An estimated 180 people descended on St. Clare of Assisi Parish Nov. 3 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of a joint declaration between Catholics and Lutherans.
The document, signed in 1999, brought the two groups to an agreement on the doctrine of justification by faith.
βIt was the first time since the Second Vatican Council, or even before that, that the Catholic Church as a whole and the Lutheran churches came to an agreement,β said Father Martin Moser of St. Peter’s Parish ahead of the event.
βThat had never happened before, and it was on such a central issue.β
The 20th anniversary event included a prayer service led by Archbishop J. Michael Miller and Lutheran Bishop Greg Mohr. It was not the first such prayer service; there is a history of Catholics and Lutherans getting together for prayer, fellowship, and education in the Lower Mainland.
