In 2013, the international Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue released its groundbreaking study, „From Conflict to Communion.“ It assessed how Lutherans and Catholics could jointly commemorate the Reformation’s beginnings during the anniversary year of 2017, with appropriate elements of both repentance and celebration. Like many such ecumenical statements, it assumes a high level of familiarity with both churches‘ theology and history, and as such is not immediately accessible to many people who would otherwise be very interested in the subject. For that very reason, leaders from local Lutheran and Catholic churches got together to produce an excellent study guide for use in the congregation.
The study guide was drafted and published by the Southwest Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Greensburg and the Pittsburgh Byzantine Archdiocese. It walks readers through the sections of „From Conflict to Communion,“ guided by instructions for prayer and open-ended questions to foster further conversation. It’s an outstanding example of reception of international work at the local level.