The group began on November 13 by reviewing the St. Martin's Statement -- written last year at Maassen near Utrecht -- with a response from Dr. Johan Hasselgren of the Church of Sweden (Lutheran), who came as an observer to the conference, and Fr. Eleuterio Revillido, a seminary dean from the Philippines. The Statement (released on the Feast of St. Martin of Tours in 2006) committed the group to work together "to understand about what it means to be catholic today, in the context of increasing globalization, technological interconnections, and the imbricated layers of many kinds of networks."

A major presentation, "Globalization as the Context for a Theological and Ethical Understanding of Catholicity," was made by Professor William Danaher from GTS and the response given by Dr. Franz Segbers of the Old Catholic Church in Germany.

Two addresses on the second major theme, "Catholicity in the Early Church in the Context of Imperium Romanum," were given by Professor J. Robert Wright and Dr. Peter-Ben Smit, both of GTS. On November 14, presentations and discussions centered on perspectives about various models of catholicity as developed in the context of the early Church -- Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Church of Sweden, Iglesia Filipina Independiente, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, and the Episcopal Church. Dr. Thomas Ferguson, the Episcopal Church's associate deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, summarized and led a discussion on the various perspectives.

On November 15, a writing team began work on a document -- tentatively called the Good Shepherd Communiqué -- soon to be released which will give an overview of the various papers presented. Attention then shifted to GTS' Chapel of the Good Shepherd where the Obispos Maximo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) -- His Eminence, the Most Rev. Godofredo David -- presided and preached at the Holy Eucharist, using the eucharistic rite of the IFI.

That evening -- at Evensong and Convocation -- David also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Board of Trustees and faculty of the seminary. The citation noted that he "…became the eleventh Obispo Maximo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, a church with which the Episcopal Church has stood in a relationship of close friendship and full communion since 1961, [and] has continued the courageous advocacy of justice and the rights of the poor that has characterized the leaders of his church from its beginnings and were brought into especially sharp focus at the time of the brutal murder of the ninth Obispo Maximo" Alberto Ramento in October 2006.

In addition to the conference itself, the honoring of David, and a concurrent meeting of the Concordat Council of the Episcopal Church and the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, exploration was made as to how Ramento's name and ministry might eventually become incorporated and celebrated in the Episcopal Church's "Lesser Feasts and Fasts" and similar books of liturgical commemoration in the other churches.

"This three-year project between full communion partners is very important," observed Bishop Christopher Epting, the Presiding Bishop's Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. "As non-Roman catholic churches united in mission around the world, these Asian, European, and U.S. churches have a great responsibility not only to celebrate together the positive aspects of globalization and a shrinking world, but also to name the destructive down-sides of globalization which continue to oppress and marginalize so many around the world.

"I look forward to the release of 'The Good Shepherd Communiqué' as a summary of our time together and the eventual publication of the various documents which have been produced."

The group will meet August 18-22, 2008 in the Philippines to complete this stage of its work.