The Holy Father also accepted the resignation of Most Reverend Michael Wiwchar, C.Ss.R., who held the position since 2001. Conforming to the mandatory age of retirement at 75, Bishop Wiwchar formally requested retirement following his 75th birthday in May 2007.

The newly appointed Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon made his final profession as a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer on September 13, 1986 and was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1987. Redemptionists assignments have included serving as a teacher and director of St. Vladimir’s College and formation director of the major seminary of his community, and serving as parish priest in a number of parishes throughout Western Canada. Most recently, he was the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Yorkton, within the Eparchy of Saskatoon.

The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon includes 21 diocesan priests, three permanent deacons and more than 20 men and women religious who serve a population of 18,000 Catholics in 87 parishes and missions.

“This is an important step in our commitment to the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, and another example of our government doing the right thing for former students, and all Canadians,” said Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl who announced on April 28 Justice LaForme’s appointment as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Ottawa. Mr. Strahl said that Justice LaForme, who is a member of the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nations in southern Ontario, “brings a wealth of respect and leadership experience and is the most senior aboriginal judge in the country.”

Assembly of First Nations chief Phil Fontaine hailed Justice LaForme’s appointment saying, “Not only is he a proud First Nations citizen, he is an outstanding jurist and a compassionate and understanding person.” He added: “I have no doubt he will leave no stoned unturned in his investigation of exactly what happened in residential schools, the harm caused, why and how it happened and who was responsible. At the same time, he will bring the grace and compassion required in the truth commission’s work so necessary for healing to begin.”

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, sent his envoy for residential schools, retired Archishop Terence Finlay, as his representative to attend the announcement of Justice LaForme's appointment in Ottawa. Archbishop Hiltz is currently attending a meeting in Chennai, India of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.

Last March, Archbishop Hiltz and Bishop Mark MacDonald, national Anglican indigenous bishop, joined other church leaders in a national tour to raise awareness about the commission.

Justice LaForme was unanimously chosen from more than 300 nominees by a panel composed of representatives from national native organizations and parties to the revised settlement agreement that came into effect last September. He will help select the two other members of the commission, which is part of the revised settlement agreement between the government, representatives of former residential schools students and churches who operated the boarding schools.

The TRC is meant to provide former students and their families with a chance to share their experiences in a “holistic, culturally-appropriate and safe setting.” Representatives of government and churches that operated the schools will also be invited to share their stories. (The Anglican church operated 35 of about 130 boarding schools attended by aboriginals from the mid-19th century into the 1970s. In recent years, hundreds of former students have sued the church and the federal government, which owned the schools, alleging physical and sexual abuse.)

During its five-year term, the commission will produce a report and recommendations, and establish a national archive/research center regarding residential schools.

Justice LaForme, 61, began his law career as an associate of a corporate commercial law firm before specializing in aboriginal law. He has litigated and focused on matters involving the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

He was appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, now the Superior Court of Justice, in 1994. At the time of his appointment, he was one of three native judges appointed to this level of trial court in Canada. He was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2004.

In 1989, he was appointed commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario, and in 1991, as chief commissioner of the Indian Specific Claims Commission on Aboriginal land claims.

Justice LaForme has taught “The Rights of Indigenous Peoples” course at Osgoode Law School, where he graduated in 1977.

He has been awarded with the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (1997) and aboriginal elders have, on three occasions, presented him with an eagle feather, symbolizing the virtues of honesty, integrity, and respect.

This is no "throw-more-money-at-the-inner-city-quick-fix" solution, but rather a very well planned partnership between local community based organizations, social service providers, the Saskatoon Health Region, the University of Saskatchewan, the city of Saskatoon and local businesses. Its purpose is to address the very well documented discrepancies in social and health care provision between different areas of Saskatoon.

Station 20 West is designed to address these issues, providing a free or low-cost dental clinic (through the U of S department of dentistry), a not-for-profit grocery store featuring good food at affordable prices (in an area where there hasn't been a grocery store for 10 years), a library and other valuable facilities, along with much-needed affordable housing. The project will offer people living in the core neighbourhoods a chance to help themselves and raise themselves out of poverty. The long-term savings to the government in social service and health care costs, emergency room visits, welfare and corrections facility costs would far outstrip the promised and committed $8 million government investment.

Thousands of volunteer hours have been expended on this worthwhile project by community groups, businesses, church groups and the university. It has widespread community support and credibility. This project is far too important to be made into a political football.

My understanding of the Saskatchewan Party is that it is a grass-roots party which encourages community engagement and the promotion of self-sufficiency. Thus supporting Station 20 West fits with the Sask Party's core values. It would put tools in the hands of the poor to help them to help themselves.

The Saskatchewan Party also, I think, believes in fairness and integrity. A decision to cut funding which has been promised and committed, and on the basis of which so many organizations and businesses have expended time and resources, appears to lack both fairness and integrity.

I urge the provincial government to reconsider.

Yours sincerely

Rev. Dr. Jan Bigland-Pritchard
Director, Prairie Centre for Ecumenism

Bring friends, family, and neighbours!!

Saturday April 5th, gather at 10am at Station 20 West, 20th Street West and Avenue L South

Station 20 West is a Community Enterprise Centre being constructed in the heart of Saskatoon's core neighbourhoods.

The project will strengthen the economy and create skills and employment, provide much needed services and amenities, reduce poverty and health disparities, use LEED environmental design, and help revitalize the Westside core neighbourhoods.

The Provincial government has pulled their $8 million in promised and committed funding from the project, effectively stopping construction.

We will walk together to show community support to reinstate funding and let this innovative and much-needed community-building project reach its full potential.

Resources:
• Community Walk Poster - download, print, and post in a public location
• Join the Station 20 West Facebook Group - for the latest information on the campaign to reinstate funding
• Community Walk invitation on Facebook - send invitations to your friends
• Sign the online petition to reinstate funding
• Visit the Station 20 West website to read about the project, see artistic renderings, and contribute to the capital campaign

Why? Because our use of fossil fuels –- symbolized here by a light bulb -- is contributing to global climate change. In 2007, the people of Sydney, Australia, decided that they could send a powerful message for change by turning off all their lights at the same time. More than 2 million citizens and businesses did so. Now, the World Wildlife Fund is taking Sydney’s history–making moment global by encouraging people, businesses, and communities all over the world to turn off their lights and demand action on climate change.

