Commission for Britain and Ireland
The Monastic Interfaith Dialogue Commission for Britain & Ireland (MID-GBI) is a local commission of the ‘parent association’ of DIM (Dialogue Interreligieuse Monastique) in Europe. (See www.dimmid.org )This is an umbrella group comprising local commissions in Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Benelux countries, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Scandinavia and Iceland.
Like Britain & Ireland some countries group together to form one local commission e.g. the Iberian Commission comprising Spain and Portugal, and the Nordic Commission including Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland. Much of the original inspiration and influence for the founding of DIM/MID came from France, which has a long and honourable history in dialogue with other Faiths, from such pioneer figures as Fr Jules Monchanin and Fr Henri le Saux, a Benedictine monk later known as Abhishiktananda, to the Trappists of Tibhérine in Algeria who died in very recent years.
THE LOGO
The logo includes the Francophone and English language initials: DIM – Dialogue Interreligieuse Monastique, and MID – Monastic Interfaith Dialogue. The circle in the centre, and horizontal and vertical lines represent the Cross and Emptiness, the Cross being one of the main symbols of the Christian monastic life. The concept of Emptiness undergirds both the monastic life of other Faiths such as Buddhism and Hinduism, and the apophatic tradition in Christian mystical theology. Thus, the logo expresses an area where Christian monks and nuns and those of other Faiths can meet and walk alongside each other.
MID-GBI: MONASTIC INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE in BRITAIN & IRELAND
The British/Irish local commission has been in existence for upwards of twenty five years. The trigger for its founding was the visit of Fr Bernard de Soos of AIM (Alliance for International Monasticism: www.aimintl.org). Fr Bernard visited UK in 1982/83 and asked Fr Vincent Cooper of Ealing Abbey to set up MID in Britain. Fr Peter Bowe then of Douai, Britain (www.douaiabbey.org.uk ), now of Douai, France took over as Coordinator on his return from a pilgrimage to India, in 1984. In the late 1980s Fr Martin Shipperlee of Ealing was Coordinator for a few years, and then Fr Peter took up the role again. In all, Fr Peter served as Coordinator for 20 years until his departure to found a new community in Douai, France in 2005. Since then the role of Coordinator has been filled by Sr Lucy Brydon of Turvey Abbey.
From the beginning, the Irish Benedictine/Cistercian monasteries have been part of MID-GBI. And for several years now, membership of UMS (and therefore of MID) has also belonged to the Anglican Benedictine/Cistercian communities of England.
For all of us in DIM/MID great encouragement came from the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate written 40 years ago, and the example of the Popes from Paul VI onwards, with particular reference to John Paul II. From its inception MID-GBI has been mainly concerned with inter-monastic dialogue, that is, dialogue and friendly contacts with other Faiths which have a monastic dimension and practice, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism. Monasteries have quietly pursued this dialogue, since the 1970s maintaining friendly (and more than friendly) contacts with their local Buddhist, Hindu or Jain communities. The English-speaking monasteries of GBI and USA —and hence the MID Commissions—have received important inspiration from such figures as Thomas Merton and Bede Griffiths, both living under the Benedictine Rule. An important impetus is given by the Rule of St Benedict with its emphasis on deep hospitality. Exchange visits have been made over the years. Monks and nuns of different faiths have discovered how much they have in common and been able to enrich each other’s understanding of their own and the other’s faith and practice. Some monks and nuns have even been able over the years to visit monasteries of other faiths in their country of origin—Tibet, Nepal, India, Japan—and have received Eastern as well as Western Buddhist and Hindu monks or nuns into their own communities for similar exchange visits. This has become known as the “dialogue of spiritual exchange’ and takes its place alongside the dialogue of theological exchange and the dialogue of life.
Apart from the monastic members many lay people help MID-GBI and follow our activities with interest. Some offer financial support for our activities and attend meetings as guests. Anyone interested in this kind of support should apply to the Coordinator of MID-GBI for more information.
Membership
All monastic communities who are part of the Union of Monastic Superiors (UMS) are members of MID-GBI. We are an Ecumenical commission in a way that does not happen in other European countries, since several Anglican Benedictine communities are also part of UMS and take an active part in MID. In addition to the full members, many Anglican non-Benedictine communities support MID-GBI and are associated with us in whatever way their life style and practice allows. The Committee of MID-GBI includes an Anglican Benedictine representative for the UMS communities and one for the associated communities.
THE WORK OF MID-GBI
Dialogue from individual communities
The activities of MID-GBI, and contacts of communities and individuals with people of other Faiths happen through the communities appointing a Contact member to be responsible for informing the MID Coordinator of what the individual communities are doing in the way of inter-monastic dialogue. The Committee representing all contact members meets together twice yearly, or more if necessary. Contact members from all communities also try themselves to take part in interreligious dialogue locally, or attend conferences about interreligious dialogue at local or national level and to encourage their individual communities and inform them about interreligious dialogue events.
The enclosed communities who cannot and would not wish to attend meetings etc. give us the inestimable support of their constant prayer. Some enclosed communities also support MID financially and show great interest in our Monastic Encounter news bulletin. A few members of enclosed communities make a study of interreligious theology, or carry on correspondence about it with people of other religions.
MONASTIC ENCOUNTER BULLETIN
Apart from the most important element of ‘grass-roots’ dialogue all over GBI, mentioned above, our main organ of communication with the entire body of Benedictine/Cistercian communities who are members of MID-GBI is a biannual news bulletin, called MONASTIC ENCOUNTER which we produce and circulate. This bulletin, like those of the European parent commission and other national commissions, includes an account of what is happening in different monasteries. It offers accounts of conferences attended by different members, occasional articles and exchanges of various kinds. Summaries of the Minutes taken at the Committee meeting are included so that everyone will know what is happening throughout our GBI commission. Thus although the format is simple, we hope to produce a newsletter which fulfils the functions of both information and formation.
Monastic Encounter also includes such things as reviews of books on interreligious subjects. We sometimes receive from authors, and are grateful for, books for review and advertise them in our bulletin which is circulated not only in Europe but world-wide to interested people and religious communities.
DIM/MID ANNUAL MEETING for all the Commissions
Each year for the past 35 years, the Coordinators of the different national commissions have been meeting once a year in one of the European countries represented in DIM/MID, to share news of what is happening throughout Europe, to support each other and to promote interreligious dialogue in the best way we can. The venue is usually but not always one of the monasteries involved. The Coordinator of each country gives a report of what is happening through their commission. In this way the experiential sense of supporting each other in such an important venture as interreligious dialogue is strengthened. This is particularly true in recent years when the question of dialogue with people of other religions has become more and more urgent, owing to such factors as the great influx of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers from other countries, and the growth of Islam as an influence to be reckoned with in all our societies. This applies especially to our MID-GBI commission.
MID-GBI ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
In Britain we have had the custom of combining an annual business meeting, with a meeting where we can experience some form of interreligious, particularly inter-monastic, dialogue. At some of our meetings we have been able to visit the religious centres of some other faith e.g. the Hindu Temple at Neasden or the Buddhist Monastery at Chithurst. Over the years, we have welcomed some eminent speakers of other faiths, or eminent Christians working in the field of interreligious dialogue. These meetings enrich all who attend, and individual monks and nuns invariably find that their own monastic practice as a Christian monk/nun is deepened by such contacts and the ideas that come forth and are discussed and prayed over. The annual meeting is open to all the communities in UMS not only those with active Contact members. Those who have associated themselves with us are also invited to attend.
