wfn.org | Lambeth Conference will observe vigil starting Thursday afternoon

["Lambeth98" <storm@indigo.ie>]

ACNS LC062 - 29 July 1998

Lambeth Conference will observe vigil starting Thursday afternoon

by David Skidmore
Lambeth Conference Communications

Bishops, spouses, and staff of the Lambeth Conference will take a
recess from workshops, section meetings and myriad administrative
tasks starting at 3:30 p.m. Thursday as they enter into the
silence of an all-night vigil.

Led by Jean Vanier, founder and director of the L'Arche network
of communities for people with learning and other disabilities,
the vigil will feature three meditations, a service of light and
a service of reconciliation which includes a liturgy of foot
washing. The vigil will be held in the main plenary halls, St.
Columba and St. Augustine, and will conclude at the 7:15 a.m.
Eucharist on Friday.

The vigil begins with Archbishop George Carey introducing Jean
Vanier who will give a "Holiness" reflection and address. Three
bishops will then respond: Bishop David Andres Alvarez-Velazquez
of the Diocese of Puerto Rico (ECUSA); Bishop Barnabas Dwijen
Mondal of the Diocese of Dhaka (Bangladesh); and Bishop Thomas
Shaw of the Diocese of Massachusetts (ECUSA). The responses will
be followed by a mime performance by the L'Arche Community of
Canterbury, and a Service of Light. A simple dinner will be
available to those not fasting during the one-to-two hour break
following the Service of Light.

The vigil will resume at 8:30 p.m. with a Service of
Reconciliation in St. Columba hall. Jean Vanier will give the
homily and join the chaplaincy team in the foot-washing liturgy.
All those participating in the vigil are encouraged to join in
the foot-washing. A prayer watch will be maintained throughout
the night in St. Augustine hall.

Vigil as celebration

L'Arche members will be present for the liturgy, according to
Bishop Roger Herft, coordinator of the conference chaplains.
Their unique manner of spiritual expression will underscore the
vigil's message of humility and forgiving hope, he said. 

Bishop Herft also emphasized the importance of the vigil as the
bishops prepare to enter into the issue-oriented phase of the
conference. The planners, he said, wanted "a God-given
opportunity coming at a hinge point of the conference."

In an interview last spring, Jean Vanier described the vigil as
"essentially a celebration-a celebration of reconciliation and of
humility and of love, and the love of Jesus. What we are going to
suggest is that if bishops and their spouses would wish they can
wash each other's feet."

The reason, he explained, is to underscore the nature of
discipleship. As followers of Jesus, Christians are being called
forth "to love and to serve each other." In washing one another's
feet, they are learning about forgiveness, reconciliation, and
the desire for humility, he said.

A noted French Roman Catholic lecturer and retreat leader, Mr.
Vanier founded the first L'Arche community in Trosly-Breuil,
France, in 1964. Today, the L'Arche network has over 100
communities in 29 countries. In addition to serving the physical
and psychological needs of its clients, L'Arche also sees to
their spiritual development, a characteristic that sets it apart
from most institutions for the mentally handicapped. Jean Vanier
is also the founder of the Faith and Light community movement,
which brings together the mentally handicapped and their parents
and friends for mutual celebration and support.

Notice to press:  All interviews with conference participants and
staff will be suspended for the duration of the vigil. The
communications office will operate with minimal staffing. 

For further information, contact:

   Lambeth Conference Communications
   Canterbury Business School
   University of Kent at Canterbury
   Telephone: 01227 827348/9
   Fax: 01227 828085
   Mobile: 0374 800212

   http://www.lambethconference.org