To promote Christian Unity and Dialogue among World Religions

The October launching of the 1st Irénée Beaubien, s.j. Ecumenical Institute by the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism will assemble noted experts in ecumenism (Christian unity) and interreligious dialogue. Fifty years after the foundation of the Centre and the publication of the Vatican Council II decree on ecumenism, this event will create a space where the theory and the practice of ecumenism can intersect and serve as a platform for future action. Pioneers who laboured to establish dialogue when this was not the popular thing to do will pass on their experience and the knowledge gleaned from their efforts to a younger generation passionate about overcoming differences and working together. Society will reap the benefits.

The Irénée Beaubien Ecumenical Institute will bring together people from different churches and different religions for two days of conferences, October 24-25, in the Anglican diocese’s Fulford Hall in Montréal located at 1444 Union Avenue. Participants will learn from some fourteen church leaders and specialists in the fields of inter-church and interfaith dialogue as these speakers explore the understanding and the practice of ecumenism from different angles. Question periods following each talk will provide the opportunity for clarification and exchange.
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Among the many factors that influence Canadian religious experience is the sheer size of our country. Canada is the second largest country in the world, 40% of which is in the Arctic, north of 60o latitude. Stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the United States to the North Pole, Canada has ten provinces and three territories. We are surrounded by three oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic. Our only land border is with the United States and it has experienced almost 200 years of peace. Canada is a confederation of former British colonies, with a parliamentary form of government in a federal system of ten provinces and three territories. The union of the former colonial territories and independence from Britain occurred peacefully, and Canada remains a strong proponent of international engagement and cooperation. The vast distances between our cities have promoted both self-reliance and formation of distinct identities in the regions, but can also engender feelings of alienation or resentment.

Canada is known for its natural splendour: its mountains, forests, lakes and rivers, seas of wheat and three ocean shorelines. This is a land rich in agriculture and natural resources. Canada is also a land of diverse peoples: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis,2 and many people who came to settle here from around the world. We have two official languages, French and English, yet many Canadians also celebrate the cultural and linguistic heritages of their ancestral homelands.
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The world will pray with Canada this January, and in a special way with native Canadians. For the second time in the 106-year history of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Canadians have written the biblical reflections, prayer services and educational materials to be used worldwide.

Celebrated Jan. 18-25, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is prepared each year in a different country under the direction of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome and the Geneva-based World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission. Since the two major ecumenical organizations took over the annual event in 1968, Canada is just the second country to be asked twice to prepare the worship and study material.

Coming back to Canada, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity wanted to make sure the material is fresh and reflects a different perspective. In 1989 Canada’s offering was prepared by the Canadian Council of Churches. This time, preparations were led by the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism in Montreal and the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism in Saskatoon.

Having Canada’s independent ecumenical centres take over was the initiative of Saskatoon Bishop Donald Bolen, who for years worked on the Week of Prayer as an official for the Pontifical Council in Rome. Though the CCC did not lead the 2014 effort, general secretary Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton played an important role helping to review the material, said Nicholas Jesson, ecumenical officer for the diocese of Saskatoon and part of the 2014 writing committee.
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The President and Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism is pleased to announce that Dr. Adriana Bara has been appointed Executive Director of the CCE as of August 1st, 2013.

Originally from Romania, Adriana Bara with her husband and two children moved to Canada several years ago. With a degree in civil engineering, she worked for a few years in this field and then pursued studies in theology first in Romania and then in Montreal (M.A. Concordia and Ph.D. Université de Montréal). She has been teaching at Concordia University since 2009. Dr. Bara worked at the Centre for Research and Documentation of Saint Joseph’s Oratory and since 2008 as volunteer with the Canadian Society of Patristic Studies where she is Communications Officer and Editor of the e-Bulletin.

