SASKATOON — The inaugural De Margerie ecumenical lecture was held in Saskatoon in January 2013 and was originally started as a partnership of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism and the St. Thomas More College Chair in Catholic Studies.
The goal of this series of lectures and workshops was to become an annual event during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that would bring to Saskatoon distinguished ecumenists from around the world to motivate, inspire and nurture our own ecumenical activity and awareness.
The series of lectures was dedicated to Father Bernard De Margerie, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon. Fr. Bernard has been a leader in ecumenism in Western Canada from the time he was a young curate. In 1959, he heard Pope John XXIII’s announcement of Vatican II as a personal charge and sought permission from his bishop to study ecumenical theology at the Angelicum in Rome.
When he returned to Saskatoon, he began to establish some close relationships with leaders of other churches. Together, they built a vibrant ecumenical community in Saskatchewan. In 1984, Father Bernard established the Centre for Ecumenism as an ecumenical office of the Roman Catholic diocese. From the start, it had an inter-church board and mandate.
By 1988, the centre had matured to the point of formally becoming an ecumenically sponsored centre. It is one of only two centres in Canada, and it is unique in its focus on local parish ecumenism and ecumenical formation. In 2023, the series was expanded to include lectures to be given in both Saskatoon and Regina with co-sponsorship between St. Thomas More, the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, Campion College, and the Archdiocese of Regina.
In 2024, the sponsorship widened to include the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Theological Union.
The 2026 de Margerie Lecturer is Dr. Jeremy Bergen, and the theme of his lectures is “Christian Martyrdom and the Unity of the Church.” Dr. Bergen is associate professor of religious studies and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo.
He has researched and written on church apologies, martyrdom, ecclesiology, ecumenism, the Holy Spirit, and Mennonite theology. He is currently completing a book on Christian martyrdom and the unity of the church for Baylor University Press. He is the author of Ecclesial Repentance: The Churches Confront their Sinful Pasts, and several articles on church apologies for residential schools in Canada.
He is a member of the Faith & Life Commission of Mennonite World Conference and the co-editor of the Mennonite Quarterly Review.
The first lecture, “The Ecumenism of Blood: Solidarity in Trying Times” will be held in Regina on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 7 pm at Campion College, 3825 Lee Gren Avenue and the second lecture, “Christians Killing Christians: Reconciling Violent Pasts and Conflicting Martyrdoms” will be held in Saskatoon on Thursday, Jan. 22, 7 pm at St. Thomas More College, 1437 College Drive, Saskatoon.
