Today is an exciting day for us at UniteBoston!

When’s the last time that you saw an article on Christian unity published in the Boston Globe?

This morning, it was announced that Catholic and Lutheran leaders will be observing the 500th anniversary of the reformation together.

Below is the press release, and check out the Boston Globe article here: “Groups Vow Unity Ahead of Reformation Anniversary”

UniteBoston will be helping to coordinate united service projects as part of this initiative; stay tuned for more details!

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In the Spirit of a Commitment to the Journey to full unity, Catholic and Lutheran Leaders announce Preparations for the Observance of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

Braintree, MA – November 10, 2015 – Five centuries after Western Civilization split into two halves, Catholic and Protestant, and more than 50 years of international dialogue, the two sides are using the 500th anniversary of the Reformation to move closer together.  From now until October 2017, with cooperative ventures in service, arts, academics, and evangelization, it is the hope and prayer of Catholics and Lutherans that this effort will contribute to advancing the goal of full unity.

In a joint letter (above) Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley and Lutheran Bishop James Hazelwood wrote, “Our common ground lies in the life-giving Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We share one baptism into Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior.”  They added, “As we proceed toward this observance, we give thanks for our mutual baptism into Christ Jesus and our irrevocable commitment to full visible unity. For this we must all work and pray.”  The full text of the letter is available at www.nesynod.org and www.bostoncatholic.org.

Recently the USCCB issued a statement stating that “Lutherans and Catholics together have issued the “Declaration on the Way: Church, Ministry and Eucharist,” a unique ecumenical document that marks a pathway toward greater visible unity between Catholics and Lutherans. The October 30 release of the document comes on the eve of the anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting the 95 Theses, which sparked the Protestant Reformation.”  The USCCB noted that at the heart of the document are 32 Statements of Agreement where Lutherans and Catholics already have reached consensus in terms of the church, ministry and Eucharist. The document also indicates differences still remaining and possible paths forward.

Bishop Hazelwood (Lutheran), “This is an opportunity to pursue a shared commitment to the journey to full unity, coming together around our common agreement on the Heart of the Gospel, listening together to our responsibility to the environment, serving together our world, connecting together to the regional, national, international ecumenical commemoration.”

Vito Nicastro, PhD, Associate Director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, said, “It is important to understand that this is a mission driven event.  In fact all ecumenism is an evangelization opportunity because our unity is around the gospel.  The opportunity to learn from each other is exciting.  The worldwide observance is turning this event into a sign of hope.”

As the commemoration progresses there are increasing opportunities for participation of all denominations of Protestants.

For more information, contact:

-Andy Merritt, Communications Director of the New England Synod, ELCA, amerritt@nesynod.org, 508-333-1761

-Vito Nicastro, Associate Director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Archdiocese of Boston, 617-435-0019, vnicastro@earthlink.net