KAIROS asks you, your church, and your community to join in this global effort as part of your commitment to the Re-Energize: Time For A Carbon Sabbath campaign. Use this time to reflect on your use of fossil fuels and their connections not just to climate change but to human rights and conflict as well. Build community around these issues. Advocate with local and federal governments to change their policies and practices related to fossil fuels.

It all began in the middle of the night, sometime in December. The previous day I had email to say that very senior aboriginal and church leaders were going to cross the country together to promote the work of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This was exciting. The TRC struck me as a courageous way to help heal this wound in our national soul.

My heart sank, however, when I read the proposed itinerary. No mention of Saskatchewan. “How typical”, I thought, the chip on my prairie-girl shoulder well in place. I thought: it doesn’t matter to those people ‘down east’ that Saskatchewan has a very large native population, that many residential schools were located here. With a fatalistic sigh, I went to bed.

And woke up in the middle of the night. There was no question: I had to write to the organizers and urge them to come to Saskatchewan. A few minutes on the internet brought up the email address. I wrote at once, urging our case and offering the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism as the local partner.

On January 11 we got word that the national tour, impressed by the strength of our invitation, was coming to Saskatoon on March 9. Hastily the Restorative Justice committee assembled, and others were invited on board -- including Ethel Ahenakew of the Saskatoon Native Ministry, Alan Jacques, who ministers on the Dakota Whitecap First Nation, Mary Ann Assailly, of the Anglican diocesan outreach network.

We were excited. Someone asked how many people will come. I said I wasn’t sure, but we should prepare for up to 400. There was incredulous laughter. (We are used to disappointment.) But we persuaded ourselves to think big, and got to work -- especially Carol Zubiak our chair, and Carol Penner, our office manager. We were delighted when FaithLife Financial stepped up to the plate and gave us $1,000 to help.

Four churches ran residential schools on behalf of the federal government -- Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United. Their local church leaders were enthusiastic about the March 9 visit, and promoted the event among their people. Chief Lawrence Joseph, head of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, flew to Ottawa to check out the national launch of the tour. That convinced him that the churches were sincere. He agreed to speak in Saskatoon, and promoted the event with Saskatchewan native leaders.

Invitations went out far and wide -- oh the wonders of email. The press releases went out. We held our breath.

Then the phone began to ring. The computer went crazy. Media said they were coming. By the week of the tour, we were arranging overflow seating and urging the Western Development Museum to squeeze in more seats and stand by with extra food.

On the day we counted 471 going past the registration desk. People were streaming in, white and native, old and young. There was a line-up of those wanting to smudge. The perfume of sweetgrass filled the air. People sat at round and long, tables, filling the hall. Expectant and a little nervous.

On stage the national tour’s display featured a young native boy’s face, with a very institutional haircut. His face appeared on the podium as well. When Ted Quewezance, residential school survivor and head of the survivor’s society, stood at the podium and told his story. I felt I was time travelling, for Ted -- a man in his fifties or sixties -- bore an uncanny resemblance to that little boy.

Each church leader spoke well, with words of clear apology for a very serious wrong. Chief Joseph had called it a ‘holocaust’. The uncomfortable truth, new to me, was that many children never came home from those residential schools. Many died or disappeared. We must remember. There is so much that most non-native people don’t know.

The program ran long, but the audience stayed with it. There were tissues placed on each table. They were needed. Many were touched -- the audience, the museum serving staff, the media people, the local sound technician. A young Métis prison worked shared her sense of delight about the event. A school survivor in her sixties told me about the great sense of lightness and peace that had come upon her as the afternoon unfolded.

We finished with a meal and a round dance. When I went to the microphone and asked “Who’s ready for some singing and dancing?” there were whoops and shouts and applause. As ‘Young Thunder’ drummed and sang, a circle of people formed, holding hands, dancing around the edge of the hall. Native and white together, moving to the drum, a ring reaching not just once around the hall, but in places two lines thick. A moment of declaration. A moment of hope.

People asked me, “Are you coming back next year?” The question was about whether the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, when it shapes its itinerary for the major city events, will remember to come to Saskatchewan. We need them to come.

At the PCE, we’ll be standing by for the phone call.

---

• For background on the Truth & Reconciliation Commission go to www.residentialschoolssettlement.ca
• The tour website is www.rememberingthechildren.ca
• A Most Holy Day - The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, reflects on the Saskatoon stop of the tour.

"Exodus. Numbers. Judges. As conservative parishes leave the liberal Episcopal Church, who shall inherit the real estate?"

This is an excellent article from LegalAffairs by Elizabeth Austin. It provides some insight into the role of bishops, hierarchy, and conciliar government in the Episcopal Church. It is a little different in every Anglican province, but Canada will have some similarities. The legal precedents will also be different. In Canada, many of the major legal precedents regarding church property were established following the 1925 church union that resulted in the United Church of Canada.

Cross-Canada Promotion Tour
Saskatchewan stop is March 9, 2008

Senior aboriginal and church leaders are crossing Canada this March to promote the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which is being set up as part of the healing process set out in the Indian Residential Schools Agreement.

The Saskatoon event is Sunday, March 9 at the Western Development Museum, starting at 3.00 pm, concluding with a feast & round dance.

Assembly of First Nations leaders and Regional Chiefs are part of the tour, along with senior staff from the Office of the Interim Director of the TRC. The other members include the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican National Indigenous Bishop, the Moderator of the United Church of Canada and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Local church and political leaders will offer a word of welcome to the national tour team at the event. The AFN will be in touch with chiefs in the region about this, and the FSIN have been invited to be present

We are excited that this important event is coming to Saskatchewan. This is a public event. We hope you can be there and will tell others about it. There is no charge for the event. A donations basket is available. Pre-registration is strongly advised to help us plan seating, and is ESSENTIAL if you will be staying for the feast. Register by phone (306-653-1633) or email or write to the PCE at 600-45th Street West, Saskatoon, S7L 5W9.

