"At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church committed herself irrevocably to following the path of the ecumenical venture."

Pope John Paul II
Ut Unum Sint, 20

 

 

Richmond Diocese's Commission:
Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Membership

All Commission members are appointed by the Bishop and is consultative to him. The Commission is comprised of priests, religious and lay women and men. In addition representatives from various faith traditions inVirginia also serve on the Commission plus at-large-members.

The Bishop has appointed Msgr. Raymond A. Barton as the Vicar for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and Msgr. Barton serves as the chair for the Commission.

The Work of the Commission

The Commission has several primary goals:

Creating a network of PERs - Each parish has a designated PER who is responsible for fostering ecumenical activities at the parish level. In-services for the PER's are held twice a year in regional areas of the Diocese.
 
Promoting the LARCUM Covenant - The Commission does this primarily by fostering interest and participation in the annual State LARCUM Conference.
Promoting Partnerships within the Parish - The Commission encourages and assists the various parish ministries to be in dialogue with the PER's so that parishes will have an ecumenical vision and practice. In-services for promoting collaboration and partnerships among the ministries and the PER's have been held (Catechetical, Justice and Peace, RCIA, Young Adult and Youth leaders in Addition to the Pastoral Councils).
 

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