‘A Place at the Table’. Celebrating the Eucharist in a diaconal setting. The case of the Sanctuary in The Hague (Netherlands) in 2018-2019

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In a time of rising populism, fear of immigration and resistance or even violence against refugees and Asylum seekers, the Church is looking for ways to express its testimony of Justice and Reconciliation.
This testimony can be weakened by inherited structures, like the separation of Liturgy and Diaconia in the Life of the Church.
This paper will try to illuminate the importance of an active understanding of the unbreakable bond between Liturgy and Diaconia for a public testimony of the Church by focusing on experiences of the Eucharist in a Diaconal and political context. The Lord’s Supper and Diaconia are often considered two distinct practices in the daily life of the Church; one a liturgical ritual confined to the boundaries of the Church and the inner circle of Christians, the other a service to people in need, both in- and outside the Church. What can we learn about the public witness of the Church when the two meet?
During a Church Asylum in The Hague (The Netherlands) in 2018/2019, Liturgy and Diaconia were interconnected in an inextricable way, as the safety of the family in the Church Asylum depended on a ‘neverending’ worship. The context of migration and asylum-policies in the Netherlands, especially the so called ‘Children’s Amnesty’ shaped the liturgical experience, and the continuous worshipping carried the diaconal practice.
Researchquestion: What can the experience of the meeting of Eucharist and Diaconia during the Church Asylum in the Hague in 2018/2019 contribute to the Public Witness of the Church in times of Migration and Xenophobia?
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2022
Event Dynamics of Tradition: Living faith in changing times.: Societas Oecumenica 2022 - , Malta
Duration: 5 May 202210 May 2022

Conference

Conference Dynamics of Tradition: Living faith in changing times.
Country/TerritoryMalta
Period5/05/2210/05/22

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