Church As Communion Booklet
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Embrace Jesus and his vision by pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus and learning more about his ways. Church as Build Communion with God and Oth- ers by fostering bonds of understanding, respect and love with God and people within and beyond the Church. Communion Engage in Christ’s Mission in the world by living the values of Jesus in everything we do and promoting the reign of God in today’s world. This is a five week adult education re- Through our discussions in our local source to enable Anglicans and Roman communities we will come to a greater Catholics to reflect, share and discuss appreciation of our communion with important issues on the topic of one another and where the Spirit is ‘Church as Communion’. leading us. Each week’s session (no more than 90 minutes) consists of an opening prayer, brief quotes from the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) document ‘Church as Com- munion’, everyday stories, discussion questions and closing prayer. Communion implies that the Church is For the last forty years or so, Anglicans a dynamic reality moving towards its fulfilment. and Roman Catholics have been in- Communion embraces both the visible creasingly sharing times of prayer, gathering of God‟s people and its divine work and meeting together in a spirit of life-giving source. ... There is held be- growing trust and familiarity. This dis- fore us the vision of God‟s reign over A DISCUSSION RESOURCE FOR cussion resource is another practical the whole of creation, and of the step for local communities in that direc- Church as the first fruits of humankind ANGLICANS AND tion. It is being published for use in which is drawn into that divine life Aotearoa New Zealand by the local through acceptance of the redemption ROMAN CATHOLICS IN Anglican - Roman Catholic dialogue given in Jesus Christ. group known as ARCCANZ. AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND „Church as Communion‟ paragraph 3 32 Notes: Copyright ©AustARC, 2004 Original Production and distribution by Faith Education Services GPO Box 1201 Brisbane 4001 07 - 3840 0599 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher. Used with permission by ARCCANZ (Anglican Roman Catholic Commission of Aotearoa New Zealand) Acknowledgements Australian Edition Australian Writing Team: Rev Helen Granowski, Sr Margaret Jenkins CSB, Arch- deacon Philip Newman OAM, Rev Elizabeth Smith, Rev Denis Stanley Prayers: Rev Elizabeth Smith Editorial Team: Rob Cosgrove, Dr Rosemary Gill, Rev Geoff Hoyte, Prof John Mainstone, Margaret Naylon, Trish Stapleton The publisher gratefully thanks the contributors to the Stories’ section and all those who provided helpful feedback through the writing of this resource. Design: Rob Cosgrove Secretarial assistance: Marie Ford New Zealand Edition This ARCCANZ edition amended and adjusted for New Zealand by ARCCANZ team with special thanks to all those who contributed time, stories and editing. For information on ARCCANZ visit the website: http://www.4churchunity.net.nz/ Page 1. Image for ‘Church as Communion’ program. ©Benedictine Sisters of Tur- vey. Used with permission McCrimmon Publishing Co Ltd, Great Wakering, Essex UK, SS3 OEQ. Pages 6, 9, 12, 13, 18, 22, 25, 26, 28 & 30 Photos by Father Yvan Sergy, Page 14, Photo by " Images of the Cross" www.imagesofthecross.com USA used with permission. Page 17, Mania figure done by Wi Parahi Mou Paru of Ngati Whakaeke of Kaikohe for the Hato Paora Chapel. It is an integral part of the sanctuary decoration of the school chapel. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copy- right © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2 31 Closing Prayer CONTENTS Leader: Loving God, Reader 5:Re-create us in Christ, hear and help us, as we so that, in a divided world, say: the Church be a sign of 4 Foreword God of grace, peace and harmony. by Anglican Archbishop David Moxon & Bishop Barry Jones (pause) God of grace, 4 Introduction All: Hear our prayer. All: Hear our prayer. 7 Leader’s Guide Reader 1: Enrich among us the sacramental life, so that, Reader 6:Inspire us for joint witness 9-12 Meeting 1 sharing holy things, we and practical action, so that, Topic 1 Communion unfolded in Scripture- may we may care for one an- The drama of human existence become a holy people. other and bear with one (pause) God of grace, another in sharing the Good News. 13-18 Meeting 2 All: Hear our prayer. Topic 2 Communion: Sacramentality and the Church- (pause) God of grace, God’s abiding presence Reader 2: Gather up the rich diversity of all our cultures, so that, All: Hear our prayer. 