Ecumenical Vignette from Trondheim

The Revd Mary Strømmen
is an assistant priest in the Anglican Church in Norway. She is based in the ancient city of Trondheim where our congregation meets at the Cathedral. Mary writes of her experience of ecumenical life:
In Norway, Trondheim is considered strong on ecumenics, being the only town in the country to have its own Christian Council where all the different churches are members. This last year I have been deputy leader - quite a lot of leadership responsibility The Anglicans here are known for being dedicated to ecumenical work. Recently the local Lutheran bishop of the Norwegian Church acknowledged that it was the smaller churches that made most of the running in ecumenical efforts, and that he wanted to encourage the majority state Church to take more responsibility and initiative.
The Council mainly keeps the ball rolling by organising the regular annual events - Week of Prayer, Women's World Day of Prayer, Procession of the Cross on Good Friday, town procession on "national day", but sometimes there are additional special events and seminars. There is a feeling that it can be a bit of a struggle due to ongoing tensions between groups of Christians about women's roles, homosexual rights, Israel/Palestine support and so on, but there also seems to be enough determination to keep on seeking to work together anyway.
Personally I vary between thinking "Have I really got time for this?" to thinking that it may actually be the most important work I do!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farewell to the Diocese in Europe

Image
Deacon Frances and I packed up our office yesterday and turned over our official files, emails and equipment. Thus a close working together for 22 years comes to an end. So it is hard to believe that today, St David's day, a new chapter begins, after 44 years of stipendiary ministry, 22 years as deacon then priest and 22 as a bishop.  Here are just a few memories from the last couple of months...   But now it is time to begin a new chapter.  O God, by whose command the order of time runs its course: forgive our impatience, perfect our faith and, while we await the fulfilment of your promise, grant us to have a good hope because of your Word,  even Jesus Christ our Lord. (St Gregory Nazianzus, 330 - 390)
Read more

Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter: A European Consequence

Image
In his Pentecost letter, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned of certain consequences for provinces of the Anglican Communion which have failed to stand by the three moratoria . (No authorisation of blessings services for same-sex unions; no consecrations of bishops living in same-sex relationships; and no bishop authorising any ministry within the diocese of another bishop without explicit permission). One consequence would be that representatives from such provinces w ould not be able to participate in the formal international interchurch dialogues of the Communion. One of those dialogues is the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council ( AOCICC ), the official instrument set up to deepen the relationship of communion established in 1931 between the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht . As the member Churches of the Union of Utrecht are all European, the AOCICC is effectively a European body. (I am one of the members, appo...
Read more

Bishop Austin Rios of California

Image
It was a joyful, colourful, multicultural three-hour liturgy. At Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, the Revd Austin Rios was consecrated the bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of California. I have known Austin from his time as the Rector of St Paul's Episcopal Church in Rome, where he was a great friend and collaborator with our own Church of England All Saints Chaplaincy in that city. The liturgy, appropriately, marked the multiculural make-up of the diocese, with prayers, readings, hymns and songs in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Tonga and Mandarin. The final procession was led by a Chinese dragon! I was told that there were about 300 in the procession and 2000 present in the beautiful gothic cathedral on Nob Hill San Francisco. My good friend and ecuenical colleague from Rome Fr Keith Peckers SJ was also in attenance, so the Church of Rome and the Church of England were both represented! Among the bishop friends present were Bishop Mark Edington of the Episcopal Convocation in Europe, a...
Read more