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Ecumenical Worship

Students singing at front of chapel

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:2-6)

What is Ecumenical?

The terms ecumenical and ecumenism come from the Greek ἰκ;μένη (oikoumene), which means "the whole inhabited world." The goal of Ecumenism is to intentionally bring together the various Christian ways of being in our world in order to authentically share and celebrate humanity’s diversity and unity. “Christian ecumenism is an outgrowth of Jesus' commandments to love one's neighbor as oneself, and to make both love and unity the first and foremost principles in Christian practice. Predicated on proactively responding to Jesus' admonition to be "One in Him," (John 17), Christians are encouraged to reach out to estranged members of faith in other churches.”1

Campus Ministry is working diligently to cultivate an ecumenical community of faith where students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to encounter transformative love and empowerment through unity in the Spirit. The Vision for this ecumenical space is to become the living embodiment of Beloved Community as followers of Christ and grounded in African American Church tradition, and to serve as the ecumenical hope that consists of a work towards the unity of Christ's Church and the global community.

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1. New World Encyclopedia, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ecumenism, accessed Nov. 2018.

Ash Wednesday Service

Each Lent, which is the period of penitential preparation for Easter, begins with Ash Wednesday, a time of fasting and prayer as we reflectively emulate Christ’s time of preparation in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry.  Loyola Campus Ministry hosts Ash Wednesday worship services including an Ecumenical Christian afternoon service.