Ecumenical News: Moravian/Church of Ireland Conversations

Ecumenical News:
Moravian/Church of Ireland Conversations

The conversations on behalf of the Church of Ireland and the Moravian Church continued on 30th – 31st January 2014 at Gracehill Moravian Church. We were joined from the Moravian Church in England and in United States, and the Episcopal Church and the Church of England. In our discussions we explored our understandings of sacramental life, the threefold ministry of bishops priests/presbyters and deacons and church membership.

We enjoyed the hospitality of the Gracehill Congregation and we were introduced to the history of the community in Gracehill. We also shared and enjoyed Eucharistic hospitality.

We agreed to report back to the relevant bodies in the Church of Ireland and the Moravian Church. Meanwhile we continue to work advancing the process of dialogue.

The participants were:

Rt Rev Michael Burrows, Bishop of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory
Rt Rev John McDowell, Bishop of Clogher
Rt Rev John McOwat, Bishop, British Province of the Moravian Church
Rt Rev Graham Rights, Bishop, Moravian Southern Province of the United States
Canon Patrick Comerford, The Church of Ireland Theological Institute
Rev Philip Cooper, Ecumenical Officer and Provincial Elder of the Moravian Church
Canon Ian Ellis, Rector of Newcastle
Rev Dr Tom Ferguson, Dean of Bexley Hall Theological Seminary, Columbus, Ohio
Rev Sarah Groves, Minister of Gracehill and Provincial Elder of the Moravian Church
Rev Paul Holdsworth, Chairman of the Irish District of the Moravian Church
Rev Dr Callan Slipper, on behalf of the Council for Christian Unity, Church of England
Canon Helen Steed, Rector of Clones

[Caption:]

The Revd Dr Callan Slipper (representing the Church of England’s Council for Christian Unity); the Revd Dr Tom Ferguson, Dean of Bexley Hall Theological Seminary, Columbus, Ohio (Episcopal); the Rt Revd John McDowell, Bishop of Clogher; the Rt Revd John McOwat, Bishop of the British Province of the Moravian Church; the Rt Revd Michael Burrows, Bishop of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory; the Revd Sarah Groves, Minister of Gracehill and Provincial Elder of the Moravian Church; Canon Patrick Comerford of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute; Canon Ian Ellis, rector of Newcastle, Co Down; the Revd Philip Cooper, Ecumenical Officer and Provincial Elder of the Moravian Church; the Revd Paul Holdsworth, Chairman of the Irish District of the Moravian Church; Canon Helen Steed, rector of Clones, Co Monaghan; and the Rt Revd Graham Rights, Bishop of the Southern Province United States (Moravian).

• This report was first published in the Moravian Messenger (London, ed Rosemary Power), April 2014, p 46.