Christian Communities Gathering of Northeastern Pennsylvania

300 Wyoming Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503

Mission Statement:

  • Worshiping and Serving the One God:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
  • Boldly proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior, according to the Scriptures;
  • Seeking ways to work together in order to present a more credible Christian witness in and to the world.

Vision Statement:

Together we are:

  • Affirming our commonalities;
  • Understanding our differences;
  • Working together for the visible unity of the Church of Christ. In response to the late Pope Saint John Paul II’s call to prepare for the coming of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, and in particular, to focus on deepening ecumenical relationships on the local level, in November 1999, a luncheon meeting was held in St. Peter’s Cathedral Rectory.

Invitations were sent to the leadership of a number of Christian traditions which reside within the boundaries of the Diocese of Scranton.

From that luncheon meeting came the commitment on the part of all gathered to develop a new ecumenical body for parts of Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania where our various groups have contact. Over time, this ecumenical body has become known as the Christian Communities Gathering of Northeastern Pennsylvania. About 10 Christian traditions and ecumenical agencies are regularly represented at the quarterly meetings and other activities.

In order to help members understand each other better, the group has been discussing documents from various Christian traditions.

At each CCG meeting, representatives of each Christian tradition seated around this dialogue table have offered presentations on their tradition’s understanding of Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. Currently, the group is discussing white privilege and racism.

The hope is that the work done by this group would be carried back to local parish communities. It would be on the local level that we hope to increase opportunities for shared prayer, serious theological dialogue and work for the betterment of humanity. What we do at this group we hope is someday mirrored on the local level.

A Reflection from Monsignor Vincent J. Grimalia

ECUMENISM

“All this is extremely important and of fundamental significance for ecumenical activity. Thus it is absolutely clear that ecumenism, the movement promoting Christian unity, is not just some sort of “appendix” which is added to the Church’s traditional activity. Rather, ecumenism is an organic part of her life and work, and consequently must pervade all that she is and does; it must be like the fruit borne by a healthy and flourishing tree which grows to its full stature.”
John Paul II, UT UNUM SINT, On commitment to Ecumenism

INTERFAITH RELATIONS

Cardinal Walter Kasper, writing in “Martin Luther, An Ecumenical Perspective”, has stated: “Christian ecumenism is concerned with the unity of the church in service to the unity and peace of the world.”

Links to Directory on Ecumenism; Vatican II decrees; relations with Jews; links to USCCB on Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Ecumenism & Interfaith Relations

Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism

“The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable” (Rom 11:29) – A Reflection on Theological Questions Pertaining to Catholic–Jewish Relations on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of “Nostra aetate” (no.4) [10 December 2015]

“We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah” [1998]

“Notes on the correct way to present Jews and Judaism in preaching and catechesis in the Roman Catholic Church” [1985]

“Guidelines and Suggestions for Implementing the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate (n. 4)” [1974]