Yours sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Jan Bigland-Pritchard
Executive Director,
Prairie Centre for Ecumenism (for the Restorative Justice Committee)

For background on the TRC go to www.residentialschoolssettlement.ca
The tour website is www.rememberingthechildren.ca

On December 16, 2007, Bishop Albert LeGatt of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon announced the release of Pastoral Directives for Sacramental Sharing between Catholics and Baptized Christians of Other Denominations. The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has reviewed the Directives and found them worthy.

The Pastoral Directives were created to bring awareness to both clergy and laypeople of the occasions when sacramental sharing is possible. Bishop LeGatt desires a sound pastoral and consistent response across the diocese to requests for sacramental sharing.

Saskatoon Diocesan Commission for Ecumenism

For further reading and understanding of the Pastoral Directives, please review the following resources:

• Bishop Albert LeGatt's letter (December 16, 2007)
• Pastoral Directives (revised February 13, 2007) [PDF 99 Kb]
• Directives Pastorales (13 février 2007) [PDF 94 Kb]
• Pastoral Notes (January 31, 2005) [PDF 67 Kb]

The New Baptist Covenant is an informal alliance of more than 30 racially, geographically, and theologically diverse Baptist organizations from throughout North America that claim more than 20 million members. Representatives of these Baptist organizations have reaffirmed traditional Baptist values, including sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and its implications for public and private morality, as well as their obligations as Christians to fulfill the biblical mandate to promote peace with justice, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick and the marginalized, and promote religious liberty and respect for religious diversity.

• Unity in Seeking Peace with Justice
• Unity in Bringing Good News to the Poor
• Unity in Respecting Diversity
• Unity in Welcoming the Stranger
• Unity in Setting the Captive Free

In addition to the plenary sessions, the Celebration will feature 16 special-interest sessions dealing with topics such as racism, religious liberty, poverty, the AIDS pandemic, faith in public policy, stewardship of the earth, evangelism, financial stewardship, and prophetic preaching.

Joint Midwinter Board Meeting

Prior to the New Baptist Covenant Celebration, the Joint Midwinter Board Meeting of the National Baptist Conventions in America, represented by the four Black Baptist Conventions -- National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (NBCUSA, Inc.), National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. (NBCA, Inc.), Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. (PNBC, Inc.), and National Missionary Baptist Convention of America (NMBCA) -- will be held January 28 – 30 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The mission of this second historic meeting is to continue strengthening the bonds between the four Conventions.

The Joint Midwinter Board Meeting is expected to draw 10,000 attendees from across the nation, and the world, who will meet over a three-day period to review the business and governance of their respective Conventions, engage in biblically based educational and informational forums highlighting community, domestic, and world issues, and join in Christian fellowship. The four Conventions will come together daily for joint sessions and activities, in addition to holding separate meetings. This is the second gathering of the four Conventions, and as agreed upon by each Convention president during the groundbreaking 2005 gathering in Nashville, TN, it will continue to be a regularly scheduled meeting held every three to four years.

"... we appeal to you, brothers and sisters... Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Th. 5:12a, 13b-18, NRSV)

The materials from the 2008 WPCU international resource package are available for download in PDF format. Adapt these materials in your own settings, and print the worship service freely in your own church bulletins.

The "Ecumenism in Canada" WPCU page includes a number of suggestions for observing the week. The following resources might be of particular help.

• A Model for Visits to Neighbour Churches during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
An article by Angelika Piché in Ecumenism (no. 151, Sept. 2003)
• « Un modèle pour la semaine de prière pour l'unité chrétienne »
Une article par Angelika Piché pour la revue Oecuménisme (numero 151, sept 2003)
• A brief history of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Prepared by Nicholas Jesson, this text may be freely duplicated in church bulletins or newsletters.

Worship services and other events are scheduled across Canada and around the world. Events are listed on this website for Calgary, Edmonton, Humboldt, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Montréal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto, Victoria, and Winnipeg. If you would like us to list your WPCU event in Canada, please email the .

Daily reflections on the theme for each of the eight days are found here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

2008 offers an opportunity to look back at our efforts at Christian unity and to recognize the
central importance of prayer together in Jesus' name. A new website for the 100th anniversary observances has been established at the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute.

Despite recent indications that the Government of Canada might be relaxing its position on capital punishment, Canada's delegation voted in favour of the resolution.

The states that voted against the resolution are the following: Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Chad, China, Comoros, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Grenada, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United States, Yemen, Zimbabwe. [Source: United Nations]

The WCC has participated in other global ecumenical processes. In 1968, the Joint Working Group between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church was established to provide for the active participation of Catholics in the WCC-led ecumenical movement, while permitting the Catholic Church to remain outside the formal membership of the WCC. The regular meetings of the Christian World Communions has allowed the WCC to gather with international agencies representing the major Christian traditions.

In recent years there have been numerous changes to the WCC and its process. The Special Commission on Orthodox Participation assisted the WCC to move towards a consensus-based decision making process. The restructuring of the WCC has allowed churches to participate directly in those programmes that correspond to their own ecumenical vision, and to abstain from other programmes as appropriate.

In the mid-90s, Konrad Raiser, then the WCC general secretary, proposed a new ecumenical structure that would be more inclusive than the WCC. The WCC would not be absorbed into the new structure, but would remain one of the participating groups. Out of this proposal has developed the Global Christian Forum. The Forum had its inaugural meeting in Limuru, Kenya from November 6 to 9. Over these days, some 240 leaders from a broad range of churches, confessions and interchurch organizations from over 70 countries agreed to carry forward what they call "the Global Christian Forum process". This new forum will be an open space for encounter and dialogue with the stated goal to "to foster mutual respect and explore and address together common challenges".

The Christian traditions represented at the Forum meeting in Limuru were: the African Instituted churches, Anglican, Baptist, Eastern Orthodox, Evangelical, Disciples of Christ (Churches of Christ), Holiness, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Moravian, Old Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Pentecostal, Reformed, Roman and Eastern Catholic, Salvation Army, Seventh-Day Adventist, the Society of Friends, and the United and Uniting churches.

The Forum process also involves a number of Christian organizations: regional ecumenical organizations, youth and student international movements, YMCA and YWCA, United Bible Societies, World Vision International, the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the World Evangelical Alliance, the World Council of Churches, and a number of forum-type organizations.

