INTERFAITH MINISTRY
The Interfaith Ministry Group at Epiphany welcomes our parishioners, and people of all faiths who are interested in learning more about the ecumenical and interfaith activities of the Church of the Epiphany in particular, and of the Catholic Church in general.
One of our goals is to become a resource for Epiphany parishioners who wish to learn more about what we are doing to fulfill the spirit of Vatican II and the specific directives of the papal ecumenical encyclical, "Ut Unum Sint" (That They May Be One, promulgated May 25, 1995), which enjoins Catholics to work toward Christian unity.
We hope to be a tool for promoting healing, harmony and understanding between all Christians, our Jewish brothers and sisters, recognizing that "the true revelation of the Hebrew Bible which Christians revere as God's Word was given to the Church through the Jewish people and that as Christians we affirm that our own faith in God began in the call of Abraham, Moses and the Jewish prophets."*
We are dedicated to the betterment of interfaith relations with our Muslim sisters and brothers, celebrating our unity as descendents of Abraham and worship of the one true God.
We also hope to invite followers of other world religions, and all people of good will, to recognize the sincerity and openness of our Catholic tradition, so that they might experience unity with us where possible, as well as mutual understanding and trust, even where differences may divide us.Although the terms are often used together, "ecumenical" concerns "Christian unity" and "interfaith" concerns relations with non-Christian faiths.
What is Ecumenical?
"Ecumenism" is defined as: "promoting or fostering Christian unity throughout the world". The search for Christian unity was one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council.
The Second Vatican Council clearly asked Catholics to reach out to love to all other Christians with a charity that desires and works actively to overcome in truth whatever divides them from one another. 1 "This sacred Synod exhorts all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and to participate actively in the work of ecumenism."
In his defining encyclical on ecumenism, Ut Unum Sint, Pope John Paul II reminds all the faithful of the Church's commitment to ecumenism: "This is part of the episcopal mission and it is a duty which derives directly from fidelity to Christ, the Shepherd of the Church. Indeed all the faithful are asked by the Spirit of God to do everything possible to strengthen the bonds of communion between all Christians and to increase cooperation between Christ's followers: "Concern for restoring unity pertains to the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone according to the potential of each".
Ut Unum Sint "Exhortation" Sec 101
"Concern for achieving unity involves the whole Church, the faithful and clergy alike, But we must realize that this bold objective - the reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ - transcends human powers and gifts. That is why we place all our hope in the prayer of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father for us, and in the power of the Holy Spirit."
Catechism of the Catholic Church L 821
Epiphany regularly holds Interfaith Services at the church, and offers interfaith opportunities with other churches, synogogues and mosques for our parishioners.
IF YOU’D LIKE TO HELP US IN THIS MINISTRY, please CONTACT Mary Shea ibbster8@gmail.com
