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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 18 - 25, 2005

In January 2005, all parishes in the Arlington Diocese will observe a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU). The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Christian Unity urges Catholics worldwide to make a special effort during this week to pray for an end to all divisions in the Mystical Body of Christ. Each day during the week of January 18-25, please take a few minutes to pray for this intention.

A Daily Scripture and Prayer Guide for Christian Unity will be inserted in the St. Charles bulletin for the weekend of January 15-16. It provides scripture readings, prayers, and meditations for your reflection. While the supply lasts, you’ll also find small prayer cards at the church entrances for you to pick up. You can use these materials or pray in whatever manner you prefer. You might choose to say three “Hail Marys” each day for Christian unity, pray in your own words, or pray with no words at all—just spend a few minutes holding this intention before God in silence. The important thing is that we all participate.

Through prayer and dialogue, may God bring all who belong to Christ together into one united Body and make us a visible sign of Christ’s presence and power to bring peace to our world.

Historical Background on the WPCU
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was initiated in 1908 by the Rev. Paul Wattson, co-founder of the Society of the Atonement. Its observance has changed over the years, in accordance with developments in the ecumenical movement: the universal week of prayer advocated by Abbe Paul Couturier in Lyon, France in the 1930's; the formation of the World Council of Churches in 1948; the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism in 1964; and the formation of the Joint Working Group between the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches. A world observance, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an important expression of ecumenical activity at the local level.

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