United we livestream: ecumenical dialogue adjusts to going online

Efforts to promote unity and heal wounds between Christians of different traditions – ecumenism – can be a delicate dance.

But during a pandemic that dance can be even trickier, says Maria Rocha, the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s ecumenical and interfaith relations coordinator.

“The confidence, the trust, are easier if you are in person, that’s for sure,” Rocha told The B.C. Catholic. “Some of these relationships are informal, and they grow better if you are in person.”

The global Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been celebrated annually in the Lower Mainland for years, with the archdiocese and several church communities getting together for prayer, Scripture readings, and worship. But with a recent extension on a ban on all gatherings in B.C., Rocha has found herself rearranging everything to fit under the guidelines: no group events, no singing, and no chatting with people from other churches in the foyer afterward.

Moving this dialogue online, rather than having it in person, “has a huge impact,” she said.

“We’re trying not to be blocked by these difficulties.”

Despite best efforts to move online, the number of events this year has been scaled back, from at least one event per day for a week, to three total.

The first will be an evening prayer service hosted by the Pentecostal, Baptist, and Catholic chaplaincies at Simon Fraser University on Jan. 18. Participants will tune into a Zoom call for prayer and to hear a personal testimony. Anyone is welcome, especially university students or alumni.

The next evening, Jan. 19, St. Ann’s Parish in Abbotsford will host a livestreamed prayer service.

And on Jan. 21, the archdiocese and a Baptist church will partner to host a service with Scripture, prayer, music, and a reflection from Archbishop J. Michael Miller. Again, it will only be accessible through a livestream.

Resources also exist for individuals and families to use throughout the week (Jan. 18-25): daily prayers, reflections, and a Bible study by the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism and the Regina Council of Churches.

Though ecumenical efforts have to move online for now, Rocha is optimistic they will still help strengthen relationships between Christians and might even attract more participants because all that’s needed is to tune in online.

“The closer we are to Jesus, the closer we are to each other,” she said.

Efforts to strengthen Jewish-Catholic relations in Vancouver are also going ahead. In 2018, about 250 people from both faiths gathered for a traditional Hanukkah meal, typical Christmas desserts, and dialogue about what those holidays mean for people of those traditions.

Since then, these communities have continued hosting meals and dialogue with hundreds of people about Easter (2019) and the Book of Esther (2020).

To build on that momentum, Rocha said a Catholic-Jewish event is being planned for April 21. It won’t include the huge, shared meal, but leaders in these two faith communities in Vancouver – Rabbi Jonathan Infeld and Archbishop Miller – will have a fireside chat about religion in a time of pandemic. Anyone with an internet connection will be able to hear what they have to say.

More information about these initiatives at rcav.org/ecumenism-and-interfaith-relations.

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