By Father Peter Choy Wai-man
Since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has been committed to the ecumenical movement for unity. Over the past 60 years, various forms of ecumenical dialogue and cooperation have developed: ecumenical journeys for pastors of different denominations, the organisation of the Stations of the Cross for young people of different denominations, and regular prayer services for Christians of different denominations during the Liturgical Year, to name but a few.
However, the negative effects of this fundamentally positive development have become more apparent in recent years. On the one hand, people, especially young ones, are becoming less aware of their own religious identity, and many are no longer able to explain why they are Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox, to the extent that they consider the distinctions and differences to be irrelevant; on the other hand, this trend has led to a growing demand for the reinforcement of their respective denominational identities. In fact, many seek such a sense of identity by labelling themselves as different.
Finally, there are many Christians who complain that the progress of the ecumenical movement is too slow, and who strongly demand that the goals of the movement must be concretely expressed in a common thanksgiving celebration [or Eucharistic celebration]. In the face of the ecumenical movement, some adopted an indifferent attitude; some showed great impatience; some were content to maintain the status quo; and some wanted to use it as a means of expanding the influence of their own denomination and strengthening their competitive edge.
In fact, the fruits of ecumenism should be realised through greater co-operation between Churches in various areas of life. For example, in the area of pastoral care, we can jointly organise pre-marriage training courses for inter-denominational couples, accompany and support inter-denominational marriages and families, and coordinate pastoral care in hospitals and nursing homes.
In the area of parish life, we can organise unity prayer vigils, children’s Bible weeks, children’s and youth activities, couples’ talks and weekend retreats; invite each other to parish festivals and celebrations, greet each other on special occasions [to introduce the new priests or pastors of neighbouring parishes], and have regular meetings and exchanges etc.
These examples clearly show that in many areas it is possible to act together in ecumenical cooperation. Each parish should be able to find ways of collaborating that fit its own circumstances. Of course, not every parish will be able to implement all of these suggestions. But it is possible to choose at least one or two of the more feasible ones and to try them out, so that the idea of ecumenism may penetrate into all areas of parish life.