19-22 Meeting 3 by the one Spirit, all the Topic 3 Communion: Apostolicity, Catholicity & Holiness- peoples of the earth may Linking present, past and future generations of Christians come to you. (pause) God of grace, As part of this final prayer you may 23-26 Meeting 4 All: Hear our prayer. like to spend some time thanking Topic 4 Communion between Anglicans & Roman Catholics- God together and recalling what Making room for each other in the Body of Christ Reader 3:Quicken among us the has been valuable for you through- memory of Christ, so that, out the five weeks of sharing. 7-29 Meeting 5 fed by the living Word and Topic 5 The Path Ahead - Looking Forward Together living Tradition, we may be messengers of the Gospel. (pause) God of grace Leader: Let us pray. ARCIC II Church as Communion All: Hear our prayer. Introduction paragraph 2 This little booklet is a reflection re- All: May the grace This statement on communion is to source on the ARCIC II document Reader 4:Give us new ways of of our Lord Jesus Christ give substance to the affirmation „Church as Communion‟ so group expressing age-old faith, so and the love of God that Anglicans and Roman Catholics members may wish to read the full that, in our own age and and the fellowship text which can be found at the ad- are already in a real though as yet dress below: culture, we may show au- of the Holy Spirit imperfect communion and to enable thentic faithfulness. be with us all us to recognize the degree of com- (pause) God of grace, now & evermore. http://www.prounione.urbe.it/dia-int/ munion that exists both within and Amen. arcic/doc/i_arcicII_communion.html All: Hear our prayer. between us. 30 3 Foreword Looking Forward Together It has been a joy and a privilege to One of the unseen fruits of the ecu- be in dialogue with the Roman menical commitment of the Roman Christian involvement in state schools. If you know who is responsible for this Catholic Church as a member of the Catholic Church, described by the late activity record this also. Anglican Roman Catholic Commis- Pope John Paul II as “irreversible,” When sharing is finished, collate the information (example shown). sion for Aotearoa New Zealand for has been the on-going Anglican- nearly ten years. The commission Roman Catholic dialogue in New Zea- Activity already happening Contact works to uphold the special relation- land, (ARCCANZ). This has seen a ship we share as Christian commu- group of Anglicans and Catholics nities, given our common history to meeting together twice a year for the English Reformation, and our prayer and reflection and exchanges common desire to now discover and on aspects of the life of the two parent create greater degrees of commun- bodies. ion between us. From the beginning, it has involved In particular we have encouraged bishops, clergy and members of the the sharing of Ash Wednesday Litur- lay faithful. Importantly, it has sought Step 2. gies throughout Aotearoa New Zea- to involve members with a scholarly You are now invited to make the more challenging step of imagining and think- land. The sharing of Advent Wreath background, because as Cardinal ing creatively about possible new areas of cooperation. They may include ac- Liturgies and as much solidarity and Kasper has reminded us, tivities that already occur but need better promotion and organisation—a good partnership as is possible in our lo- “ecumenism is synonymous neither with kindly humanism, nor with eccle- test is to check how many people knew about all the current activities in step 1. cal ministries. This Booklet, Also think about who might be involved and what gifts they have to offer for "Church as Communion" is a new siological relativism.” gift for our two Churches to share in this activity. Try and think ‘outside the square’. For example, meditation the on-going pilgrimage towards It is important Anglicans and Catholics groups, prayer groups, liturgy planning, music groups, evangelisation, youth deeper unity in Christ. The Booklet can finds ways of sharing together in activity etc. invites us to learn, recall, and build prayer, work and witness, in complete deeper co-operation in our daily lives fidelity to the teachings and disciplines When finished ensure suggestions are specific and can be achieved or passed as well as our Christian community. of their respective traditions; being onto another group (e.g. ecumenical commission or deanery). Decide on at fully themselves. Perhaps this little least one suggestion that this group will take forward. book will suggest further possibilities. As this booklet goes to print, Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop What are the next steps required to make it happen, e.g.