Ecumenical Easter Lunch (May 2025)
- victorteh5
- May 13, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Ecumenical lunch celebrates Council of Nicaea’s 1,700th anniversary
Twenty-two Catholics, mainstream Protestants, and members of an independent church, took part in an annual ecumenical Easter lunch on May 7 at the Church of Saint Teresa, bonding over thoughtful discussions and a shared meal.
This is the eighth such Easter gathering of Christian pastors and laity organised by the Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Ecumenical Dialogue (ACCED) since 2014, with the Archdiocesan Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism Centre of Singapore (AIRDECS) coming onboard as joint organiser since last year.
This took place just 13 days before the actual date of the Council of Nicaea in Asia Minor, May 20 in 325AD.
That first ecumenical council, which marks its 1,700th anniversary this year, produced the Nicene Creed which, completed by the First Council of Constantinople in 381AD, constituted the hallmark of the Church’s faith in Jesus Christ. ACCED Chairperson, Father John Joseph Fenelon, invited those at the event to share their thoughts on the significance of the Council and the Creed.
Preacher Ray Soh from the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, who is preparing to become a full-fledged pastor, called the Nicene Creed a gift from God which shaped his identity and “tells us who we are.”
“I studied in a Catholic school and work in a Lutheran church. I discovered that “Catholic” means “universal” and that the Holy Spirit calls us together to be part of a bigger Church.”
Dr Edmond Chua, an Anglican and an adjunct lecturer at the East Asia School of Theology, said that despite all the bishops at the Council of Nicaea not being in full agreement on the subject, the Council nonetheless formulated the classical Christian doctrine of the “full and ontological divinity of Christ as eternal God incarnate, not temporal creature—a doctrine necessary for safeguarding the efficacy of salvation in Christ and the reliability of biblical knowledge of God.”
“Lay Christians may not be familiar with that Council or its theological significance, and the Nicene Creed will not be affirmed in every church service,” said Dr Chua, “yet each time the Gospel of Christ is shared in any context, the substance of the theological achievement of that Council is implicitly confessed, and its significance reaffirmed.”
For Bishop Emeritus Dr Wee Boon Hup of the Methodist Church in Singapore, the robust discussions at the Council of Nicaea gave the people of today “a very clear understanding of what we mean by Jesus—that He is God.”
“As a movie buff myself, I hear people speak about God to the likes of Greek mythology, which makes me wonder if they conceive God as possessing superpowers as a superhero, demi-god, or fully God? If they really believe in Jesus as God, it would influence how they face obstacles in life.”
Sister Elizabeth Lim RGS, former Vice Chairperson of ACCED, who in the 1990s began ecumenical formation for spiritual direction and retreats for Christians regardless of denomination, said her work has helped her appreciate Christians from various faith traditions.
“Much as unity in theological understanding among Christians is important, it is just as key to live this out in reality,” said Sr Elizabeth.
Fr Fenelon called it “a privilege and joy” to host the Easter lunch celebration on this major anniversary.
“It is a genuine sign of everyone present wanting that Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed to be not just mere doctrinal words, but truly a sign and presence of the One Church of Jesus Christ in the world,” he said.
Monsignor Peter Zhang, Vicar General for Interreligious and Ecumenical Relations, agreed that the various pastors and laity who gathered intentionally for fellowship and mission as fellow pilgrims of hope fulfilled the words expressed by Jesus: “I pray that they may all be one” (cf. John 17:11, 21, 23).