wfn.org | Bossey institute dates to 1946

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Oct. 28, 1999 News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
10-21-71B{575}

NOTE: This is a sidebar to UMNS story #574.

By United Methodist News Service

The Bossey estate lies at the foot of the Jura mountains in Switzerland,
with views of Lake Geneva and the Alps.

The ecumenical institute there opened on Oct. 5, 1946, and was founded
through the initiative of Willem Visser 't Hooft, the first general
secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The council had obtained
the lease for the chateau a year earlier, with financial support from John
D. Rockefeller Jr. The WCC then bought the property in 1950.

Bossey's graduate school of ecumenical studies, founded in 1952, has offered
a five-month program that is recognized by the theological faculty of the
University of Geneva. It was one of the first institutions to allow young
theologians from different Christian traditions to meet, learn and study
ecumenically.

Under the redevelopment plan, Bossey annually will offer two graduate school
semesters of four months each, beginning in fall 2000. The fall session will
emphasize ecumenical studies, while the spring session will focus on a
particular theme or contemporary theological issue. Enrollment will be
limited to 40 students each semester. 

A new, 12-month master of arts degree program will be offered in partnership
with the University of Geneva for 10 to 15 students each year. The number of
short intensive seminars and focused conferences held at Bossey also will be
expanded. 

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United Methodist News Service
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