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October 3, 2009 The rubber hasn’t yet hit the road towards Christian unity and there will be no progress unless we are prepared to share more openly, said Reverend Dr. Janet Bigland-Pritchard in her keynote address to an ecumenical workshop organized by the Archdiocesan Ecumenical Commission. The workshop was held October 3 at Leboldus High school. Bigland-Pritchard is an Anglican priest and director of the Prairie Ecumenical Centre in Saskatoon. The Centre was originally organized by the Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon but it is now supported by 7 Christian Churches. Besides her work at the Centre, Bigland-Pritchard also ministers to 3 rural parishes. Her focus was Roman Catholicism and she talked about some obstacles it faces in embracing ecumenism but also gave examples of how far ecumenism has come since Vatican II. She described the Catholic Church prior to Vatican II as “a fortress” with high walls but since then it has become “fireside Catholicism” opening its door to share its warmth. The next step she described as “Pilgrim Catholicism where we go together.” But she warned it should not be seen as a duty like an arranged marriage. “It should be a love match.” Bigland-Pritchard also took issue with some of the language used, and not just by Catholics, to describe non-Catholic Christian communities. “We are all of the same faith,” she said, “but we belong to different communities” of that faith. “We are not of different religions. We are all Christians.” She also discussed the difference between ecumenical and inter-faith activities. Inter-faith is relationship with non Christian faiths where “we are not trying to become as one but where we have respect for each other. Ecumenical is the household of Christ.” We have to think of the language we use, she said. She also said not to succumb to what some believe that working for ecumenism is somehow being unfaithful to your own community. She believes that working for a Centre that promotes Christian unity has made her a better Anglican. Bigland-Pritchard questioned if there are limits to ecumenism. “Can we work with Mormons, Moonies and others?” The Trinity is common to Christians, she said, and we cannot change or dilute our message. “The goal of ecumenism is get our community to shine together. We have a common mission, a common prayer.” And she ended her address by urging the parish ecumenical representatives in the audience “to keep the pot boiling.” Monsignor Don Bolen, chair of the Archdiocesan Ecumenical Commission in his opening remarks said the journey to Christian unity following Vatican II “has been longer than we anticipated.” The workshop he said was to help make parish ecumenical representatives more comfortable in their work. Working for ecumenism he said is not being less faithful to your own faith. “That’s not what the Church teaches. Other Churches are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all Disciples of Christ.” He described Christian divisiveness as a “scandal in the world.” Both he and Bigland-Pritchard said that Christ’s last prayer before he died was “that all might be one.” Frank Flegel  Enlarge |
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