Diocesan Ecumenical Commission

Active from 1967, the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission was discontinued in 2011 under the tenure of Kristoph Dobrowlski in the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. A landmark achievement was the signing of the Calgary Covenant on Oct 4, 1996 between Bishop O’Byrne, Anglican Archbishop Barry Curtis, and Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Stephen Kristenson. Here the churches pledged to work together in five key areas – spiritual, moral, social, intellectual, and organizational. This signing embodied the ecumenical spirit that followed the Second Vatican Council. Other notable achievements were the creation of the Sandstone Ecumenical Centre, a shared facility for Ascension Catholic and Mount Calvary Ecumenical Lutheran Parishes in 1988, the construction of Carter Place, a senior citizens complex, and the introduction of programs like the Fire in the Rose educational program aimed at preventing abuse in the family and community. The Commission had a role in building relationships, educating parish representatives in working ecumenically and coordinating ecumenical projects.

Created Jun 28, 2021