An active member of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Dr. Bara is fluent in three languages. From her youth, she has recognized the importance of respecting human rights and is convinced of the key role played by ecumenism and interreligious dialogue in our modern pluralistic society. This is one of the reasons she chose to settle in Canada. She attaches great importance to dialogue, openness and acceptance of others. These are also the values of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism. The President and Board of Directors are confident that Dr. Bara will lead the Centre with intelligence and discernment in an environment increasingly multicultural and multireligious.
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The world will pray with Canada this January, and in a special way with native Canadians. For the second time in the 106-year history of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Canadians have written the biblical reflections, prayer services and educational materials to be used worldwide.

Celebrated Jan. 18-25, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is prepared each year in a different country under the direction of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome and the Geneva-based World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission. Since the two major ecumenical organizations took over the annual event in 1968, Canada is just the second country to be asked twice to prepare the worship and study material.

Coming back to Canada, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity wanted to make sure the material is fresh and reflects a different perspective. In 1989 Canada’s offering was prepared by the Canadian Council of Churches. This time, preparations were led by the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism in Montreal and the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism in Saskatoon.
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Le Centre canadien d’œcuménisme est à la recherche d’un directeur général. Situé au centre-ville de Montréal, le Centre, à caractère national, a pour mission de promouvoir l’œcuménisme et les relations interreligieuses au Canada par l’éducation, le dialogue et la spiritualité.

