The 16th annual Bridgefolk conference, Pilgrimage toward Christian Unity: Beginning with Baptism, 27-30 July 2017, will be held at Seattle Mennonite Church and the School of Theology and Ministry at Seattle University, WA.
Tag: Conferences
15th annual Bridgefolk conference highlights common practices of mercy
This article has also appeared in The Mennonite.
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
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
Researcher speaks on religious freedom, meets pope
By Kelli Yoder, Mennonite World Review
Halfway through a conference on Christianity and freedom, Chad Bauman and his fellow presenters were told the schedule had changed.
The next morning they crossed the street from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome and met the pope.
“In my wildest imagination I had thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be cool if I’d be able to meet the pope,’ ” said Bauman, who is associate professor and chair of religion at Butler University in Indianapolis. “But there was nothing on the schedule to indicate anything like that might happen.”
The international conference, held Dec. 13-14 to discuss Christian contributions to the idea of freedom and restrictions Christians face with regard to religious liberties, had come to the attention of Vatican officials.
Continue reading “Researcher speaks on religious freedom, meets pope”
12th annual Bridgefolk conference meets in Waterloo
Collegeville, MN (BRIDGEFOLK) — Meeting for the first time in Canada, the 12th annual Bridgefolk conference was held July 25-28 at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario under the theme, “Reconciliation: A Way to Peace.”
Bridgefolk 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. Of the sixty participants gathered for this year’s conference, about thirty-five were Mennonite and twenty-five Catholic. Half the participants were from Canada, with the other half being mainly from the United States in addition to a couple participants from outside of North America.
The conference’s keynote speakers were Christian McConnell, who teaches Liturgical Studies at the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto, and John Rempel, director of the Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre, both of whom spoke on practices of reconciliation within their respective churches’ traditions. Continue reading “12th annual Bridgefolk conference meets in Waterloo”
News release on 2013 Bridgefolk conference
2013 Bridgefolk conference to focus on reconciliation
News release
June 6, 2013
Collegeville, MN (Bridgefolk) – Bridgefolk, the Mennonite-Catholic ecumenical organization, will hold its 12th annual conference July 25-28 at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The conference theme, “Reconciliation: A Way to Peace,” is one of a series focusing on key spiritual practices that unite both Mennonites and Roman Catholics. Continue reading “News release on 2013 Bridgefolk conference”
Register now for Bridgefolk 2013 conference!
Bridgefolk 2013 online registration is now open! Under the theme “Reconciliation: A Way to Peace,” Bridgefolk is holding its 12th annual conference July 25-28 at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The conference will feature John Rempel (Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre) and Christian McConnell (St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto) as keynote speakers. Conference sessions will include times of worship, instruction, reflection, and fellowship (including agape meal, hymn sing, and ice cream social!). As a grassroots movement of Catholics and Mennonites “proceeding through friendship,” Bridgefolk welcomes all those interested to join us. Day registration options are available for Friday and Saturday. Child care will be provided on request. For registration, schedule, and travel information, go to http://www.bridgefolk.net/conferences/bridgefolk-2013.
Bridgefolk celebrates the fruit God brings through human failure
News release on 2011 Bridgefolk conference
By Gerald W. Schlabach
Akron, Pennsylvania (BRIDGEFOLK) – “The Holy Spirit works in and through human failure, not around it,” Mennonite biblical scholar Mary Schertz told Catholics and Mennonites gathered at the headquarters of Mennonite Central Committee August 4-7 for the 2011 conference of Bridgefolk, a grassroots movement for dialogue and unity between Mennonites and Roman Catholics.
Peter was in a position to deny Jesus only because he was trying to be faithful to his promise, Schertz explained. He risked his life to follow Jesus into the courtyard near where he stood trial. “God worked the birth of the church out of human failure,” noted the Bridgefolk board member and professor of New Testament at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. “Failure will always be present in the life of the church, but it doesn’t have to have the last word. So too with Bridgefolk. God has been at work through our failure.”
Schertz’s insight helped conference participants name the mix of joy and pain that they continue to share as Bridgefolk enters its second decade as a movement. “This was Bridgefolk’s tenth annual conference,” Bridgefolk co-founder Weldon Nisly commented later, “and I think we have matured. We feel the pain of church disunity as acutely as ever. But holding that pain together has also led to a deep trust and mutual love. We are clearer than ever that it is only ours to live in hope, not to ‘fix’ the church’s disunity. Yet we find ourselves celebrating the fruit that God has brought from our failure.” Continue reading “Bridgefolk celebrates the fruit God brings through human failure”
Bridgefolk in the news at the Vatican
In the lead-up to Bridgefolk’s recent conference, the Vatican’s daily newspaper published a short article on Bridgefolk, and Vatican Radio followed up with a summary:
- Click here for L’Observatore Romano August 10 article, then go to page 6.
- Click here for Vatican Radio report.