Process Healing of Memories

The process HoM is realized in three steps

          Partial process A: walking together through history
         Partial process B: taking share in the pain of others
         Partial process C: preparing the future together


Part A: walking together through history

The first step of HoM is realized as an Interdisciplinary Research and Consultation of comparative study of Church and Religious History in religious/cultural Borderlands. This special part is specified as an interdisciplinary research in cooperation with Faculties of Theology, History and Sociology.
Part A elaborates a synopsis of the different views of history of the different denominations, religions and cultures.
The views and experiences of historical, cultural, ethnic, religious and confessional relations and aspects of the current conflict fields and reservations between denominations will be published in different languages.
Process A concludes with a historical conflict analysis on the basis of the comparative history of the churches and religions (published in several languages).

Part B: taking share in the pain of others

Part B starts with several regional interdenominational courses in close cooperation with the departments for Pastoral Care at the education centers and faculties of the churches and religions involved.

Education in Inter-cultural Communication, Pastoral Care and Mediation (2009 and 2010)

In South East Europe ecumenical courses were started with two parts at several Universities as trainings for suitable priests, ministers and other suitable persons:

    (A) mother tongue oriented education according to a model of 5 steps:

    - Healing of memories as a challenge of the Churches and Religions
    - Telling one's own stories 

    - Bases of communication in the Church, Religion and Society
    - Dialog between human identities from different denominations, ethnic groups and cultural traditions
    - Learning of group management with the principles of intercultural communication and pastoral care

After an interdisciplinary evaluation at the end of the first course-part, a second part starts as:

    (B) multi-lingual oriented education in the form of interreligious courses:

    - Healing of Memories as a challenge of the Churches and Religions:
      (Dialog within the group as well as with church, religion and culture representatives)
    - Life-stories and intercultural, interreligious Identity and Self-perception:
      (Learning of the method to hear with 4 ears recognizing the Identity-Quartet: personal and family identity, cultural and

      national identity, religious identity and identity through role in society)
    - Intercultural and interreligious Mediaiton
    - Practical experience:

    a) taking part in worships and liturgies of the different denominations and dialog with the priests/pastors, imams an rabbis
    b) moderating local Healing of Memories Seminars

However, the deeper goals of Healing of Memories will be realized in the next phase:

Part C: preparing the future together

The Charta Oecumenica of European churches reminds us under section 3: Moving towards one another is important to acknowledge the spiritual riches of the different traditions, to learn from one another and so to receive these gifts. The fact that one needs not only to recognize, but to actively engage oneself in preparing the way towards a reconciled Koinonia opens a new step of Healing of Memories: preparing the Future together.
HoM part C will be realized in cooperation with the priests, teachers and other participants trained in the courses of process part B. This HoM-part will take place as realization of Seminars Healing of Memories in local regions.
The goal of these seminars is to promote mutual attention and ecumenical co-operation between individuals from different denominations, ethnic groups and cultural traditions locally by becoming deeper acquainted with each other and by respecting the cultural and historical identity of the others.
Thereby, differences in traditions will not be stressed, but things in common like language, traditions, religion and the setting of tasks in society will be particularly emphasized.
Representatives of the communities and parishes of different denominations/religions and cultures are invited to come in dialog with representatives of the others and to plan ecumenical/intercultural activities as part of the church ministry of reconciliation according to 2.Cor. 5:18.
The aim of this is that the participants involved in these local seminars notice the fact that common acting over the borders of denomination, culture and language  also strengthens one's own identity and is of advantage for all (win-win result).