“The vision which rises before us is that of a church, genuinely catholic, loyal to all truth, and gathering into its fellowship all ‘who profess and call themselves Christians,’ within whose visible unity all the treasures of faith and order, bequeathed as a heritage by the past to the present, shall be possessed in common, and made serviceable to the whole body of Christ. Within this unity Christian communions now separated from one another would retain much that has long been distinctive in their methods of worship and service. It is through a rich diversity of life and devotion that the unity of the whole fellowship will be fulfilled…”
An Appeal to All Christian People (Lambeth Conference, 1920)
Ecumenism is the ongoing effort by the separated Christian churches to call one another to visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic fellowship. It is expressed in worship and common life in Christ, through witness and service to the world, and to advance towards that unity in order that the world may believe. The division of the church, in the words of the Second Vatican Council, “openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the gospel to every creature.”
Ecumenism is at the very heart of Anglicanism, and one of our tradition’s distinctive marks has been our willingness and capacity to speak with other Christians from a diverse variety of backgrounds, and to seek reconciliation with them. Anglican churches have formed a part of the modern ecumenical movement from its very beginnings.
The Anglican Church of Canada seeks to help make visible the church’s unity at the local, national, and global levels. To that end, we are currently engaged in four broad areas of ecumenism:
The Anglican Church of Canada also collaborates with other churches in the creation of resources for the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Archdeacon Bruce Myers is the Anglican Church of Canada’s coordinator for ecumenical relations. Contact him by email.