The participants issued two documents at Limuru: the Global Christian Forum Guiding Purpose Statement and a Message from the Global Christian Forum to Brothers and Sisters in Christ Throughout the World.

When I walk into my classroom this week to introduce my students to the ecumenical movement, I will need to add a mention of the Global Christian Forum to my lecture. The WCC describes itself as the "privileged instrument" of the ecumenical movement. Though the Global Christian Forum does not seek to become such an instrument, it wishes to be an open space for encounter and dialogue. The very scope of the forum participation is historic. Only time will tell whether this new ecumenical venture will become a new benchmark in church history.

In the past, Canada's churches have played an invaluable role in defending access to care based on need not on ability to pay, and as a living statement of how we care for one another in Canadian society. In the words of a former vice-president of the Canadian Council of Churches, Karen MacKay-Llewellyn, "Defending public health care in a system that promises accessibility to all Canadians at the same level of quality, is a matter at the heart of our Christian confession, and this must rest at the heart of our public witness."

The recent agreed statement between the two churches represents the first practical results of the Mississauga meeting in 2000 that charged the new commission with the task "to oversee the preparation of a Joint Declaration of Agreement, and promote and monitor the reception of ARCIC agreements, as well as facilitate the development of strategies for translating the degree of spiritual communion that has been achieved into visible and practical outcomes." (#12) In Reardon's response, she assesses the new statement in light of the mandate issued to IARCCUM by the bishops meeting in Mississauga.

Seven years later, the IARCCUM statement addresses the pastoral care of interchurch families in these terms: "Of particular concern in the area of ministry is the need to develop programmes of joint pastoral care for interchurch families (including marriage preparation) and to find ways to minister to their concerns." (#116) Reardon asks "what has become of Mississauga's specific reference to eucharistic life?" From the experience of IFIN, sacramental life is frequently a neuralgic issue for many couples and their children. Greater attention to this matter might have been expected. It is to be hoped that IARCCUM will return to this issue in their future deliberations.

In concluding her reflections, Reardon highlights a recommendation made by Bishop Bernard Longley in his commentary issued together with the IARCCUM statement. In reference to the joint pastoral care of interchurch families called for by IARCCUM in para. 116, Longley recommends: "Such pastoral care and marriage preparation would need to be attentive to the principles set forth in the Ecumenical Directory (143-160). It would help to highlight both the needs of interchurch families, and that much may be learnt from their experiences and insights, if the ecclesial significance of interchurch families could be further explored within our two Communions." (part III.3)

Attention to the ecclesial significance of interchurch families might address the ecumenical contribution that these families make through their witness to the unity of the church in their own lives. One promising possibility would be an ecumenical reflection on the theological significance of the family as "domestic church." This study is already underway in the IFIN Theological Working Group, however the theme must be addressed by the ecumenical dialogues and by the highest authorities of the churches themselves.

Following is the viewpoint of Andrews, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon, Halmarson, Bishop of the Saskatchewan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and LeGatt, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.

We address this to our faith communities and to all persons of goodwill, confident that the concerns raised will resonate with your desire to create a society where human dignity is respected and public safety is ensured.

We are conscious that advocacy on behalf of the voiceless can quickly become a platform for those who wish to gain a political advantage. So it's vitally important to state that we approached this issue in humility and resisted every attempt to lay blame.

While we recognize that all the correctional centres in Saskatchewan suffer from the same kind of challenges, we are most conscious of the conditions at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre (SCC) from where we draw the following examples.

Chief among the concerns that we share with our public servants are the living conditions in the correctional centres. In the past months, as many as 38 men have been housed in a gymnasium and are sleeping on mats on the floor at the SCC. Indeed, these accommodations are so inadequate that it sometimes has been necessary for these men to urinate in a container because they cannot access the washroom. We can only imagine the distress this causes for aging inmates who must use the washroom often.

We are further concerned about incarcerated people with serious mental illnesses. It is deeply disturbing to know that a man who is tormented by voices is locked up for 22 hours a day in an eight-foot by 10-foot cell. Our dismay turns to indignation when we learn that he has been held in this cell for the past six months because the SCC has no other way to ensure his safety.

The dire conditions to which we refer have been escalating for several years, as is evident from the 2002 Ombudsman's report, Locked Out. This compressive study of our correctional centres recommended that steps be taken "to eliminate the need for double bunking and dormitories."

This brings us to a second concern: effective programming for the inmates. It is profoundly disturbing that space once used for programming at SCC has been transformed into dormitories and that this has ended what little programming that had been offered. The past decade has witnessed a steady decline in the programming for inmates, to the point where the SCC offers virtually no rehabilitative options to the men incarcerated there.

The Ombudsman's report highlighted the strategic plan articulated in 1998 by Saskatchewan Corrections, which was to revitalize programming for those in trouble with the law. While the need for improvements for programming and accommodations has been documented, the situation continues to worsen.

These realities require urgent attention and action.

It's obvious that the conditions we describe are a violation of human dignity, but they also pose serious concerns for public safety.

Individuals motivated by sexual deviance, addictions, mental illness and rage need treatment. To incarcerate men in the conditions we describe and provide them with little or no rehabilitative programs simply intensifies their problems, with potentially devastating consequences for our communities.

Clearly, many issues have led to this dismal situation. While one might point to the consequences of increased gangs and drugs in our cities, it seems clear that the inability of the courts to manage the number of men placed in remand at correctional centres is of greater significance.

It is common for more than half of the population of the SCC to consist of men awaiting trial. Many never serve a day of sentenced time, either because they are not guilty or because they will have served their time in remand.

Surely, we need to determine more efficiently if these men are guilty and then implement a strategy to curb their destructive behavior. Reforms in this area may be more urgently needed than a new dorm to house all the men awaiting court.

We ask the public, especially the faithful of our communities, and all those who are directly charged with addressing these issues, to prayerfully consider how human dignity and public safety can be better served. This situation can be improved with public support and a vision toward the good of all those we serve.

A candlelight prayer vigil is planned for [Sunday, October 21st] at 7 p.m. in front of the SCC to ask for the much-needed improvements at our correctional centres. All are welcome.

