Ohio Faith and Order meeting draws young ecumenists into circle

Published: 2007-07-30

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When Christian Brother Jeffrey Gros first got involved in the ecumenical movement as a collegian 40 years ago, the Faith and Order Commission that embodies the movement had been accepting Catholic participation for only about 10 years. But as the commission celebrated its 50th anniversary with a July 19-23 conference in Oberlin, Ohio, it was apparent that Catholics were regarded as full partners in the work of ecumenism, Brother Gros said. "Some of the international people I hadn't seen in two or three years," he said. "For some people it was a kind of a homecoming." But it wasn't just the same old faces. While there were many familiar faces among the 400 or so participants, Brother Gros said he noticed "about 100 young theologians, including Catholics," taking part at Oberlin. "That was quite a positive. I was very impressed," said Brother Gros, a theology professor at Memphis Theological Seminary in Tennessee. The Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches is charged with the work of speaking "about the Gospel and our church communities in ways that will lead to healing our divisions while honoring our diversity," according to the NCC's Web site.

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