The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism invites applications for the full-time position of Executive Director. The mission of this national centre, based in Montreal, is to promote ecumenism and interfaith relations through education, dialogue and spirituality.
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On August 15th, the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism moved its offices across Montréal to a new street-front address on Réné Lévesque Ouest. The new address is: 1819 boul. Réné Lévesque O., Montréal QC, H3H 2P5. All phone numbers, fax numbers, and email addresses will remain unchanged.
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The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism has a new director, effective August 1st. Anthony Mansour, the successful candidate, comes to the CCE from an extensive background in management. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Québec; an MBA from Southeastern University in Washington, DC; and a certificate in Orthodox theology from the Université de Sherbrooke in Longueuil, Québec. He has also served for 11 years as a reserve officer with the Canadian Air Force and holds both Canadian and US pilot licenses. He has two children, Brent (12) and Elizabeth (10). A member of the Orthodox Church in America, he serves as sub-deacon at The Sign of the Theotokos, an OCA parish in Montréal. He is fluent in both English and French.
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The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism join church leaders and inter-church organizations around the world in urging an immediate cessation of hostilities in the conflict between Israel and Hezbullah. The CCE‘s new Executive Director Anthony Mansour and the Associate Director Adèle Brodeur write: “We call for an immediate implementation of
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Benoît XVI se rendra cette année au patriarcat œcuménique à Istanbul (l’ancienne Constantinople). Ce voyage aura lieu du 28 au 30 novembre prochain, à l’occasion de la fête de l’apôtre André, saint patron de l’Église de Constantinople. (Service Orthodoxe de Presse) Les Assises chrétiennes de la mondialisation (ACM), la deuxième assemblée de ce dynamique rassemblement
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La décision unanime de la Cour suprême du Canada rendue le 2 mars, autorisant le port du kirpan par un élève sikh d’une école publique du Québec, est vue comme une affirmation positive de la liberté de religion. « C’est un geste en faveur du pluralisme et des accommodements aux différences religieuses » a déclaré l’avocat constitutionnel
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Provinces de l’Ouest Une retraite de prière sur le thème « Nos dons réciproques : à la découverte de nos richesses cultuelles et spirituelles » a été organisée par le Prairie Centre for Ecumenism à la maison de retraite Queen’s House Retreat and Renewal Centre à Saskatoon, du 25 au 27 mai 2006. Cet exercice œcuménique offrait
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This year, Pope Benedict XVI will travel to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). The trip will take place next November 28-30 on the occasion of the feast day of the apostle Andrew, patron saint of the church of Constantinople. (Translated from Service Orthodox de Presse) Fatwa against smoking sought. Muslim health professionals in the
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The March 2 Supreme Court of Canada unanimous decision upholding the right of a Sikh student to wear a kirpan in a Quebec public school is seen as positive affirmation of religious freedom. “It is gesture in favour of pluralism and accommodation of religious differences,” said lawyer Peter Lauwers. “The court found as a matter
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West A Prayer Retreat on the theme of “Gift to Each other: Exploring our Treasures of Worship and Prayer” was organized by the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism and held at Queen’s House Retreat and Renewal Centre in Saskatoon, May 25-27, 2006. This ecumenical exercise offered participants the opportunity to experience the treasures of worship and
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It is with a certain sense of loss that the Centre will bid farewell to its current director, Dr Stuart E. Brown and his wife, Margaret, at the end of June. They will be returning to Nigeria, Africa where Dr Brown has been offered a full professorship in the Department of Religious Studies at Abti University in the city of Yola. Margaret will accompany him to take up a position in the University Library, working in the area of Archives/Reference.
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In recognition of her contribution to ecumenism on the local, national and international levels, the 2006 Ecumenical Leadership Award is presented to Renaude Grégoire. Born in 1960, in the aura of the Second Vatican Council and the opening up towards other Christian denominations, Renaude Grégoire studied theology at the University of Montreal, rubbing shoulders with the great thinkers of the various Christian churches.
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La Fondation Carnegie pour l’avancement de l’enseignement a publié, le 18 novembre 2005, les résultats d’une étude qui révèle que les séminaires catholiques, protestants, orthodoxes et juifs aux États-Unis intègrent avec succès les connaissances théoriques aux habiletés pratiques nécessaires aux étudiants pour leur rôle futur de chefs de file de leurs communautés de foi. Le
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On 18 November 2005, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching issued the results of a study which stated that Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Jewish seminaries in the United States are doing a good job of integrating academic knowledge with the practical skills students will need as leaders of faith communities. The report
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Deux groupes de Canadiens de diverses Églises ont recueilli plus de 100 000 $ en cinq ans pour la lutte contre le sida en Afrique en fabriquant des anges. Les groupes, basés à Ottawa et à Victoria, sont liés à deux paroisses catholiques, toutes deux dédiées à la Sainte Croix. Des groupes de vingt à
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Two groups of Canadians from several churches have raised over $100,000 in five years for AIDS projects in Africa by making craft angels. The groups, based in Ottawa and Victoria, are linked to two Roman Catholic parishes, each named Holy Cross. Groups of twenty to thirty people that include a range of ages and religious
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Provinces de l’ouest Le South East Saskatoon Interchurch Group (SESIG) a récemment célébré son quinzième anniversaire par un service interconfessionnel composé de lectures, de chants et de présentations multimédias. Le SESIG a été créé en 1990 par cinq Églises. Il compte présentement dix-huit Églises membres, dont les Églises de l’Alliance, orthodoxe, pentecôtiste, luthérienne, méthodiste, catholique
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West The South East Saskatoon Interchurch Group (SESIG) recently celebrated a fifteen-year anniversary in an interdenominational service that included readings, song and multimedia presentations. SESIG was formed in 1990 by five churches; it currently has eighteen member churches, including the Alliance, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Mennonite, Baptist, United, Presbyterian, Christian Science Society and
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À la suite d’un accord provisoire, les membres de l’Église évangélique luthérienne en Amérique ( ELCA ) et de l’Église méthodiste unie en Amérique peuvent pratiquer l’hospitalité eucharistique. L’accord provisoire a été approuvé le 11 août 2005 par 94% des 1 018 délégués à l’assemblée de la ELCA à Orlando, Floride. Les Églises comptent ensemble
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Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the United Methodist Church in America can share Communion under an interim agreement approved 11 August 2005. The interim pact was approved by 94% of the 1,018 delegates attending the ELCA meeting in Orlando, Florida. The churches have a combined membership of 13 million and