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007

These words, taken from a new statement from the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), point to an increasing commitment of the Evangelical community to address social issues and structures. The Philadelphia Statement on Evangelical Social Engagement is a summary of the discussions at a consultation on faith, providence and political involvement held July 31, 2007 at Palmer (Eastern Baptist) Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. The consultation was conducted by the WEA's Theological Commission. The statement is not an approved policy statement of any Evangelical body.

Since the 1960s the Sojourners Community, led by the Rev. Jim Wallis, and numerous other groups have been the voice of the Evangelical social conscience. Some of these groups have experienced increasing attention from the media in the past few years. During the 2004 U.S. election, Call to Renewal promoted an active media campaign in the press, on tv and radio, and over the internet that declared "God is not a Republican or a Democrat!" Also in 2004, Ronald Sider published a book entitled "The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience." This book called Evangelicals to be more vocal in their commitment for social concerns.

Since 2003 Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), has been promoting what he calls "creation care." This theologically articulated form of environmentalism has not been without controversy in the NAE constituency, but Cizik has stood his ground. He has insisted that Evangelicals take global warming seriously, and as a result has been challenged to resign by James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Although the NAE has not taken an official stance on global warming, other Evangelical leaders have established the Evangelical Climate Initiative in order to address these question in the Evangelical community.

Under the heading "A Call to Kingdom Living", the Philadelphia Statement states:

"there are important areas common to most societies where followers of Jesus Christ must pray and work for the kingdom, such as seeking human rights and religious liberty, working against corruption, violence and war, alleviating poverty, protecting the family and the sanctity of life, and caring for creation...

The church, as the primary community in which the kingdom of God is manifested, ought to embody the graceful principles of that kingdom and bear witness in life, word and action to the power of the gospel to transform lives and societies...

The church must not use political power merely as a means of self-protection, but should seek the benefit of the community in which it lives with humility repentance, and in a spirit of unity."

The agreed statement entitled "Growing Together in Unity & Mission" was released today by the Anglican Communion Office and the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The statement attempts to foster discussion and reflection on the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) over the past 40 years. However, the statement insists, "it is more than this: it is a call for action, based upon an honest appraisal of what has been achieved in our dialogue. Despite our present 'imperfect communion', there is, we feel, enough common ground to take seriously how we work together." Already, as Archbishop George Carey and Pope John Paul II noted, "in many parts of the world, Anglicans and Catholics, joined in one baptism, recognise one another as brothers and sisters in Christ and give expression to this through joint prayer, common action, and joint witness". This statement wishes to put flesh to the growing relationships between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. It offers numerous suggestions of ways that the two communities can implement the unity that has already been found through the past 40 years.

The practical focus and the episcopal character of the IARCCUM process means that the suggestions offered by this statement are frequently directed towards the bishops and other clergy of the two communions. The report calls for tangible means of expressing the unity given in Christ, but then it makes practical suggestions towards expressing this unity.

If the document's title sounds familiar to you, then you have been paying attention. The document was leaked last spring. Today's public release of the document includes the definitive text along with two commentaries, by Bishop Paul Richardson of Newcastle and Bishop Bernard Longley of Westminster. The commentaries are as interesting as the document itself. There is also a further text that was not released today. One of the Catholic consultants, Paul McPartlan, gave a preview of the document last January at the US's National Workshop on Christian Unity. McPartlan's paper has been published in "Ecumenical Trends".

"Ecumenism in Canada" has been given permission to post the IARCCUM document. Thus, you will find the texts here in a few days.

After considerable thought about whether there was anything further productive to say about the document and the controversy stirred up this summer, I have decided to share some of my initial reflections in the days following the publication of the "responsa." There are numerous additional perspectives that could be offered, many of which are available online.

I have to admit that there is nothing in the document that Benedict XVI had not said before as cardinal prefect of the CDF or as an academic theologian. It is problematic, and it is a shame that Cardinal Levada felt that he needed to say it again at this time, but it is nothing new. The point that I think we can emphasize is that because it isn't new, it does not end the long debate over the meaning of "subsistit." What was an open question last spring will remain an open question. An important clarification should be made here: the responsa is issued by the CDF under Levada's signature. It expresses the authority vested in the CDF, this is not a papal statement.

It is well known that Benedict XVI has long expressed the view that "subsistit" has an exclusive sense. Some scholars have suggested that this might be due to the translation into German where it does have such a connotation. In Latin and English, however it doesn't. A point that I made in my MA thesis and again in a paper in my first year of doctoral work, is that the term "subsistit" is also used in reference to the eucharist and the incarnation. We speak about the substance of the body and blood of Christ subsisting in the accidens of bread and wine. This is exclusive in the sense that it is only Jesus who subsists in this manner. However, Jesus subsists in the eucharist on this altar and that altar, at the same time. It is not part of Jesus that is found here, while another part is found there. There is only one Jesus, and there is only one eucharist, and each eucharist is a full and complete subsistence of Jesus' body and blood. Now consider the incarnation. The divine nature of the Son is incarnate in the person of Jesus. This is exclusive in the sense that there is only one Jesus, a Palestinian Jew from the 1st century. Both Jesus' divine and human human natures subsist in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. However, this subsistence transcends the exclusive particularity of Jesus in that he represents all human nature. Thus there is a complex interplay of exclusive and inclusive particularity in every subsistence.

In this new document, Levada argues that the full subsistence of the Church of Christ (that which we confess as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic) subsists in the Catholic Church. We still acknowledge the elements of sanctification and truth that are found in other Christian communities. Where Levada diverts from the basic position of many ecumenically-minded Catholics is that he says that these elements cannot properly be called a subsistence of the church. Yes, they are elements of the true Church of Christ. However, he insists that the term "subsists" is reserved for the fullness of the Church of Christ. They can have some -- or even very many (as Vatican II said) -- of the elements of sanctification and truth that make up the church of Christ (i.e the essence of the church). However, since unity is an essential element of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, unity (or communion) with the Catholic Church is essential. This is where all other churches are deficient.

