Bridgefolk 2019 Conference, Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg. |

Mennonites and Catholics in Dialogue

“Toward a Just Peace:
Indigenous-Settler Reconciliation Through Friendship”

Canadian Mennonite University
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
July 25-28, 2019

Concluding Media Release, 30 July 2019

The 18th annual Bridgefolk conference will be held July 25-28, 2019, at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, Manitoba—Treaty 1 Territory and the homeland of the Metis Nation. This is the second time a Bridgefolk conference will be held in Canada.

Bridgefolk is a grassroots ecumenical movement of Mennonites and Catholics who work together toward Christian unity by “proceeding through friendship.” Newcomers are always welcome at Bridgefolk gatherings.

By Arctichistorian01 - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3691532 — *Dancer at Drum Dance Festival, Gioa Haven, Nunavut. By Arctichistorian01*

The 2019 conference theme is “Toward a Just Peace: Indigenous-Settler Reconciliation Through Friendship.” This conference continues in a series of conferences on the topic of “Just Peace.” We will follow last year’s lead in exploring a new conceptual framework for a non-violent approach to living together. This year’s conference will continue Bridgefolk’s model of proceeding through friendship, encouraging participants of Mennonite, Catholic, Settler, and Indigenous backgrounds to share our lives and experiences.

We are excited to include Sr. Eva Solomon, CSJ, who is an Ojibwe elder as our Roman Catholic keynote speaker. She will be sharing part of her journey as a nun with a deep passion for ministering among Indigenous people in Winnipeg and beyond, offering hope for reconciliation and healing. She will also gently and wisely lead us through beautiful ancient Indigenous ceremonies of prayer and teaching.

The Mennonite keynote address will be given by Steve Heinrichs, Director of Indigenous-Settler Relations with Mennonite Church Canada, who is passionate about the church’s call to solidarity and reconciliation with host peoples. Steve was recently invited by Tsleil-Waututh spiritual leaders in the province of British Columbia to stand with them as they defended their land and waters against the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

The conference will open with the powerful presentation, “Discovery: A Comic Lament” written by Alison Brookins and performed by Ted & Co, a professional Mennonite theater company. This play seeks to educate people on the enduring effects of the Doctrine of Discovery upon all people of Turtle Island (North America). The patterns of oppression, begun in the fifteenth century, are still used to justify slavery, genocide, land theft, resource extraction, and environmental destruction to this very day.

This conference will also feature a panel discussion with others who are involved in this incredible work of offering Christ’s healing and peace to a broken world torn apart from emphasis on differences and fear.

Bridgefolk brings a unique set of gifts to this work: Mennonites and Catholics are in conversation and prayer with each other. Often we do our best learning in the presence of those who have had a different experience, who bring different assumptions and history to the burning challenge of reconciliation. Second, we are called together to be peacemakers, with a commitment to the non-violence of Jesus in the Gospel. This call shapes our approach to listening, speaking, thinking, and acting.

The conference will include a footwashing service and agape meal, as well as a hymn sing, which have become favorite elements of Bridgefolk gatherings.