by Max Chapman
Member of North American Martyrs Parish in Lincoln
Executive Director, More Mercy
“I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me”
(John 17:20-23).
Jesus’ prayer for unity among His followers has impacted my life in many more ways than I will be able to describe in this short article. I remember being particularly struck by Christ’s prayer for unity in the spring of 2019 while serving as a Catholic missionary with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Many students in my Bible studies were not Catholic but were Christians of different faith traditions. We had very deep friendships, encouraged one another in the middle of the week during Bible study, and yet were often confronted by the wounds to Christian unity. Whether it was the occasional doctrinal difference that came up in conversation or our lack of ability to participate in the Lord’s Supper together, we were frequently reminded that we were not perfectly one.
In addition to relationships with the students in my Bible studies, I began to recognize that there were roughly 30 different Christian ministries serving on campus, with virtually no practical interaction with one another. Especially on days when we would all be on campus inviting students to participate in our various Christian ministries, I began to think about how non-believers looked at us. Did they see a unified body of believers or did they see 30 distinct communities competing with one another? It became clear that the beauty of Christ’s prayer for visible unity among His followers was not the lived reality on campus.
But what would an authentic movement toward unity look like? In a search for an answer to that question, I came across a quote by St. John Paul II, who remarked, “The method to be followed towards full communion is the dialogue of truth, fostered and sustained by ‘the dialogue of love’” (Ut Unum Sint, 60). This made sense to me, that God would make Truth and Love the means through which He would reconcile Christians to one another. When all of humanity was scattered and divided by sin, God sent forth His Son, who claimed “I am the truth” (John 14:6), and His Spirit, who Himself is the very love of God (Romans 5:5).
Truth and Love became guideposts for me, and I began introducing myself to the staff members of different Christian campus ministries in pursuit of restoring unity among the Body of Christ.
We began to engage in intentional dialogues with one another, in the context of friendship, where we could learn about one another’s faith traditions. In addition to these truth-seeking conversations, we would pray with one another, serve the poor together, and play sports together with students of different faith communities. It was a beautiful thing to see on our campus, but it did not remain limited to campus ministries. Several of my new friends from different Christian traditions began introducing me to pastors, mentors, and other Christian leaders beyond the college campus within the Diocese of Lincoln.
While the desires to heal divisions among Christians continued to expand, I simultaneously sought to expand and deepen my own formation in this area of Catholic teaching. I completed a master’s degree in theology from the Augustine Institute and did an independent study specifically on the Catholic Church’s teachings on ecumenism, the movement towards unity among Christians.
During that time of prayer and study, I did a research project that outlined the key Catholic principles of ecumenism, assessed the current state of the ecumenical movement, and proposed how the Church’s ecumenical teachings could be implemented incarnationally in the local context of each diocese around the world. The Catholic Church has many official documents which provide practical recommendations for what each diocese should do in order to deepen the real though imperfect communion among all Christians. Many of these Church documents outline steps to take within individual parish boundaries at a local level.
After much prayer and spiritual direction, I approached Bishop James Conley to ask for his blessing to start a Catholic ecumenical apostolate here in the Diocese of Lincoln. This was the origin of More Mercy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with the mission to “Restore Christian unity through Truth and Love.”
More Mercy seeks to implement practically the “Dialogue of Truth” and “Dialogue of Love” taught by the Catholic Church, not just among high-level leadership, but through practical dialogues, prayer, and collaboration among Christian communities at the local level in each neighborhood.
It has been an exhilarating adventure to start More Mercy, and I have been amazed to see how God has stirred the hearts of incredible people to join this mission. Though I am currently the only full-time employee, I am surrounded by an amazing board of directors that has tremendous depth in Catholic formation and a profound longing for healing among the Body of Christ. Father Douglas Dietrich (chairman for the Diocesan Commission on Ecumenism), Dr. Christopher Mooney (professor at the Augustine Institute and theological representative for the USCCB Catholic-Reformed ecumenical dialogue on justification and justice), Brian Preisler (senior director of Quality, Growth, and Innovation at FOCUS), Chad Steiner (associate teacher for the Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies), Tommie Bardsley (CPA for Ameritas and convert to the Catholic Church in 2015), and Molly Chapman (my amazing wife who has made countless sacrifices to support More Mercy) have all played a significant role in the vision and execution of this apostolate.
Since early August, we have identified Christian leaders from more than 30 different non-Catholic Christian communities within the Diocese of Lincoln’s geographical boundaries that desire to continue to work with More Mercy to restore Christian unity at the local level. Pastors and other Christian leaders have made themselves available to meet at different intervals. Whether the meetings are monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly, our interactions often include the space for theological discussion, prayer, and the sharing of stories of how we have encountered the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. While many of us hold strong theological convictions that disagree with one another’s faith traditions, the honest pursuit of Truth in the context of a Christ-centered friendship has proven to be a powerful force for unity.
Now that we have identified several non-Catholic Christian communities that are open to ongoing relationship with More Mercy, we intend to contact Catholic parishes in those same neighborhoods to build practical bridges between communities. We hope to equip Catholics to live the dialogues of Truth and Love taught by the Catholic Church, connect Christian leaders from different faith traditions that live in the same local area, and provide accompaniment as these relationships continue to unfold. The Catholic Church “exhorts all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and to take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism… Catholics, in their ecumenical work, must assuredly be concerned for their separated brethren, praying for them, keeping them informed about the Church, making the first approaches toward them” (Unitatis Redintegratio, 4).
We would love to help you take the first step toward the Christians of different faith traditions within your parish boundary. Here are some ways that you can join More Mercy as we aim to restore Christian unity through Truth and Love:
Pray for us: “…change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement” (Unitatis Redintegratio, 8)
Contact us: Fill out the contact form on our website (https://moremercylincoln.org/) to let us know you are interested in further involvement! Especially if you are a Catholic parish interested in deepening relationships with your Christian neighbors, please contact us!
Donate: We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit seeking to expand our staff and we would greatly benefit from your financial support! Click the “Donate” tab at the top of our website to contribute https://moremercylincoln.org/.
The Catholic Church, in the official Decree on Ecumenism from the Second Vatican Council, “professes its awareness that human powers and capacities cannot achieve this holy objective—the reconciling of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ. It is because of this that the Council rests all its hope on the prayer of Christ for the Church, on our Father’s love for us, and on the power of the Holy Spirit” (Unitatis Redintegratio, 24).
Thank you for all the ways you take up your cross and follow Christ. It is an honor to be on this journey with you. Jesus, I trust in You!
