In our Bridgefolk Brief last week we provided updates on a number of local dialogues between Mennonites and Roman Catholics that have come to our attention. One of these relayed information from a Canadian magazine concerning a congregation-to-parish dialogue in Winnipeg. As it turns out, this is only the beginning. Dr. Helmut Harder responded with additional information on what’s happening with Catholic-Mennonite dialogue in Winnipeg:
A dialogue between 7 Mennonites and 7 Catholics, initiated seven years ago, has been meeting continuously three times a year, for five-hour sessions. We make plans from session to session, and so far there’s been no shortage of topics for discussion and no desire to bring the dialogue to a close.
Meanwhile this group has spawned four additional local dialogues of 12 persons each. Three groups are congregationally based — a local Mennonite congregation teaming up with a local Catholic parish in its vicinity. Mennonite participants come from both Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church Canada backgrounds. A fourth group draws on academics from Canadian Mennonite University and St. Paul’s College. The four groups follow a plan that will take them through Called Together to be Peacemakers in four or five sessions. Initial reports are that there is always more to talk about than time allows. It seems we’re ‘playing catch-up’ after centuries of silence.