National news

 — June 30, 200530 juin 2005

The St. Arseny Institute, which began its first official year of classes in the fall of 2003, offers theological training for the Archdiocese of Canada of the Orthodox Church in America. The Institute seeks to respond to the need for priests, for the spread of the faith, for raising the level of understanding of the faith in parishes, and the need for people being gathered together in spiritual effort and celebration. Although still small and humble, the Institute has grown amazingly each year since its founding, both in courses offered and in the number of students. Inquiries about the St. Arseny Orthodox Christian Theological Institute may be sent to the Director, Spencer Estabrooks, either by mail at 150 Canora Street, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3G 1T2; by phone at 1-204-783-5350, or by e-mail at []. (Canadian Orthodox Messenger)

Reginald Bibby, leading sociologist of religion, has noted an eight-point jump from thirty to thirty-eight per cent between 2000 and 2003 in Canadians who attend church at least once per month. Weekly attendance rose from twenty-one to twenty-six per cent in the same period. Mr. Bibby’s findings are mirrored in major surveys by Allan Gregg, Gallup and others and are supported by Statistics Canada figures. Quebec’s Catholics are now showing up at a rate of thirty-four per cent for monthly-or-more attendance, compared with twenty-nine per cent at the beginning of the decade. Outside Quebec, Catholic attendance has gone from forty-two per cent to fifty-seven per cent. Protestant monthly-or-better attendance is now at forty-six per cent, higher than at any time since Bibby began surveying Canadians in 1975. (The Catholic Register)

Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic bishops from Canada, who have been meeting annually since 1975, are celebrating their 30th Anniversary. Recently, bishops from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island held a meeting in Ottawa with the primate of the Anglican Church in Canada, Archbishop Andrew Hutchison and Bishop François Lapierre, P.M.E. of St. Hyacinthe as co-presidents. In a spirit of honesty and mutual respect, the bishops discussed the Windsor Report of the Anglican Communion’s Lambeth Commission, as well as questions of communion, authority, decision-making and homosexuality. John Baycroft, Anglican Bishop Emeritus of Ottawa, reported on the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). The Canadian bishops are eagerly awaiting the publication of a common statement on Mary as well as a summary of the agreements between the two communions. They gave their approval to a booklet for interchurch Anglican-Roman Catholic couples planning to marry. It should be sent out to the dioceses and parishes of the two churches in early 2005. (Translated from CECC/CCCB)

The Canadian Council of Churches announced on 27 May 2005 that the Mennonite Church Canada has become its twentieth member. Mennonite Church Canada brings to The Canadian Council of Churches its long history as a peace church, its depth of theology, its commitment to Scripture and its passion for social justice among its other gifts. It will be very active in the life and work of the Council, especially in witness to Jesus Christ in our time and place in such areas as an ecumenical health care network, letters to the Prime Minister of Canada opposing Canadian participation in Ballistic Missile Defence, the theology of hope and suffering, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, theological anthropology, the theology of inter-faith dialogue and, of course, ecumenism. (CCC Press Release)

Présence Musulmane Canada (Muslim Presence in Canada) organized their annual seminar on 14 May under the title: Social Tensions, Plural Identities and Common Values. Three themes formed the basis for discussion. First, the increasingly sensitive climate of social tension created around Muslims, especially in Quebec, and the analysis of ways to react (turning a deaf ear, which leads to an aggravation of tension or keep ears open and ready to listen, which leads to solutions and peacemaking.) The second question was “How do we understand the new characteristics of Canadian identity for those who have chosen to join a religion which up to now has been considered foreign? Thirdly, after criteria had been defined for the integration of Muslims into the common identity and Canadian acceptance of the muslim identity, the following questions remained: “What is the common ground upon which a new flexibility in Canadian identity may be established and built? What are, among the present social challenges, the possible areas of common action? Subjects treated were: media treatment of Islam, women in secularism, muslim feminism, the need for Jewish-Muslim dialogue, parallel legal systems: plural systems or a single one? (Translated from Presence Musulmane Canada)

Posted: June 30, 2005 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=141
Categories: CCE • In this article: Centre Canadien d’œcuménisme Transmis : 30 juin 2005 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=141
Catégorie : CCE • Dans cet article : Centre Canadien d’œcuménisme