Edward's 25th Birthday Celebrations

In what was probably the largest social gathering of Eastern and Western Christians outside the Church and the context of œcumenical relations, over 8 of us gathered yesterday to celebrate the 25th birthday of the man who has spared no effort in the contribution to the mutual understanding between Eastern and Western Christians. I was charged with the planning of this little jamboree (which was held 2 days after the day itself).

Originally, only Anthony, Norman and Ernest were the only Latin Christians invited. Notified of the presence of two more - John and Michael - at the last minute was a rather pleasant surprise. Consisting of 5 people, the Latin Christian contingent was unsurprisingly, the largest.

The ever-witty Vernon represented the Protestants, completing the Western Christian pie.

Russian Orthodox Jana, Edward the Very Eastern Very Russian Eastern Russian Greek-Catholic and myself of the Œcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople constituted the Eastern Christians.

It's a pity the Oriental Orthodox were unable to attend.

I was at my church at 5 for vespers and confession - which meant I had approximately 2 hours to wait before I rendezvous with the rest. And what better way to spend those 2 hours than in the company of a charming young lady such as Jana?

Dinner was held at the Old Shanghai at Chinatown, which serves authentic uh, Shanghainese cuisine.

Our birthday boy offers a toast with piping hot tea.

After dinner concluded, the lot of us headed down the street to some random coffee shop for a few drinks.

Edward and Vernon and their peculiar facial expressions.

Jana & I - this was shot after much coaxing and inveigling, since Jana is incredibly camera-shy.

I was glad Michael turned up - and feeling completely fine at that.

Thank you, Edward for sharing your Western heritage and experiences with us, along with the rich Eastern legacy and viewpoint with us, so we can now also learn to breathe with both lungs of the Church.