Saint Joseph, MN (BRIDGEFOLK) — Forty Mennonites and Catholics gathered July 26-29 at Saint Benedict’s monastery in St. Joseph,MN for the eleventh annual Bridgefolk conference.
Bridgefolk is a movement of sacramentally-minded Mennonites and peace-minded Roman Catholics who come together to celebrate each other’s traditions, explore each other’s practices, and honor each other’s contribution to the mission of Christ’s Church.
This year’s conference was the third in series on shared practices central to the Christian life and was organized around the theme, “Formed in the Word: Scripture and Peacemaking.” Keynote speakers were Michael Patella (Saint John’sAbbey) and Helmut Harder (Mennonite Church Canada), who gave presentations on Catholic and Mennonite ways of interpreting and applying Scripture.
In addition to historical traditions, the conference focused on spiritual practices of reading Scripture. Sister Josue Behnen led a session on the Benedictine practice of lectio divina (“holy reading”), and Mary Schertz led a session on the Anabaptist practice of “confessional” Bible study. Conference participants then actively engaged in reading Scripture together by gathering in table groups to wrestle with difficult biblical texts concerning war and peace.
The conference incorporated several times of common prayer and worship, including a footwashing service and agape meal, which has become the hallmark of Bridgefolk gatherings, and an evening hymn sing led by Ken Nafziger.
The highlight of the conference was the celebration of a “Double Eucharist,” a new element of ecumenical exchange for Bridgefolk. The purpose of the “Double Eucharist” was to honor each tradition’s communion ritual while at the same time living with the tension that Mennonites and Catholics cannot at present eat bread at the same table.
Celebrated in the Sacred Heart Chapel of Saint Benedict’s monastery, this innovative liturgy comprised two communion rituals—one Catholic, one Mennonite—celebrated sequentially within a unified service. While the service preserved a distinction between the two traditions, with Catholics receiving communion in the Catholic ritual and Mennonites receiving communion in the Mennonite ritual, the Catholic ritual welcomed Mennonites to receive a blessing and, likewise, the Mennonite ritual welcomed Catholics to receive a blessing. Abbot John Klassen (Saint John’sAbbey) and Rev. Marlene Kropf (Mennonite ChurchUSA), co-chairs of the Bridgefolk board, presided over the Catholic and Mennonite rituals, respectively.
The twelfth Bridgefok conference will be held July 25-28, 2013 at Conrad Grebel College in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Darrin W Snyder Belousek
Executive Director, Bridgefolk