Unitatis Redintegratio, 8).
 
 Prayer for Christian Unity
 
Across all barriers of language, race and nationality, unite us Jesus.
Across all our mutual ignorance, prejudice and hostility, unite us Jesus.
Across all differences of thought, outlook and religious allegiance,
unite us Jesus.
 
O God, for your greater glory, gather together the separated Christians.
O God,  for the triumph of goodness and truth, gather together
the separated Christians.
O God, that there may be one flock and one Shepherd, gather together
the separated Christians.
O God, to confound the pride of Satan and his assaults, gather together
the separated Christians.
O God, that peace may reign in the word at last, gather together
the separated Christians.
O God, for the greater joy of the heart of your Son, gather together
the separated Christians
 
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011
 
 (5-12 June 2011)
 
  "One in the Apostles' Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and Prayer"
 

This year’s theme offered for our meditation by the Churches in Jerusalem invites Christians everywhere to pause and reflect on their relation to the mother Church of Jerusalem, so as to look afresh at our own situations. It is from this Jerusalem community that all other communities are born. The earthly community of Jerusalem is a pre-figuration of the heavenly Jerusalem where all peoples will be gathered around the throne of the Lamb in eternal praise and adoration of God.

The 2011 resources, have been adapted by a small Week of Prayer team from the materials produced jointly by the WCC & the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, drawing on Jerusalem churches’ experience, here for Australia, they seek to deepen our unity in Christ. It is hoped that these resources may be used in creative ways assisting peoples reflections on the unity that is visible in Christ. Please mark the Week of Prayer in ways that are most appropriate for the place where you live.

For more details and to download resources to help host this event please visit the National Council Churches Australia website here.

 

Three New Ecumenical Resources FREE

Based on the Report of the National Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Uniting Church in Australia (2002-2008)

The Mission of the Church

 
1. Reflections on the Mission of the Church: A four-session small group study program for use by Christians from a range of traditions.

2. What is the Mission of the Church (Roman Catholic Perspective)?  Seven brief "prayerful ponderings' for use before meetings etc.

3. What is the Mission of the Church (Uniting Church Perspective)?Seven brief "prayerful ponderings" for use before meetings etc. 

For a free download, please click here.

For futher information contact: Margaret Naylon, Brisbane Roman Catholic Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations, Phone (07) 3336 9354, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
The Institute of Ecumenical Studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University offers a Distance Learning Master's Program in Ecumenical Studies. 
 For more information please click here.
 
Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Geneva.  For more course information click here.
 
Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies, Jerusalem.  To visit the website click here.
 
The Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College, Dublin also offers courses.  Click herefor details.
 
The Saints and Christian Prayer: An Agreed Statement from the Australian Anglican-Roman Catholic Conversation.  To download a copy of this document please click here.
 
A moment of truth: A word of faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering (Kairos Palestine 2009)
To read the full document click here.  To find out more about Act for Peace work in Gaza please click here
 
National Conference of Diocesan Commissions for Ecumenism and Inter-religious relations (30th October 2009).  To read the full document please click here.
 
The Eastern Churches, Orthodox and Catholic.  By Bishop Issam John Darwish, BSO, DD.  Eparchy: Melkite Greek - Catholic Eparchy of St Michael, Australia and N.Z.  Date published 1 Nov 2009.   To read the full document please click here.
 
Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World Recommendations For Conduct. Click here to download the joint statement by the World Council of Churches, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and World Evangelical Alliance.