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Declaration for Indigenous People

Under the patronage of the Canadian Center for Ecumenism, the members of the Interfaith Forum for Peace, representing different faith communities, would like to express their support for the Indigenous, Inuit and Métis communities following the tragic and heartbreaking discovery of the remains of 215 unidentified children from a boarding school in British Columbia.

As an interfaith dialogue group that has been working for several years on issues of peace and social justice, we are deeply aware of the pain that you are experiencing.

We remain convinced that reconciliation is realized through the expression and sharing of our joint sorrows, by welcoming of each other unconditionally, and through collective prayers. When words are not enough, we keep a moment of silence. This is exactly what we have done to express our solidarity with you.

We wish you much courage.

Interreligious Forum for Peace
Canadian Center for Ecumenism

June 5: Abide in My Love: Cross-Canada Online Celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Saturday, June 5, 3:00-4:00 pm EDT

Organized by The Canadian Council of Churches in partnership with The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism

Download the poster

For over 100 years, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) has gathered Christians around the world in ecumenical prayer and fellowship. The worldwide WPCU is traditionally held in January and during the Pentecost season. This year’s theme, Abide in My Love and You Shall Bear Much Fruit (John 15:5-9), calls us to nourish unity with God and with one another through prayer, contemplative silence, and common action.

Amid this year’s unique challenges and possibilities, The Canadian Council of Churches and its ecumenical partners, The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, invite you to a special event

Abide in My Love: Cross-Canada Online Celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Saturday, June 5, 3:00 – 4:00 pm EDT

Gathering as branches of Christ the True Vine, let us experience, and bear witness to, God’s abiding love during this season of Pentecost!

Leaders from diverse Christian traditions in Canada will offer prayers and Scripture readings. The Rev. Michael Blair, General Secretary, General Council, The United Church of Canada, and His Eminence Gérald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Québec and Primate of Canada, will offer homiletic reflections.

This event is bilingual (English and French), with simultaneous translation in both languages.

This online celebration is free for all who would like to attend, but a small contribution to offset the cost is welcomed.

Please register on Eventbrite: wpcu-2021-spuc.eventbrite.ca

For more information, please contact Maria Simakova, Program Coordinator, Faith and Witness, simakova@councilofchurches.ca

The Escalation of Violence between Israel and Palestine

The Canadian Center for Ecumenism is alarmed at the escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine. We deplore the numbers of victims of the two cities. As it is our mission to promote dialogue and a better understanding between the various faith communities, we are all very disturbed at the increasing anti-Semitism and Islamophobia that has become evident. The tendency of misreporting of the conflict, especially present in social media undermines healthy coexistence and destabilizes peace.

We call upon religious leaders, groups encouraging dialogue, and citizens to embrace solidarity and advance the cause of peace. We remind everyone that peace is central to all faiths and that any form of violence is to be condemned and deemed unacceptable.

This is the time to remember that Jews, Muslims, and Christians, whatever Israelis, Palestinians, or from other counties are our neighbors, our colleagues, and our friends. It is time to demonstrate concrete examples of healthy coexistence. This is the right time to pray for victims and their families, for peace, and for a lasting solution to this violent conflict.

Confrontations, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia are not an option.

42nd Christian Commemoration of the Shoah

NO TIME FOR SILENCE
42nd Christian Commemoration of the Shoah

at Montreal West United Church on April 11, 2021
Montreal, March 29, 2021. The Christian Jewish Dialogue of Montreal (CJDM) will hold its 42nd annual Christian Commemoration of the Shoah online on Sunday, April 11, 2021, at 10:00. The host Congregation this year is Montreal West United Church and the theme is “No time for silence”. The service will be available at https://www.mwuc.org/ .
This event will bring together Jews, Christians, and others to commemorate the six million Jews and one million other victims of the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah (“the annihilation” in Hebrew), during World War II.
Presided by Rev. Rosemary Lambie (Executive Minister, Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council), the commemoration will include an intergenerational interview with Holocaust survivor Eva Kuper by a member of the MWUC youth group. A candle-lighting ceremony will be led by Rev. Mark Hammond and Rabbi Sherril Gilbert in remembrance of all the victims of the Shoah. Songs and music will be performed by singers Fran Avni, Evan Burman, the MWUC Choir, and organist Owen Spicer. A message will be delivered by Hon. Irwin Cotler, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. Online fellowship will follow. All are welcome.
Yom Hashoah (“the Day of the Shoah”) was established in 1951 by the Knesset, the Parliament of Israel. In Montreal, the first Christian Commemoration of the Shoah took place at Christ Church Cathedral in 1979. Since then, different Christian churches have engaged with members of the Jewish community in a shared act of remembrance on the Sunday closest to Yom Hashoah. In 1999, the National Assembly officially recognized the observance of Yom Hashoah and invited Quebec citizens to share in the memories and mourning of the Jewish community and to ponder the lessons learned from the Shoah.
Founded in 1971, the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Montreal is composed of representatives of various sponsoring organizations, who come together on a regular basis in order to build and strengthen mutual understanding and support between Christian and Jewish communities.

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Information: Montreal West United Church (https://www.mwuc.org/)
Contact: mwucoffice@gmail.com or 514-482-3210.

(Français) 250 personnes dans les lieux de culte au Québec

Sorry, this entry is only available in French.