What was a Quaker doing at Vatican II?
On the 4th July at 7:30pm our Quaker History Group will be meeting to discuss the life and work of one of the driving-forces behind modern Quakerism, Douglas Van Steere (1901-1995). He had a unique approach to ecumenism and interfaith initiatives, brought faith leaders into dialogue, and had a massive impact on peace-work worldwide. Steere was part of a movement heralding a new age of the Spirit at a time when secularism was gaining momentum. He was ‘convinced’ as a Quaker at Jordans Friends Meeting House in Buckinghamshire, whilst living in the UK as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, and went on to serve in the American Friends Service Committee during the critical post War period. But how did this grandson of a deeply puritan Conservative Quaker, and son of a fundamentalist Methodist preacher from Michigan, end up in St Peter’s Basilica for the Second Vatican Council? Come along to our friendly and inclusive group to find out.
