WCC general secretary on Bossey: “80 years is a future to be embraced”

WCC general secretary on Bossey: “80 years is a future to be embraced”

msc

Wed, 10/07/2026 - 13:57

During an address commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected on “ From Vision to Viability: Restating Bossey ’ s Mission for a Changing World.”

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Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC

He noted that 80 years is not simply a milestone to be commemorated. “ It is a history to be remembered, a vocation to be discerned, and a future to be embraced,” he said. “ Bossey must move from viability to visibility.”

To remember Bossey is to remember the vision that gave birth to it, Pillay continued.

“ Here, classrooms have become places of encounter,” he said. “ Prayer has become a school of communion.”

Dialogue has become a form of discipleship, Pillay noted. “ This is the Bossey we remember,” he said. “ Yet Christian remembering is never simply nostalgia.”

The biblical tradition remembers in order to discern God's faithfulness and God's future, Pillay said. “ When Israel remembers the Exodus, it is not merely…