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March 8, 2007 |
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Christian churches together – USA |
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Bishop Richard J. Sklba |
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Bishop Richard J. Sklba |
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Herald
of Hope is a weekly column started by
former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland
in the Catholic Herald and written by
the bishops of the Milwaukee Archdiocese. |
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On Wednesday evening, Feb. 7, 2007, I had the honor of being the official signatory for the Catholic bishops of the nation as the new ecumenical venture of “Christian Churches Together” was officially inaugurated.
The formal prayer service of common commitment was held in the historic Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, Calif., where the late Dr. Carson Blake, one of the founders of the World Council of Churches, once served. That service was the official culmination of almost six years of quiet conversation which began with a meeting with Cardinal William H. Keeler in Baltimore.
For the first time in the history of the modern ecumenical movement the “five families” of contemporary American Christianity pledged themselves to working for full visible unity and common witness in the Church: Catholic, Evangelical/Pentecostal, ethnic/African American, historic Protestant, and Orthodox. It was a moving ceremony as a representative from each group came forward to give a four-minute testimony to the reason for their respective intent to be founding members of the association.
Seated in the sanctuary in the absence of Cardinal Keeler, whose temporary indisposition prevented his travel to the inaugural meeting of the group, I rose to recall the three formal reasons of Pope John XXIII in calling the Second Vatican Council some 45 years earlier: the renewal of the church, the reconciliation of the churches and the transformation of the modern world by the Gospel.
Later in the ceremony, the official representative of each “family” was called forth to sign the foundational document.
Here’s where a slight clarification for the record might be helpful for future historians. The Methodist master of ceremonies was so taken by the eminence of Cardinal Mahony’s presence that the cardinal was summoned at that moment. He looked at the document, saw my name neatly typed in place and decided not to cause any awkward embarrassment … so Cardinal Mahony forged my name!
It was, nonetheless, a moving moment for everyone, five years in the making. To avoid any future difficulty, it is agreed in the bylaws of the organization that any one of the families may bring closure to an initiative by declining to endorse that action or statement. All together some 36 Christian Churches or organizations have committed themselves to this new reality in America. A new entity was launched.
The fundamental requirements for membership in Christian Churches Together include a confession of the Triune God, the recognition of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the world, a desire to work together in common witness and service and a conviction that our efforts must contribute to the common good in striking ways.
It was commonly agreed by all that the expression of Christian faith necessarily includes evangelical action in behalf of the needy. The striking passage from Luke 4:16-21 became the banner for our week of prayer and reflection. As a result, consensus was achieved on the central importance of evangelization and the consequent biblical imperative to overcome poverty in our world.
A statement on poverty was issued in the name of all the member churches with a total membership of some 100 million persons. The common statement insisted that “our faith in Christ who is the truth compels us to confront the ignorance of and the indifference to the scandal of widespread, persistent poverty in this rich nation. We must call this situation by its real names: moral failure, unacceptable injustice.” The statement declared that “we believe that a renewed commitment to overcome poverty is central to the mission of the church and essential to our unity in Christ.”
In a moving reference, the Methodist Rev. Larry Pickens quoted his mother’s solemn admonition when he left home years ago, namely, “Remember you belong to God and God doesn’t belong to you!” The profound truth of the matter might be stated about the entire ecumenical movement, for God truly doesn’t “belong” to any of us!
Undoubtedly food pantries and outreach programs exist through the efforts of our parishes and congregations everywhere. The challenge will be to maintain a solid anchor for our actions in our deepest commitment in faith, and to avoid mere superficial partisan or ideological differences. Advocacy as well as direct service will be essential for the final success of this effort.
We’ve issued statements before, I know, and the world is tired of words. I intend to share the group’s proclamation with Rob Shelledy, our archdiocesan director for social ministry, and Judi Longdin, our archdiocesan ecumenical officer, to see how this new initiative might be launched on a more local level as well. Parish human concerns committees already have an abundance of projects, but this one overarches everything else.
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