Scarboro Missions' Interfaith work

January/February 2000

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article

No human life together
Without a world ethic for the nations
No peace among the nations
Without peace among the religions
No peace among the religions
Without dialogue among the religions
Hans Kung

Special thanks to Father James Kroeger, MM

Interfaith dialogue presents new and daunting challenges for Christian mission. All over the planet, Christian theologians are struggling to understand the meaning of Christian mission in light of this new conversation with other religions.

One of these theologians is Fr. James Kroeger, a Maryknoll missioner with more than two decades of experience in the Philippines and Bangladesh. He holds a doctorate in missiology from the Gregorian University and his most recent book is “Living Mission”.

Fr. Kroeger is particularly concerned about the relationship between evangelization and interfaith dialogue in the modern Church. This theme is summarized in his excellent article entitled “Milestones in Interreligious Dialogue” (Published in Review for Religions, May-June 1997; and Omnis Terra, March 1997.)

Scarboro Missions magazine has benefitted greatly from Fr. Kroeger’s research and writing in the field of missiology. In fact, his work was a major resource for our special February 1998 edition, “Catholics and the Interfaith Conversation”.

Mission, dialogue & world religions in schools

Daniel Kingdon, a retired Catholic school principal, is the director of religious education at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta. Kingdon’s Ph.D. dissertation, completed in 1997, focuses on the teaching of world religions in public and Catholic schools.

In the dissertation, he states that the mission of the Catholic Church involves sharing the Gospel of Jesus with everyone. Catholic schools are one environment in which the Good News of Jesus can be announced. However, Catholic students, says Kingdon, need to be exposed to the religious expressions of other world faiths:

“When the notion of a religious sense of life is affirmed, and combined with the strongest support for freedom of religion and freedom of conscience for all people, the milieu is created that values all forms of religious expression. This religious base within Catholic schools allows for the conversation with the world’s religions.”

Kingdon also comments on the interfaith work of Scarboro Missions:

“A leading example of the people who are open to conversation with the world’s religions is the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society in Canada. This Society is charged with preaching the Gospel overseas. It is instructive to note that their magazine, Scarboro Missions, has published numerous articles on the world religions...For (Scarboro Missions) it seems that the notion of ‘converting the heathen’ has been transformed into a dialogue with others who share a religious view of the world. This movement seems to parallel the work of the missionaries sent out by Asoka, the ancient Buddhist emperor, or the willingness of yogis to share Hindu meditation practice with Christians. People can witness to their faith, and at the same time show appreciation and respect for the beliefs of others.”

In recent years, Scarboro Missions articles on world religions and interfaith dialogue have been used in schools across Canada.

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article