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Le Conseil canadien des Églises a célébré et consacré ses nouveaux locaux le 2 octobre 2005. Tous étaient les bienvenus, en tant qu’estimés collègues, pour le début officiel d’un nouveau ministère ouvert sur plus de possibilités au plan œcuménique et interreligieux. Les nouvelles coordonnées sont : 47 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Third Floor, Toronto, Ontario
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The Canadian Council of Churches celebrated and consecrated their new offices on 2 October 2005. Everyone was invited to attend as cherished colleagues as the CCC officially began its ministry of further and future ecumenical and inter-faith possibilities in its new location. The new address is: 47 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Third Floor, Toronto, Ontario
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L’Alliance du Grand Edmonton ne fait pas qu’organiser des campagnes pour améliorer les revenus des pauvres et promouvoir le logement abordable. Elle s’occupe aussi de développer des relations afin d’acquérir assez de pouvoir pour devenir la voix des sans-voix. Depuis sa fondation, en mai 2005, quelque quarante institutions, comprenant des Églises, des congrégations religieuses, des
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West The Greater Edmonton Alliance (GEA), while working on campaigns to improve wages for the working poor and to defend affordable housing is also busy building relationships in order to gain the necessary strength to become the voice of the voiceless. Since its founding in May 2005, about forty institutions, including churches, religious congregations, social
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Nelson – Calgary – Saskatoon – Winnipeg, 4-18 October 2005
A trip report by Stuart Brown, Canadian Centre for Ecumenism
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Nelson – Calgary – Saskatoon – Winnipeg, 4 – 18 octobre 2005
Un rapport de voyage par Stuart Brown, Centre canadien d’œcuménisme
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On 25 August, 2002, the Faith and Order Commission celebrated 75 years of work since the first world conference on Faith and Order in Lausanne (1927). The celebration in the Lausanne cathedral invited participants to remember and reappropriate the insights of the 1927 founding assembly. The Lausanne conference identified central aspects of Christian faith that
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Margaret O’Gara a été élue vice-présidente de la Catholic Theological Society of America le 10 juin 2005. Mme O’Gara enseigne la théologie à l’Université St. Michael’s College, Toronto School of Theology. Elle est impliquée dans le mouvement œcuménique depuis 1976 et fait partie de la Commission internationale luthérienne-catholique sur l’unité, la Commission internationale disciples du
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Le pasteur Setri Nyomi s’est vu remettre le Prix E.H. Johnson 2005 afin de souligner ses réalisations en faveur du dialogue interreligieux. Cette distinction, fondée par l’Église presbytérienne du Canada en 1983, porte le nom d’un missionnaire mort en 1981. Le pasteur Nyomi, secrétaire général de l’Alliance réformée mondiale ( ARM ), a tenu à rappeler que
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Provinces de l’Ouest Plusieurs religions ont honoré la sainteté de la création lors de la sixième célébration annuelle de la Journée mondiale de l’environnement organisée par Multi-Faith Saskatoon. L’événement, intitulé Walking Sacred Ground ( Fouler une terre sacrée ), comprenait une marche dans le labyrinthe derrière l’église luthérienne de la Résurrection. Walter Linklater, un ancien autochtone, a
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Margaret O’Gara was elected Vice-President of the Catholic Theological Society of America on 10 June 2005. O’Gara is a professor of theology with the University of St. Michael’s College’s Faculty of Theology, Toronto School of Theology. She has been active in the ecumenical movement since 1976 and sits on the Lutheran-Roman Catholic International Commission on
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A “Women Doing Theology” event was held in Montreal 9-12 June on the theme, “Creating Justice, Recognizing Differences”. This bilingual, feminist, womanist and interspiritual gathering was sponsored by the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada. The aims were to celebrate and collectively experience feminist inter-spirituality; resolve inequalities through solidarity and concrete actions for change; transform relations
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West Many faiths embraced the holiness of creation in the sixth annual celebration of World Environment Day organized by Multi-Faith Saskatoon. The event, entitled Walking Sacred Ground, featured the labyrinth behind Resurrection Lutheran Church. Walter Linklater, a First Nations elder, led a sweetgrass ceremony before beginning the labyrinth walk, described by speakers as “a metaphor
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D’après un sondage HCD Research auprès de 1 100 médecins chrétiens, musulmans, juifs, hindous et bouddhistes aux États-Unis, 75% ont dit que la religion fournit un guide nécessaire et fiable dans la vie; 59% prient pour des patients, 58% fréquentent un lieu de culte au moins une fois par mois et 46% font une place à
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The Catholic and Protestant branches of the British Royal Army Chaplains’ Department have been merged into a single ecumenical team. Since 1920 the department has had a Roman Catholic branch and a Unified branch which included the Anglican Church, Church of Scotland, Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed Churches. Under the new arrangements, a single head
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L’archidiocèse du Canada de l’Église orthodoxe en Amérique a inauguré, à l’automne 2003, un Institut de formation théologique, le St. Arseny Institute, afin de répondre au besoin de prêtres, à la proclamation de la foi, à l’accroissement de la compréhension de la foi au niveau paroissial et au besoin de réunir les gens pour le
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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
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Provinces de l’Ouest Diakonos House, dans le quartier sud d’Edmonton, est une maison d’accueil pour les agents de la paix, les pompiers et les membres du personnel de services d’urgence qui font face à des crises personnelles : ruptures, abus de substances toxiques ou urgences médicales. Administrée par un conseil bénévole de directeurs et financée par
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West Diakonos House, located in South Edmonton, operates like a safe house for peace officers, firefighters and emergency services personnel facing crises such as marital breakdowns, substance abuse and medical emergencies. Managed by a volunteer board of directors and funded by donations, Diakonos House is modelled after a similar residence in Calgary that opened in
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The staff of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism share the sorrow of the faithful and people of goodwill around the world in thanking God for the life and work of His Holiness John Paul II, who left us last Saturday. We are especially grateful for the many occasions of encouragement which the Holy Father gave to
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The Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism is pleased to announce that Dr. Stuart E. Brown has taken up the duties of Director of the Centre as of the 1st of October. From British Columbia, Dr. Brown holds an MA and a PhD in Islamic Studies from McGill University. In Canada, the United States, England, Switzerland, India, Australia, and numerous African countries, he has taught and written on various aspects of Islam and interfaith dialogue as well as on the history and future of ecumenism.

