Ecumenism 5511A

Systematic Theology 5511A

“An introduction to the history and theology of the ecumenical movement. Reference will be made to the teaching of the Magisterium, significant achievements in ecumenical dialogue, and prospects for future achievements. Exposure to the rich variety of Christian ecclesial communities and traditions will be included. (Antirequisite: The former Systematic Theology 511a).”

B. GOALS:

This course will contribute to students' growth in

Knowledge

• of the nature and causes of Christian disunity;
• of past and current efforts to restore the visible unity of Christians;
• of developments in the Catholic approach to other Christians and to non-Christians;
• of Catholic principles of ecumenism and the Magisterium's directives for putting them into practice in key pastoral situations;

Skill

• in finding accurate, current information about Christian denominations and non-Christian faiths, and in making critical use of library and online resources;
• in applying ecumenical principles to one’s personal life and pastoral practice;

And the following attitudes:

• an appreciation for the ecumenical advances of the 20th and 21st centuries;
• an openness to befriend and cooperate with members of other Christian communities and to work with them in the service of unity, justice and peace;
• pride in the Church's gifts and humility for our failures to take full advantage of them;
• admiration for, and willingness to learn from, what is valuable in the teachings and practices of other religious communities.

C. READINGS OR TEXTBOOKS

Weekly readings for the course will be made available at the A. P Mahoney library or are available online.

Cassidy, Edward Idris, Cardinal. Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue. New York: Paulist, 2005.

D. ASSESSMENT

Note: All assignments should be prepared in 12-point type, double-spaced, with 1” margins on all sides, and should be in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) format. They should be e-mailed simultaneously to both instructors.

1. Report on attendance at a non-Roman Catholic Sunday worship serviceand follow-up interview (due Sept. 29)	20%
2. Investigation of a church-dividing issue (due in stages)
-- Preliminary Bibliography (due Oct. 10)	15%
-- Document Study (analysis of a text of historic significance presenting one side of your chosen issue, due Nov. 3)	20%
-- Progress Report: Current state of the issue (Nov. 28)	20%
3. A Pastoral Case Study (due Dec. 5 by noon)	25%

E. STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE:

For:	On:	Read:
Week 1: (08/09/14)	Introduction to the Topic: An overview of the development of visible disunity; summary of the status quo; Why divisions among Christians are problematic, theologically and pastorally; Past strategies for restoring visible unity;   Course Outline: Policies and procedure in general; Introduction of bibliography part of  “church-dividing issue” assignment.
Week 2: (15/09/14)	Basic Principles of Roman Catholic Ecumenism	Cassidy, 3-19 Vatican II, Lumen gentium, Ch. 2; Unitatis Redintegratio; John Paul II, Ut Unum Sint (1-27); Cassidy, 37-43.
Week 3: (22/09/14)	Communion and Ecumenism from an Anglican Perspective	Paul Avis, “New Paths in Ecumeni-cal Method," and "Building and Breaking Communion," Reshaping Ecumenical Theology (NY: T&T Clark, 2010) 39-59 and 141-157.
Week 4: (29/09/14)	How Ecumenical Dialogue Works	John Paul II, Ut Unum Sint, 28-42, 80-82; Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 244-46; Kasper, W. “The Nature and Purpose of Ecumenical Dialogue,” (Vatican Website); O’Gara, Margaret, “Receiving Gifts in Ecumenical Dialogue”, Receptive Ecumenism and the Call to Catholic Learning, Paul Murray, ed. (Oxford: OUP, 2008), 26-38.
Worship Service/Interview Report Due!
Week 5: (6/10/14)	Bi-lateral Dialogues involving Roman Catholics and Anglicans Multi-lateral Multilateral Dialogues and Councils of Churches	Cassidy, pp. 43-45; headings on pp. 45-76; 76-78; WCC, Baptism, Eucharist, Ministry, “Preface” and “Baptism,” pp. vii-x, 2-7; CCC Website -> Our Faith -> Baptism:  Initiation into Christ, "Denominational Perspectives," 23-30.
Bibliography due Friday, Oct 10!
Thanksgiving Weekend
Week 7: (20/10/14)	Ecumenical Convergence on Revelation, Christology and Soteriology	Campbell Ted, Christian Con-fessions: A Historical Introduction, 262-274; Cassidy, 73-75,45-51;61-63; 68-69; Kasper, Harvesting the Faith, 31-47.
Week 7: (27/10/14)	Ecumenical Convergence on Church, Ministry and Authority	Campbell, 274-278; Cassidy, 51-61, 63-68, 76. IARCCUM, Growth in Agreement, nn. 50-76; WCC: The Church: Towards a Common Vision, Faith and Order Paper 214, ch. 3, nn. 45-57
Week 8: (03/11/14)	Ecumenical Convergence on Sacraments	Campbell, pp. 278-281; Cassidy, pp. 69-73; BEM, pp. 10-17; TCV,40-44; IARCCUM, nn. 33-49. Campbell, pp. 278-281; Cassidy, pp. 69-73; BEM, pp. 10-17; TCV,40-44; IARCCUM, nn. 33-49.
Document Study Due!
Week 9: (10/11/14)	Ministry in the Church; the Debate over the Validity of Anglican Orders	Leo XIII, Apostolicæ Curæ (1896) Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Sæpius Officio (1897)
Week 11: (17/11/14)	Mary as a Dialogue Test Case	ARCIC, Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ; ARC response to MGH (handout)
Week 12: (24/03/14)	The Current Situation and its Pastoral Implications	Cassidy, pp. 104-121 Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, 1-36 and  92-160; Kinnamon, Michael and Tom Ryan, CSP, “What is the Way forward for Catholic-Protestant Relations?” in Michale Kinnamon, Can a Renewal Movement Be Renewed? Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014, 78-88.
Church-dividing Issue Assignment due Friday, Nov. 28!
Week 13: (01/12/14)	Inter-Religious Encounters and the Ecumenical Movement	Cassidy, pp. 125-138; Vatican II, Nostra Aetate; John Paul II, Redemptoris missio, 1-11 and 55-57. Cassidy, 225-263; Francis, Evangelii gaudium, 250-254; 247-249.

Students are responsible for knowing the University’s academic policies and regulations and any particularities of their own course of study. These can all be found at the University’s website (http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf). Ignorance of these policies is not an excuse for any violation thereof. The following policies are particularly important to note:

Selection and Registration of Courses: Students are responsible for ensuring that their selection of courses is appropriate and accurately recorded, that all prerequisite course(s) have been successfully completed, and that they are aware of any anti-requisite course(s) that they have taken.

Submission of Assignments: Assignments are due by midnight EST on the dates as given above. Assignments may not be dropped off at King’s or Huron. It is the responsibility of the student to organize his or her work so that the assignments are completed on time. For a serious reason, a student may approach the professor before the due date, and may be granted an extension at the discretion of the professors. Any medical reasons will be confirmed by proper documentation, as approved by the Dean’s Office. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment will be deducted for each day it is overdue without permission.

Plagiarism: Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt by quotation marks and/or footnotes. Plagiarism is a major academic offense. Students may be required to submit their work in electronic form for plagiarism checking.

In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas.

(“Unity in necessary things; liberty in doubtful things; charity in all things” )

-- attributed to St. Augustine, and quoted by Pope John XXIII in his 1959 encyclical Ad Petri Cathedram)