Oxford 2014: Healing the past and hopes for the future

Theologians from different countries and different Christian traditions are gathered in the English university city of Oxford for the 8th international conference of the Ecclesiological Investigations research network. Their three day meeting is exploring the theme of new hope in ecumenical and interfaith relations, with a particular focus on the English context of Anglican-Catholic dialogue.

From the soaring spires of the medieval Oxford colleges to the brand new, prize winning chapel of the seminary at Cuddesdon where we’re staying, participants in this conference are being constantly challenged by memories of the past as they search for hope in the modern ecumenical movement. 

Ripon theological college was built in the mid- 19th century by prolific English architect George Edmund Street who’s best known as the designer of the Royal Courts of Justice in London. A leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic revival, he also designed the two Anglican churches of All Saints and St Paul’s in Rome . Built in the idyllic and peaceful setting of rural Oxfordshire, just a few miles from the city centre, Ripon is today the largest training institution for Church of England clergy with around 70 men and women currently being prepared for ministry.

Soure: 3riversepiscopal.blogspot.com