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The master students with their professors and staff at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute. Photo: Marianne Ejdersten/WCC

The master students with their professors and staff at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute. Photo: Marianne Ejdersten/WCC

Seven  international students from the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, Switzerland, are embarking on a future of ecumenism, dialogue and unity that began with months of intense study and fellowship.

The students at the Master programme of Advanced Studies in Ecumenical Studies participated in a farewell prayer and ceremony on 14th June at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute. The students came this time from Cuba, India, Georgia, Nigeria and Canada.

Throughout the year, the students learned about the World Council of Churches  (WCC) and the wider ecumenical movement, its purpose, its history and its achievements. At the same time they practised ecumenical life by discovering and discussing their differences and by praying together.

“The content of the teaching at the Ecumenical Institute is focused on the challenges for the churches in the 21st century, and the responses given through the modern ecumenical movement”, explains Rev. Dr Dagmar Heller, dean of the Ecumenical Institute and Professor of Ecumenical Theology. “The methodology is a combination of academic teaching and experiential learning. This makes the Ecumenical Institute a unique place for ecumenical education.”

“With this combination, the students discover ecumenism as a life question, which is not just a theoretical issue, but touches the essence of being a Christian”, says Heller. “In their future work, we hope the students will be able to help their churches to develop peace and reconciliation as the heart of their calling”.

Since its creation in 1946, the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Institute at the Château de Bossey has been fulfilling its mission of ecumenical theological formation and education. For more information:

Master of Advanced Studies in Ecumenical Studies : Intended for students having completed a university Master's degree, preferably in Christian theology or in a closely related discipline. The programme is accredited by the University of Geneva with 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits to be achieved during two semesters (mid-September-end of June) according to the study modules described below.