The crux of this argument is the Catholic conviction that the full subsistence of the church of Christ is found in itself. That means that the Catholic Church enjoys all of the elements of the church of Christ, including unity. Thus, those who are not united (i.e. in communion) with the Catholic Church lack this one essential element. As the commentary points out, to suggest that other churches also possess this element of the church of Christ without being in communion with all others who possess this element would introduce division into the unity of the church. What Levada does not acknowledge is that this is based on a certain Thomistic notion about absolute predicates. In this philosophical context, unity would not be perfect if it did not encompass all. In order to be perfect, to be an absolute, it must be exclusive. Thus there is only one subsistence of the true church of Christ. All other elements of sanctification and truth impel these churches towards full communion with the Catholic Church.

The document also insists that Protestant churches lack the apostolic succession and therefore the sacrament of orders. Once again this is nothing new. Nor, in fact, is the Catholic Church the only one to take this position. The Anglican Communion is committed to the Lambeth Quadrilateral, which asserts that the historic episcopate (and thus the apostolic succession) is an essential element of the church. The Anglican-Lutheran full communion agreements were predicated on the ability of Anglicans to recognize in the Lutheran forms of governance a vestigial form of the historic episcopate. This was not a foregone conclusion however, and many Anglicans still consider it a bit of a stretch.

As difficult as this new document is, I would like to be a glass half-full kind of guy. I want to point out that the statement says (or implies) that the only deficiency in Orthodox churches is communion with Rome. The only two deficiencies in Protestant and Anglican churches is communion with Rome and the historic episcopate. This is a far cry from the positions of the past. Of course, the genre of the document does not actually allow these kind of interpretations. It only answers the issues raised in the questions. Its omissions are not as significant as omissions in other documents.

I also want to invoke the Thumper principle. At one point in the movie "Bambi," Thumper the rabbit says "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." That would have been good advice for Ratzinger seven years ago when Dominus Iesus came out, and it remains good advice to Levada today. Too bad they didn't ask my advice.

The CCC needs back copies of these prayer services, and stories about celebrations before 1948. Please search your shelves, cupboards, attics, offices, for existing copies you might have. With your help, the CCC will put together a complete collection and produce an anthology of prayer services to help celebrate the centenary of the Octave of Christian Unity in 2008.

With suggestions or questions, please call Mary Marrocco or Karen Teasdale, Canadian Council of Churches, 416-972-9494 x23. Or email or .

CATHOLIC WOMEN IN MINISTRY: Changing the Way Things Are

"We read to know that we are not alone." These words are placed on the lips of C.S. Lewis in the movie, Shadowlands. Marie-Louise Ternier-Gommers' latest contribution, Catholic Women in Ministry, indeed allows those involved in lay ecclesial ministry, particularly Canadian women, to know that "they are not alone." In a style marked by its readability, Ternier-Gommers, creates a conversation within a conversation between women currently involved in ministry, those potentially drawn to pastoral service and her own autobiography. In reading the text, one has the sense of sitting in a sunny, country kitchen chatting with one's sister(s) in ministry about those issues closest to one's heart.

The critical questions raised in Catholic Women in Ministry are placed on a bed of the author's own love of scripture and her abiding conviction in the wisdom of the Second Vatican Council. Ternier-Gommers is able to contextualize the lived experience of women in ministry within these broader frameworks of scripture and tradition. In doing so, she has moved the dialogue around lay ecclesial ministry within the Anglophone Catholic church in Canada one step forward. While her previous work, Finding the Treasure Within (Novalis, 2002), began the dialogue between her own lived experience and her denominational context, Catholic Women in Ministry is the next logical step. In this more recent work, the dialogue is moved into the communal revealing the fact that the call of lay women to ministry within the Catholic church is not an anomaly but a movement of the Spirit.

Catholic Women in Ministry tackles many important issues: the discernment of a call to ministry, the authentic meaning of vocation, and the supports and constraints experienced by lay ecclesial ministers within the Catholic context. However, of the many topics broached, three are particularly significant in that they have rarely been addressed with such clarity and compassion. First, Ternier-Gommers examines Catholic sacramental theology. While again demonstrating a deep love and respect for the tradition, the author nonetheless underlines the tension that occurs for women in ministry when they are able to provide a pastoral presence but remain excluded from the celebration of the sacramental dimension of their ministry. Poignant examples are given of women who journey with the sick, develop deep relationships with them and their families, yet must step aside to allow the ordained minister to celebrate the Sacrament of the Sick. The second, though related, issue is the nature of relationships that develop within pastoral teams. In the chapter entitled, "Together in Ministry," the author reveals the many challenges to effective collaboration that exist between lay and ordained pastoral staff. She is not afraid to name both the political and psycho-sexual tensions that can sometimes develop within these relationships but, in so doing, she consistently exudes respect and concern for all the players involved. Finally, Ternier-Gommers includes an important chapter examining the process of denominational transfer of women who began their ministry within the Roman Catholic tradition and have subsequently been called to serve as ordained ministers within other Christian traditions. Her conversation with "Betty" is particularly captivating in both the retelling of Betty's story and her personal reactions to it.

Catholic Women in Ministry once again proves the healing power of the narrative. The author's skillful weaving of the 26 collected stories serves to bring dignity and authenticity to the lived experience of Catholic women in ministry. It grounds that lived experience within a deep and thoughtful theological reflection and will surely serve as a springboard for further study into this ongoing phenomenon within the Catholic tradition.

-----
Our reviewer, Gertrude Rompré, is chaplain at St. Thomas More College, Saskatoon. She has extensive experience in parish ministry in Saskatoon and northern Alberta. She is a founding member of the Réseau Ministeria Network, a national network of Catholic Lay Ecclesial Ministers.

For many years, the CCE has been housed at the historic Grande Séminaire de Montréal. This was a natural fit in the early years of the Centre, which was established within the Catholic community. As the Centre's ministry has expanded it has found itself in need of greater space and visibility. By moving out of the seminary into a street-front office space, it is hoped that more visitors will drop in to the offices to discover the ministry that the Centre offers.

Under the new norms, priests no longer need to seek permission of their bishop to celebrate the 1962 missal, although the bishop remains the "moderator" of the liturgy in the diocese. The 1988 rule requiring that a specific number of lay people appeal to the bishop for a Latin liturgy is removed. No numerical requirement is given, although the parish pastor and bishop are asked to ensure that there is a stable community of faithful before a Latin liturgy is added to the parish schedule. The priest is required to ensure that the care for the adherents to the earlier rite "harmonises with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish ... avoiding discord and favouring the unity of the whole Church."

