Christians from across North Florida are invited to gather for We Believe in One God – A Jubilee event Commemorating the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. to noon at Assumption Catholic Church in Jacksonville.
This diocesan event, part of the worldwide 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, will include the proclamation of the Word of God, reflections from each faith leader, and prayers for unity, culminating in the praying of the Nicene Creed together as one. Bishop Erik Pohlmeier of the Diocese of St. Augustine will preside, joined by the Right Reverend William “Chip” Stokes, assisting bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, and the Reverend Dr. Simon Osunlana, superintendent of the North East District of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Bishop Stokes served as the 12th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey from 2013 to 2023. Known for his commitment to racial reconciliation and lifelong Christian formation, he is a respected preacher and educator who has served at many levels of governance within the Episcopal Church. He and his wife, Susan, now reside in St. Augustine, where he continues his ministry as assisting bishop in the Diocese of Florida.
Dr. Osunlana oversees 70 congregations across the Jacksonville, Ocala and Daytona Beach areas as superintendent of the North East District of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. Originally from Nigeria, he was shaped by the Methodist Church and expresses his faith as “a miniature kingdom of God on earth where everybody is somebody.” He is a graduate of the University of Ibadan, Wake Forest University and Drew University.
The Council of Nicaea, convened in A.D. 325, affirmed that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, consubstantial with the Father, and gave the Church the Nicene Creed, a shared profession of faith recited by Christians around the world.
Globally, the 1700th anniversary is being celebrated as a call to Christian unity. According to Catholic News Service, speakers at a Vatican-supported conference in Rome noted that Nicaea’s legacy remains “a continuing source of Christian unity” because the Creed expresses the essentials of faith shared by all Christians. Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, described the Creed as “the strongest ecumenical bond of the Christian faith,” uniting believers across denominations in a common profession of the Triune God.
The Jubilee Commemorating the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea invites all Christians to come together in gratitude for the faith that unites us and the truth that Jesus is God.
All are invited to attend. For more information and details, email Matthew Schmidt at mschmidt@dosafl.com or call (904) 398-1963.
