Bridgefolk Conference 2025: Ecumenical Dialogue in an Age of Polarization

Bridgefolk Conference 2025: Ecumenical Dialogue in an Age of Polarization, July 24-27, 2025, at First Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Bridgefolk is a grassroots ecumenical movement of Mennonites and Roman Catholics who work together toward Christian unity by “proceeding through friendship.” Newcomers are always welcome at Bridgefolk gatherings, regardless of religious affiliation. This year’s conference will look at the birth of Anabaptism from both a Mennonite and a Roman Catholic perspective, what has changed in the past five centuries, and what the implications are for ecumenical dialogue today.

Mennonite keynote: Dr. Jennifer Otto, Associate Professor in the Department of History and Religion at the University of Lethbridge.

Catholic keynote: Fr. John Klassen OSB, retired abbot of Saint John’s Abbey, in Collegeville, Minnesota.

The conference will also feature a panel discussion with others involved in ecumenical dialogue and work, locally and elsewhere, and a workshop to equip participants with practical tools to engage in respectful dialogue as well as small groups in which to practice these tools. For more information and to register: www.bridgefolk.net