Other norms permit the use of the 1962 missal on weekdays and once on Sundays and feastdays. Priests are encouraged to provide weddings, baptisms, penance, and anointing of the sick using the earlier rites. Unlike the new rite which permits the bishop to delegate a parish priest to celebrate confirmation (normally for adult initiation at the Easter Vigil), the motu proprio indicates that only the bishop may celebrate the earlier form of the sacrament of confirmation. In an explanatory note accompanying the motu proprio it is noted that the earlier rite did not permit concelebration. It is also noted that the 1962 missal says nothing about the direction of the altar.

Benedict also makes provision for the introduction of some aspects of the later post-conciliar rite to be incorporated into the 1962 missal. Specifically, he provides permission for the introduction of the new prefaces of the Mass and those for newer saints to be added to the 1962 rite. Presumably these would use the Latin text of the new liturgy.

One of the concerns raised in the months leading up to today's release of Benedict's motu proprio was the use of sections of the pre-conciliar rite that violate certain commitments of Vatican II. Of most concern in this regard is the use of Good Friday prayers that refer to the "perfidious Jews" (Latin: perfidis=faithless). There is no mention of this issue in the motu proprio, or in Benedict's accompanying letter to the bishops of the world. However, the permission to celebrate the Latin liturgy according to the earlier rite applies only to the 1962 missal. In 1960, John XXIII removed the word "perfidious" from the Good Friday prayer. This does not completely resolve the problem, since the remainder of the prayer presents Jews as blind and in darkness, and the prayer could be open to a supercessionist interpretation. To resolve this problem, a bishop or the bishop's conference could probably substitute a 1965 revision of the prayer or simply replace all of the Good Friday prayers with those of the 2002 typical edition.

The history of rupture

In Saturday's new motu proprio, entitled Summorum Pontificum, Benedict XVI established new norms for the celebration of the 1962 missal that replace those issued in 1988. Under the new norms, the 1962 missal becomes an "extraordinary form" of the Roman liturgy. Benedict is very careful to present the 1962 missal and the post-Vatican II "ordinary form" of the missal as two forms of the same Roman liturgy.

The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the 'Lex orandi' (Law of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite. Nonetheless, the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and reissued by Bl. John XXIII is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of that same 'Lex orandi,' and must be given due honour for its venerable and ancient usage. These two expressions of the Church's Lex orandi will in no any way lead to a division in the Church's 'Lex credendi' (Law of belief). They are, in fact two usages of the one Roman rite.

For many years Benedict has been concerned about the way that we understand the reforms of Vatican II. For many Catholics, the council served as a turning point in their religious life. Popular piety changed dramatically during the 1960s. In many respects this was a result for social changes occurring in the wider societies in which Catholics live. However, the conciliar reform of the liturgy is frequently identified as the most visible and dramatic of Catholic changes. Most Catholics old enough to remember the pre-conciliar liturgy will remember the introduction of the vernacular (local) languages, the altar moving away from the wall, and the priest facing the people. More subtle changes occurred in the introduction of a three year lectionary for Sundays and a two year lectionary for weekdays. This replaced a single one year lectionary that is incorporated into the pre-conciliar missal. In the new liturgy there are more scriptural readings, more participation of the lay people, and more varied prayers with the eucharistic rite. Overall the liturgy was significantly simplified. All of these changes have led to a tendency of Catholics to understand the council as introducing a rupture in the history of the church and of the liturgy. This is a central concern in Benedict's new document.

Benedict studiously avoids referring to the 1962 missal as the Tridentine Mass. The term technically refers to the liturgy reformed by Pope Pius V following the Council of Trent, but it has been used to refer more widely to the liturgy used in the period ending with Vatican II. Benedict opts to refer only to the 1962 edition of the missal, which was already a significant revision of the missal. He correctly points to a long history of liturgical revision that dates from the early church. Significant developments in the history are mentioned by Benedict ending not with the 1970 missal of Pope Paul VI, but the 2002 revision of that missal by Pope John Paul II. In this way, Benedict presents the liturgical history as a continuous process without rupture and the liturgy itself a unified Rite.

Benedict has a wider concern about how church history is presented, and particularly the way that Vatican II is frequently presented as a rupture in doctrinal development in ways quite similar to the liturgical history. As the cardinal prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Joseph Ratzinger argued strenuously with what has been called the "Bologna School." This group of theologians and church historians led by the late Giuseppe Alberigo of the University of Bologna has defended rupture interpretations for many decades. Ratzinger has written that this introduces a discontinuity in sacred tradition. The importance of tradition for Catholic theology is challenged if the contemporary church is interpreted as a product of the 1960s reforms.

Links:
Summorum Pontificum (Latin text)
Summorum Pontificum (unofficial English translation)
Letter to the bishops of the world to accompany the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
Excerpts from the Explanatory Note on the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum (unofficial English translation)

On Sunday morning following the celebration of the eucharist, the debate continued. The third resolution was approved, affirming that the blessing of same-sex unions is consistent with the core doctrine of the Anglican Church in Canada. As observers have noted, this establishes a theological space for gay and lesbian persons within the Anglican Church. However, the General Synod rejected the resolution tabled at the 2004 General Synod: to affirm the authority and jurisdiction of individual dioceses to authorize same-sex blessings "with the concurrence of the diocesan bishop, and in a manner which respects the conscience of the incumbent and the will of the parish." Both lay and clergy delegates supported the motion, but the House of Bishops was split 19 in favour to 21 opposed. The resolution required the support of all three orders to pass. The result of these resolutions is that the blessing of committed same-sex unions is not permitted in the Anglican Church of Canada at this time.

In 2002, the synod of the Diocese of New Westminster (Vancouver) approved the blessing of same-sex unions for the third time, and the bishop Michael Ingham concurred. Since then same-sex blessings have been permitted in that diocese in parishes that have studied and approved such blessings. It remains to be seen whether such blessings will continue after the General Synod rejected the resolution affirming the authority and jurisdiction of dioceses in this matter. The House of Bishops instituted a moratorium on same-sex blessings a number of years ago. The Anglican Journal reports that a number of bishops have expressed concern about possible disregard of the General Synod decision. An additional resolution has been brought to the General Synod from the Diocese of New Westminster to affirm the continuing practice of the Diocese of New Westminster until such time as the General Synod takes further action on the matter.

