Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 17, 2013 - Christians of almost all denominations around the world begin the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Saturday, during which they will pray in a very special way for unity among the followers of Christ. Earlier known as the the Octave of Unity, the Week of Prayer for Christian unity is traditionally marked over eight days from Jan 18th to 25th, involving Christian communities and Churches across the world, including the Catholic Church. The theme of this year’s Week of Prayer is St. Paul's strong reprimand in his First Letter to the Corinthians: “Has Christ been divided?” Since 1968, the resources and material used in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been jointly prepared each year by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, WCC, a fellowship of 345 churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 500 million Christians. Each year, the job of preparing the resources and texts for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is assigned to a particular group. However, it is the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order that finalize the texts and resources for publication and use around the world. The initial work on the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer material was prepared by a group of representatives from different parts of Canada, brought together at the invitation of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. The week concludes with the Jan. 25 feast of the Conversion of St. Paul; and here in Rome Pope Francis will conclude the annual observance with a Vespers service in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.