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Union of Laity

Unionoflaity.org

God help me! I have taken on yet another project that I neither have time nor money to do.

I am going to build a web site dedicated �

"To promote knowledge and understanding that will foster and facilitate unity of laity between all Patriarchal churches."

I will need plenty of advise - and I doubt anyone of you would ignore my requests for advise. And I will not be looking for advise from just - and only - people who agree with me on all details. The diversity of opinions in here is just as valuable as the one thrust toward union that all display here.

It will take approximately two years to get stable (the web site). It will open as soon as I can get some pages up to explain its purpose. It will evolve over approximately two years of building and adjusting.

The short description is this�

It will contain facts right from the hierarchy of each church - that pertain to progress in unity between the Patriarchal churches.

It will contain information regarding..

1) what form and progress of unity already exists
2) what is proper when visiting another church
3) clarity on issues that have clarity but the public is not aware
4) guest articles and items on �forward to unity.�
5) news on notable efforts toward unity

And while I am a Catholic - I do consider the current Pan-Orthodox Council just such news. Unity between Orthodox is as valuable for us Catholics to know and understand properly as Vatican I and II are valuable for others to know and understand properly.

The site will contain opinions. It will allow only such negativity as is really - that must be considered. But ( footing the bill and doing the coding) I will not let it get bogged down in negativity.

It will eventually have a forum open to the public - which forum will be managed by such people who have brains as I can find. There will be control over who can post and what can be posted.

Commonality - areas of existing unity - areas of possible unity - etc.. will be informative.

I intend to get some levels of hierarch, eventually, involved. I have the guts to do that (�I am not only the President of this mental Institution - I am also a patient.�).

There will be a type of �board� composed of at least one member from any Patriarchal church I can find. They will vote on all content - and each member will have an unquestionable veto power. Voting will be secret so that no one will know (unless the one who gave veto cares to say) who gave the veto.

I WILL be aggressive in the creation of this site - and I will - eventually - be contacting each Patriarch - directly as I can - for their own advise and views.

The broad will remain (however) a union of laity. Done by - and for - the laity.

Hierarchy can forge union at the top - and we laity can forge union at the bottom.

The site will foster respect for all Hierarchy decisions and deeply encourage obedience of church members to their respective hierarchy.

Even my own opinion�s at that site (me having coding control) will have to be reviewed so that each involved do not unwittingly - say something that we did not know would be interpreted in unintended ways.

I intend, by this site, to jump right into the leading edge of re-union between the churches. It, by its freedom, can do something the hierarchy can not do. An Orthodox priest once described it to me as �the Freedom of the laity�.

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Anyone who wants to comment, can. And comments of all kinds are welcome� pro- and - con. I need to know the cons I will be facing.

And now I am off to church to ask God �Why do you let me do these things? When will you give me some brains and reason?? Here I go making a fool of myself yet one more time.�


If anyone can tell me "Ray - this is already being done by so-and-so." and get me off the hook that would be appreciated.

-ray

God bless you , Ray, for this great apostolate you are beginning!!!! Please let me know if I can help in any way. God will bless this project because He prayed that we all might be one!

well... we need to locate a list of all the churches with Patriarch (or what have you). Yep... and someone with some ecclesiastical knowledge needs to tell us who we will be dealing with ?? Metropolitans? Patriarch? Popes?? (head dizzy already)

We should be able to find that on the net some where.

I have to figure out how many areas to create - how to map them etc� and on down the line (not to far away) I have to write each - and ask them to �assign� someone to make sure their area on the site represents them accurately. At the least they should assist us to locate already published documents to post expressing their particular church. I want to allow each to have some form of direct input and control over their material. Actually (as human nature works) when they know others will be doing it they will not want to be left out. I absolutely guarantee we will get direct responses. Mostly from their secretaries.

Brian - send me your private email to rkaliss1@cox.com so I can keep the Byzacath forum as free of nuts and bolts talk regarding unionoflaity.org � as possible. I do not intend to take up much of your time.

I am sure that the Administration would let me ask for advise from time to time of the member here.

For me - the time of talk and furstration of over. It is time to - do.

-ray

(as soon as I finish my current project which is on the book of Genesis)

Ray,

Although, as you can sense from my earlier post, I have some reservations about the viability of the concept, I will provide you with assistance in any areas in which my knowledge or skills might be of use.

For instance, I can provide you with lists of the Eastern and Oriental Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, the presiding hierarch of each, and contact info. Let me know when you're near ready for such - I would want about a week of lead time to double-check and be certain that all my file data was current.

Many years,

Neil

As far as I am concerned, there is nothing is so sufficiently lacking that prevents me from unity with the Orthodox.
(of course, firmly adhereing to the bark of Peter here)

I would be interested in helping you in whatever way I can. So if you need some help perhaps list things you need help with so that those who may have the ability in some area can help you.

Hi Ray !

Here is an outline for your website, for consideration and comment. I think having an information-website is narrow enough of a goal to be workable and humble enough to be useful. Then, keep the site short and sweet. Not graphics-heavy. Not text-heavy. Enough content to be useful and not too much content to be boring. Also, I would suggest shelving the idea of a forum. It will be too much work, and this forum is doing fine. Etc. Take a look at the following outline. I�m just thinking out loud with these suggestions; please share your comments.

--John


NAME: unionoflaity.org

WHAT: a website by lay Christians for lay Christians

PURPOSE: to foster reunion of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, at the level of the laity, in loving obedience to the hierarchs


GOALS:

1) to overcome ignorance by providing information about the Orthodox and Catholic Churches

2) to overcome mistrust and anger by providing resources for communication and interaction by Orthodox and Catholic Christians

3) to encourage personal sanctity, as the only effective means of preaching the Gospel and achieving lasting unity


MEANS:

1) Information Pages
on Jesus, the Gospel, the Church, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, their history (first thousand years, the schism, and their subsequent development)

2) Communication Pages
contact information for the patriarchates and the Catholic dioceses, suggestions on how to visit each other�s houses of worship and services, suggestions on how to invite groups to visit each others� parishes, links for more information, BOOKLIST for more information, etc.

3) Holiness Pages
--discussion on the three stages of theosis: keeping the commandments, interior purification, Eucharistic love and service.
--discussion of prayer, fasting and almsgiving
--special discussion of the Rosary and the Jesus Prayer
--special discussion of the importance of the spiritual director

If he needs a forum, instead of recreating the wheel, why not just have a hyper link to this forum? Its as good as its going to get don't you think? His site can work as a suppliment to this one and vice versa. How does that grab you all?

wow - OK - you are on.

Hmmm� good idea � I will have to ask the administrator.

-ray

Great!

The last section (Personal Holiness) I would like to also include information on Providence and a link to a few books on Providence... and a bit of information about the three stages of spiritual growth etc.. I think that is essential to personal holiness. I will have to locate some Eastern books and Western books on the subject they can get if they want to. This would also be the section in which we encourage fidelity to the authentic direction of each hierarchy (their own).

One thorny issue: I think the site needs to make a short statement that our intention is to encourage knowledge about one another and in that senses we do not encourage �conversion� between churches but rather fidelity to their own and to become personally holy in their own church which they are currently a member of. This will just be throny in the wording.

(the plan builds!)

I will do the inital text for everything but I will be asking others to read and approve of suggest improvementns before the site goes live.

-ray