See:
Synod narrowly defeats same-sex blessings (Anglican Journal)
Emotions run high after blessings defeated (Anglican Journal)
Same-sex blessings not in conflict with core doctrine (Anglican.ca)
General Synod 2007 - Resolutions
St. Michael's Report

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Winnipeg, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada at its National Convention has elected the Rev. Susan Johnson as its new national bishop. Johnson succeeds Bishop Raymond L. Shultz who has been national bishop since 2001. The bishop-elect has been Assistant to the Bishop of the Eastern Synod since 1994. She has also served as vice-president of the ELCIC from 2001 to 2005 and as an advisor to the Lutheran World Federation Council since 1998.

The Anglican Journal report of the election of Bishop Hiltz as primate is now available online.
Further information about Bishop-elect Johnson can be found in the ELCIC news report.

The workshops will be held on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. SEI registrants will be invited to select from among the workshops that are offered on various ecumenical topics. Dr. Brubaker will lead the participants in the plenary discussions on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday morning, the Rev. Dale Lang will speak on Forgiveness and Peacebuilding.

Applying Spiritual Resources in Conflict Management and Resolution
Dr. Bill Blackmon and team

Conflict and Personality Types
Helen Smith-McIntyre

Intentional Interim Pastorates: Helping Churches in Transition
Pastor Ken Bechtel

Aboriginal Healing Circles: One Model for Peacebuilding
Harry Lafond & Howard Cameron

Advanced skills for intervening in high intensity conflicts
Dr. David Brubaker

"Living With It": how to be a force for good when conflict can't be resolved
Dr. Jim Arnold

Service of Lament and Hope
Pauline Steinmann, Leo English, Jerry Buhler

The State of Current Ecumenical Dialogues
Adèle Brodeur, Dr. Cameron Harder, Dr. Helmut Harder, Nicholas Jesson

It should be remembered that, in his 1950 encyclical Humanae Generis, Pope Pius XII taught that the "hypothesis" of evolution does not conflict with Catholic faith so long as it does not deny "that the spiritual soul is immediately created by God." In 1996, John Paul II went further and stated that new knowledge leads to the recognition that the theory of evolution is more than an hypothesis. He pointed out, as many biologists would also insist, that there are "theories" of evolution rather than one theory.

In this latest publication, Benedict reportedly praises the progress achieved by science but cautions that evolution raises philosophical questions that science alone cannot answer. Despite some expectations to the contrary, he did not endorse intelligent design, the latest fad among creationists. Instead he cautions that science and philosophy must engage in their respective inquiries in such a way that faith is not excluded. In a comment on John Paul II's 1996 statement, Benedict apparently wrote: "The pope (John Paul) had his reasons for saying this. But it is also true that the theory of evolution is not a complete, scientifically proven theory."

The book, entitled Schöpfung und Evolution, was published Wednesday by Sankt Ulrich Verlag. In addition to Benedict's contributions, the book contains papers prepared by members of the Schülerkreis. Translations in other languages will be forthcoming.

Another papal book will also be released this spring. Jesus of Nazareth: From the baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration will be released on May 15. It is already available for pre-order at major bookstores and through Amazon.ca.

We hear many stories in this age of instant communication and all-news media. There are the culturally dominant stories of consumerism, individualism, domination, economic growth and environmental destruction. There are the stories of the homeless, immigrants, refugees, Aboriginals, voices from the South and the voice of the planet. And as Christians we hear the Biblical stories and those of our faith traditions.

How are these stories interconnected? What do these stories have to say about justice in our world today? How could we respond to these sometimes conflicting stories? What alternatives are there and how can we contribute to creating them?

Come together with others for the whole event or for just one day, hearing and analyzing these stories, reflecting, praying, sharing our own stories, and imagining an alternative world with ideas and actions to take home with you.

This ecumenical event has been organized in cooperation with: Alberta Synod-Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC); Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace; Kairos-Edmonton; The Kings University College; Newman Theological College; St. Joseph's College, University of Alberta; and The United Church of Canada.

This ecumenical event will be held at Newman Theological College, Edmonton, May 3-5, 2007. Overnight accomodation & meals available. For brochure with agenda, registration form & more information contact 780-467-2833 or email: or see the conference website.]]> http://www.ecumenism.net/archive/blog/2007/04/social_justice_institute.htm http://www.ecumenism.net/archive/blog/2007/04/social_justice_institute.htm justiceconferencesevents Thu, 05 Apr 2007 22:54:14 -0600 There are numerous innovative resources available on the internet. Today we encourage you to explore RJ City, a website that seeks to be "an adventurous and perhaps audacious attempt to imagine a city of 1,000,000 responding as restoratively as possible to all crimes, all victims and all offenders." RJ is shorthand for restorative justice, an approach to justice that seeks to restore the relationships broken by criminal behaviour. "Restorative justice is a broad term which encompasses a growing social movement to institutionalize peaceful approaches to harm, problem-solving and violations of legal and human rights." [Wikipedia] Numerous examples of restorative justice are described on this website, and elsewhere on the internet. Perhaps the most familiar form to Canadians is the use of Aboriginal sentencing circles.

Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. Yet in the churches there is a fear of conflict, and a tendency to go for peace at any price, sweeping conflict under the carpet until it cannot be contained. The 2007 Summer Ecumenical Institute aims to help church people build a vision of how conflict can become a force for good in our communities, and to equip participants with the basic skills they need to become active peace-builders in their own settings.

With God's help, conflict within the Body of Christ can be transformed into a source of life-giving energy. We will explore the biblical and theological foundations for conflict transformation, discuss current research, and provide an introduction to practical training in conflict transformation skills.

The Summer Ecumenical Institute (SEI) -- scheduled for June 26 to 29 in Saskatoon -- is sponsored by the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism.

For short biographies of the keynote speakers, see the complete Summer Ecumenical Institute webpage. For further information, contact the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. Phone 306-653-1633 or email . A brochure and registration form is available.

The blog can be found at www.ecumenism.net/bernard/. It will also be accessible by email notifications and by RSS feed.