Dr. Brown was Program Secretary for Christian-Muslim Relations in the Department of Dialogue with People of Living Faiths at the World Council of Churches in Geneva from 1983-1988 and General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches from 1988-1993. He is fluent in English, French, and Arabic and reads German, Italian, Spanish, Swahili, and Turkish. Dr. Brown and his wife, Margaret, have four adult children and five grandchildren. His appointment as Director of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism marks the first time an Anglican or layperson has held this post.
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La 5e déclaration commune produite par la Commission internationale mixte anglicane-catholique romaine, consacrée à la place de Marie dans la vie et la doctrine de l’Église et aux dogmes mariaux de l’Immaculée conception et de l’Assomption, a été soumise pour approbation au Conseil pontifical pour la promotion de l’unité des chrétiens, à l’archevêque de Cantorbéry,
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The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission has produced a new document on the Blessed Virgin Mary that it hopes will advance the cause of communion. The Commission submitted the document entitled “Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ” to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and to the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury together with the Anglican
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Les Églises canadiennes ont lancé une campagne en vue de sensibiliser l’opinion publique à la violence perpétrée contre les femmes autochtones. Selon les estimations, cinq cent d’entre elles ont disparu ou ont été assassinées au Canada ces vingt dernières années. La campagne Sisters in Spirit était lancée dans la capitale canadienne, Ottawa, le 22 mars,
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A campaign to raise public awareness about violence against Aboriginal women, an estimated five hundred of whom have disappeared over the past twenty years, has been launched by Canadian churches. Called Sisters in Spirit, the campaign was inaugurated in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, on 22 March by the United and Anglican Churches, and the Native Women’s
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