Tag: Bridgefolk

2018 Bridgefolk Conference

Mennonites and Catholics in Dialogue

Racial Harmony“Toward a Just Peace: Eradicating the Evil of Racism”

The 17th annual Bridgefolk conference was held at Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville, MN, 26-29 July 2018.

Keynote speakers:

Anne McCarthy, OSB, Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, “Overturning Temple Tables: Toward Repairing a Racist Legacy”

Felipe Hinojosa, Associate Professor of History, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Teaching specialty in Latina/o – Chicana/o, Religion. Author of Latino Mennonites:  Civil Rights, Faith, and Evangelical Culture (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014). Keynote title to come.

2018 Conference Report, 10 August 2018

Pre-Conference News Release

Schedule

Registration is closed.

Travel Links

For more information: <info@bridgefolk.net>.

15th annual Bridgefolk conference highlights common practices of mercy

This article has also appeared in The Mennonite.

 

Bridgefolk annual hymn sing in Sacred Heart chapel at St Benedict's monastery. Leading music (right to left) are Samantha E. Lioi, Julia Smucker, Sally McGill and Bro. John Hanson OSB.
Bridgefolk annual hymn sing in Sacred Heart chapel at St Benedict’s monastery. Leading music (left to right) are Samantha E. Lioi, Julia Smucker, Sally McGill and Bro. John Hanson OSB.

St. Joseph, Minn. (BRIDGEFOLK) — The 15th annual Bridgefolk conference was held July 28-31 at Saint Benedict’s Monastery and the College of Saint Benedict in Saint Joseph, MN.  The conference proceeded under the theme, “‘I Desire Mercy:’ Practicing the Works of Mercy.”

Bridgefolk is a grassroots movement of sacramentally-minded Mennonites and peace-minded Roman Catholics who come together to celebrate each other’s traditions, explore each other’s practices, and honor each other’s contribution to the mission of Christ’s Church.

Previous conferences have alternated between Catholic and Mennonite locations in the United States and Canada. Of the forty-five participants gathered for this year’s conference, about thirty were Mennonite and fifteen Catholic.

On the opening evening of the conference, following welcoming words from Sister Michaela Hedican, OSB (Prioress of Saint Benedict’s Monastery), this year’s conference featured Father Columba Stewart, OSB¸ a distinguished scholar of early Church history, especially the evolution of early monastic and other forms of intentional community.  Continue reading “15th annual Bridgefolk conference highlights common practices of mercy” →

Bridgefolk announces 2016 conference

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Dear Friends of Bridgefolk,

I am pleased to announce the upcoming Bridgefolk conference for 2016!

Theme: “‘I Desire Mercy:’ Practicing the Works of Mercy”

Speakers: Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, and Dawn Ruth Nelson

Location: St. Benedict’s Monastery and College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, MN

Dates: July 28-31

Description: Inspired in part by Pope Francis’ Year (Jubilee) of Mercy, this conference will explore how we joyfully receive mercy from God and how we practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Stories illustrating the practice of mercy will be drawn from the third century to today.

Registration information and conference schedule will follow soon on the Bridgefolk website.

We hope to see you there!
Peace,

Darrin W. Snyder Belousek
Bridgefolk executive director

Remembering Ivan J. Kauffman, Bridgefolk co-founder

ivanBridgefolk co-founder Ivan J. Kauffman died on July 15 in Philadelphia, surrounded by family, after suffering a massive stroke 11 days earlier. A funeral mass for Ivan was held on Monday morning, July 27 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Philadelphia, PA. A memorial service was also held in Goshen, Indiana, on Sunday, August 2, at College Mennonite Church. The family requested that memorial donations be made to Catholic Relief Services (crs.org) or Mennonite Central Committee (mcc.org).

Two other Bridgefolk co-founders shared their tributes to Ivan at the recent Bridgefolk conference:

Bridgefolk 2015 explores miracle of ecumenical healing

Collegeville, MN (BRIDGEFOLK) — Meeting at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN, the 14th annual Bridgefolk conference was held August 20-23 under the theme, “Ecumenical Healing and the Mystery of the Communion of Saints.”

11954709_522880944536466_1896281150242881657_nBridgefolk is a movement of sacramentally-minded Mennonites and peace-minded Roman Catholics who come together to celebrate each other’s traditions, explore each other’s practices, and honor each other’s contribution to the mission of Christ’s Church.

Previous conferences have alternated between Catholic and Mennonite locations in the United States and Canada.  Of the ninety participants gathered for this year’s conference, about sixty were Mennonite and thirty Catholic.

This year’s conference featured an array of guests and speakers from Japan, including members of the Mennonite communities in Japan and of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in Japan.  The keynote speakers were Prof. Nozomu Yamada and Fr. Alfonso Fausone SVD, both of Nanazan (Catholic) University in Nagoya, Japan. Continue reading “Bridgefolk 2015 explores miracle of ecumenical healing” →

On the bridge between Mennonite and Catholic shores

Bridgefolk couple Laura Funk and Gilbert Detillieux share their story in the Nov. 10 issue of The Canadian Mennonite:

Even if we grow up hearing stories of the Good Samaritan and the Woman at the Well, we may be more hesitant to seek out those who are different from us in real life. And that may be true all the more if we have grown up in a community where everyone knows everyone else and they all have a lot in common. (This can be true in faith communities, too, unfortunately. Sometimes we become educated beyond our faithfulness.)

But if we are to be true to the ways of Jesus, it may be important to look across the river, and get to know our neighbour on the other side. Sometimes surprising things happen when we venture out and stretch our comfort zones. Our story is one of those examples.

The full story is available here.