The Ecumenical Encounter

The following resource is based on the assumption that some leadership for ecumenism is already in place in the parish, whether in the form of a single officer or a committee. It has been developed to encourage the move from a structure supporting ecumenism towards real ecumenical action, an encounter with other Christians. It is based on the principle that encounter begins by finding someone else. It uses an empirical approach, beginning with people's experience of different degrees and styles of unity, of disagreement and agreement in the things of faith.

The situation envisioned is that of a parish ecumenical leader frustrated about lack of action and wondering where to begin. We suggest planning a one-hour exercise with a parish council to develop preparedness for and lead into an ecumenical encounter. The exercise is readily adaptable to other groups within the parish and to other contexts such as a school setting.

This resource was produced by the Western Diocesan & Eparchial Coordinators of Ecumenism (WDECE), a Canadian Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Catholic association of ecumenical officers. The WDECE developed this and other resources at its annual meeting in October 1998 at Muenster, Saskatchewan. Special thanks to the Rev. Iain Luke, then ecumenical officer for the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon, who assisted this working group and gave leadership in this project.

The Fine Print

The complete text of this resource is also available in our archive. Please feel free to print, duplicate and adapt as necessary. All copyright provisions remain in effect. Publication in print or online is prohibited without express written permission. Copyright 1998 by the authors and the PCE.