Forging New Paths: Interreligious Dialogue

Posted On October 30, 2012

Frs. Rocco Puopolo, Adolph Menendez and Carl Chudy attended the 2012 Mission Conference of the US Catholic Mission Association in Los Angeles, California this past weekend. It was a gathering of 150 missionaries, lay, religious and priests involved in the missionary work of the US Catholic Church. The topic this year: FORGING NEW PATHS: INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE, is an extraordinary challenge of all Catholics of the United States, as well as worldwide. We also gathered Saturday night with Bishop Salazar of the Archdiocese of LA at the wonderfully artistic Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels. We also had some wonderful entertainment of traditional Mexican dances and tasty Mexican cuisine put on by the mission office of the Archdiocese at the Cathedral.

I thought the best way to share the experience was to give you a glimpse at the rich experience we had through the plenary sessions and workshops.

The Abrahamic Faiths Panel with Rabbi Hillel Cohn, Dr. Amir Hussain, and Rev. Thomas Ryan, CSP
Missioners Dialoging with Judaism, Islam and Other Faiths Panel with Sr. Maryellen Coombe, NDS, Sr. Maria Hornung, MMS, and Dr. Carmen Nanko-Fernandez
Listening to the Heart of God: The Mission of Inter-religious Dialogue for “Renewed Solidarity” presented by Dr. Scott Alexander

Fr. Thomas P Bonacci, CP: THE INTERFAITH PRACTICE OF JESUS – At several key moments in the work and life of Jesus, he encounters persons of a faith not his own with heartfelt openness, care, and respect. We will explore these encounters in our own dialogue with one another as we seek to deepen our own love and respect for those we meet in our emerging interreligious world.

Dr. Carmen Nanko-Fernández: Retrieving Convivencia: Living Religious Pluralism Latinamente – Latin@ theologies have much to offer ongoing reflections on relationships across ecumenical and interreligious communities and within intercultural spaces. This session draws on the wisdom of a way of theologizing that privileges relationships yet remains aware of the complications that challenge concrete practices to building just relationships.

Merwyn and Kirstin De Mello: Interreligious Dialogue: A Sustainable Pathway to Peace
Building peace out of a multi-causal and –faceted conflict requires strategies that create sustainable and just networks of relationships. Drawing on peacebuilding experience from lay missioners’ ministry in Japan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, this session will explore how interreligious dialogue can be used as a peacebuilding strategy in broken communities.

Bro. John Kiesler, OFM: St. Francis of Assisi’s Encounter with the Sultan: Insights for Today? – Within the Franciscan tradition there is a famous story of St. Francis of Assisi’s encounter with the Sultan of Egypt, al-Malik al Kâmil, in 1219. While Crusaders and Muslim fighters were preparing nearby for renewed war, these two peacefully debated and discussed religion. How might this incident from nearly 800 years ago offer insights into interreligious dialogue for our present age?

Fr. Tom Ryan, CSP: Interreligious Prayer: Finding the Way Forward – Can we upon occasion pray together? And if so, how? A look at the different forms interreligious prayer can take and the various theological and practical considerations involved.

READ MORE: DIALOGUE AND PROCLAMATION
CHECK OUT SOME PICS FROM THE CONFERENCE AT THE USCMA FACEBOOK PAGE
DO YOU KNOW THE CHURCH’S TEACHING ON OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOLKS OF OTHER FAITHS? START HERE.

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