The Summer Ecumenical Institute will function as a stock-taking and a vision-building exercise for the grassroots ecumenical community in Canada. 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. It is also the 50th anniversary of the announcement by Pope John XXIII of the Second Vatican Council, one of whose main aims was the advancement of Christian unity. It is 50 years since our founder, Fr. Bernard de Margerie, received his call to the path of ecumenism. There is much to celebrate!

This conference will be the climax of a year of themed events giving thanks for the past achievements of the ecumenical movement and committing ourselves to Christian unity and reconciliation for the future. The SEI will be built around worship and singing, keynote addresses, a variety of optional workshops, and a banquet at the Western Development Museum. It begins on Tuesday evening and finishes Friday with lunch.

We are honoured to have Fr. Tom Ryan CSP to lead us in this task. Tom is the director of the North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations of the Paulist Community, and is based in Washington, DC. Fr. Tom was ordained in 1975, and served in campus ministry at the Ohio State University (Columbus) and at McGill University (Montreal), prior to directing the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism for 14 years. He spearheaded the 1995 founding of the Unitas Ecumenical Centre for Christian Meditation in Montreal and served 5 years as its director before answering the call of his community to take up his current work. He is a gifted speaker, author, mission and retreat leader.

We are excited to have Cheryl and Bruce Harding to get us singing, and drumming. Cheryl and Bruce Harding are gifted United Church recording artists and worship leaders, whose eclectic musical style melds a theology of healing and understanding with a spirit-filled passion for congregational singing. When they are not on tour, Cheryl and Bruce lead singing at Royal Heights United Church in Delta, BC. Bruce is also past co-chair of UCCAM, the United Church of Canada Association of Musicians, and was the Managing Editor for More Voices, the supplement to the current United Church of Canada hymn book, Voices United (1996).