The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Jan 14, 2016

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually between 18 January and 25 January.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began in 1908 as the Octave of Christian Unity, and focused on prayer for church unity. The dates of the week were proposed by Fr Paul Wattson, cofounder of the Graymoor Franciscan Friars.

Pope Pius X officially blessed the concept, and Benedict XV “encouraged its observance throughout the entire Roman Catholic Church.” 

This year, the theme Called to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord. (1 Peter 2:9) is inspired by two verses from the First Letter of St Peter. The resources for the week have been prepared by members of different churches in Latvia.

In order to prepare for the annual celebration, ecumenical partners in a particular region are invited to produce a basic liturgical text on a biblical theme. Then, an international editorial team of WCC and Roman Catholic representatives refines this text to ensure that it can be prayed throughout the world, and to link it with the search  for the visible unity of the church.

The text is jointly published by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the WCC.

The final material is sent to WCC member churches and Roman Catholic episcopal conferences, and they are invited to translate the text and contextualize or adapt it for their own use.

The annual brochure is jointly prepared and published by the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches.

Using the Week of  Prayer material

--For Churches and Christian communities which observe the week of prayer together through a single common service, an order for an ecumenical worship service is provided.

-- Churches and Christian communities may also incorporate material from the week of prayer into their own services. Prayers from the ecumenical worship service, the “eight days’, and the selection of additional prayers can be used as appropriate in their own setting.

-- Communities which observe the week of prayer in their worship for each day during the week may draw material for these services from the “eight days’

-- Those wishing to do bible studies on the week of prayer theme can use as a basis the biblical texts and reflections given in the eight days. Each day the discussions can lead to a closing period of intercessory prayer.

-- Those who wish to pray privately may find the material helpful for focusing their prayer intentions. They can be mindful that they are in communion with others praying all around the world for the greater visible unity of Christ’s Church.

Theme for 2016:"Called to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord"(1 Peter 2:9)

Rev Dr Hermen Shastri, the general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) said that with the collaboration with Fr Eugene Benedict, the parish priest of the Church of St Theresa in Nilai, there will be a comtemplative session at the Ecumenical Centre on Jan 24, 2016.

“This year we will be focusing on a Taize style session which is more contemplative,” explained Dr Shastri.

For more information on the service, do call 03-7956 7092

The resources for The Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity and throughout the year 2016 is available at: http://www.vatican.va/roman_ curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/ weeks-prayer-doc/rc_pc_chrstuni_ doc_20150526_week-prayer-2016_ en.html