Statement of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost letter

The APLM Council issued the Convent Station Statement at its June 2010 meeting to address issues arising from the Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter. In that letter, Archbishop Williams dismissed the Episcopal Church´s members of Anglican international ecumenical dialogues/ The Council expresses dismay that the proposed Anglican Covenant is "reshaping the structure of the Anglican Communion into a hierarchically-centralized Communion." The full text of the statement is online here: Convent Station Statement.

APLM Council Meeting - Baptismal Consultation

The APLM Council met June 9-13, at Convent Station, NJ. The bulk of the work focused on the recent Baptismal Consultation held in Shreveport, LA, and administered by APLM. During the Council Meeting, Patrick Malloy of General Theological Seminary (GTS) drew on his experience in Allentown, PA as he led Council's ongoing reflection on the dynamic relationship that exists between vital sacramental worship and the baptismal call to do justice. John Hill spoke on the relation of Baptism and Eucharist, the grammar of the sacraments and our changing experience of these celebrations. Doctoral students from GTS and Drew University shared their research on topics such as the recent history of Holy Week in the Episcopal Church, the development and current state of catechumenal practice in the church, changing perspectives and patterns of funeral practice over the last 100 years, and the ongoing question of “Open Table" and the sharing in Communion by those who are not baptized. Recent Baptismal Consultation made presentations and led a discussion on their efforts in anticipation of General Convention 2012.

APLM Colloquium
A Priestly Offering: Intercessory Prayer in Christian Worship
The second Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission Colloquium took place on November 12, 2009, at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, CA. Featured speaker the Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers spoke on the topic “A Priestly Offering: Intercessory Prayer in Christian Worship.” After a formal response by Dr. John Klentos, lively Q-and-A and conversation ensued. Click play to watch a video of the presentation online:

 

In July 2009, Dr. Meyers began serving as Hodges-Haynes Professor of Liturgics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, after 14 years on the faculty of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois. Her publications include Continuing the Reformation: Re-Visioning Baptism in the Episcopal Church, Gleanings: Essays on Expansive Language with Prayers for Various Occasions (edited with Phoebe Pettingell), and numerous articles and book reviews. She was recently elected chair of the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. A past president of North American Academy of Liturgy, Dr. Meyers has also served on the Steering Committee of the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation, in which she continues to be an active participant. Her current research focuses on the relationship of liturgy and mission.

Respondent John Klentos is Associate Professor of Eastern Orthodox Christian Studies, Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. Dr. Klentos, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, has published several articles on Orthodox worship and theology. His research interests include the history of Byzantine liturgy and Orthodox Christian theology.

 

At the inaugural APLM Colloquium in November 2008, the Rev. Dr. Paul Bradshaw spoke on the topic “The Liturgical Movement: Gains and Losses.” The video of that first colloquium is embedded above. Dr. Bradshaw has taught at the University of Notre Dame since 1985 and is acknowledged as one of the foremost liturgical scholars not only in the Anglican Communion, but throughout the Christian world. He has also published extensively on the subject of Christian liturgy, having written or edited more than 20 books and over 90 essays or articles. His major books include Daily Prayer in the Early Church, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship, and Eucharistic Origins.

Inculturation of Liturgy
The most recent APLM Council was held May 6-11, 2009 at the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio. One major focus of this meeting was inculturation with The Rev. James "Jake" Empereur, S.J. as a presenter. Jake is vicar and liturgist at the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas. He was for many years a professor of systematic and liturgical theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union.