View source for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

{{Short description|Ecumenical Christian observance}}
[[File:Ecumenical crosses.jpg|thumb|right|Christian crosses at a joint service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity]]
The '''Week of Prayer for Christian Unity''' is an [[Christian ecumenism|ecumenical]] [[Christianity|Christian]] observance in the [[liturgical year|Christian calendar]] that is celebrated internationally. It is kept annually between [[Ascension Day]] and [[Pentecost]] in the Southern Hemisphere and between 18 January and 25 January in the Northern Hemisphere. It is an [[Octave (liturgical)|octave]], that is, an observance lasting eight days.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is annually coordinated by the [[World Council of Churches]], with participation by its member Churches, which include the [[Assyrian Church of the East]], the [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]], the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]es, the [[Old Catholic Church]], the [[Moravian Church]], the [[Lutheran World Federation|Lutheran Churches]], the [[Anglican Communion]], the [[Mennonites|Mennonite Churches]], the [[World Methodist Council|Methodist Churches]] and the [[World Communion of Reformed Churches|Reformed Churches]], as well as the [[Baptist World Alliance|Baptist Churches]] and the [[Pentecostal Church]]es.<ref name="Chia2018">{{cite book |last1=Chia |first1=Edmund Kee-Fook |title=World Christianity Encounters World Religions: A Summa of Interfaith Dialogue |date=23 October 2018 |publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=978-0-8146-8447-4 |page=160 |language=en|quote=The observance was renamed Universal Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 1935. With the founding of the World Council of Churches in 1948 it became more universally adopted by the different denominations around the world, even as the dates of the observance may differ.}}</ref> The [[Roman Catholic Church]], which is an observer in the World Council of Churches, also celebrates the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Week of Prayer for Christian Unity |url=https://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/week-of-prayer/week-of-prayer |publisher=[[World Council of Churches]] |access-date=29 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==Beginnings==
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 Father [[Paul Wattson]], co-founder of the [[Society of the Atonement|Graymoor]] Franciscan Friars. He conceived of the week beginning with the [[Chair of Saint Peter|Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter]], which was then kept on the [[General Roman Calendar]] on January 18 - the same day that the Anglican Church kept the [[Confession of Peter|Feast of the Confession of Saint Peter]] - and concluding with the [[Conversion of Paul#Feast|Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul]] on January 25. 

In 1960 Pope John XXIII removed from the General Roman Calendar the January 18th feast of the Chair of Peter, along with seven other feast days that were second feasts of a single saint or mystery and merged it with the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Antioch, kept on February 22. This calendar was incorporated in the 1962 Roman Missal. Hence, only those Catholics who still retain the [[General Roman Calendar of 1954]] keep the January 18th Feast, although the date continued to serve as the beginning for the Unity Octave. The Feast of the Confession of Peter continues to be observed by Anglican churches on January 18. <ref name=Tristam >''Exciting holiness: collects and readings for the festivals'' by B. Tristam {{ISBN|1-85311-479-0}} Canterbury Press 2003 pages 54–55</ref>

Pope [[Pius X]] officially blessed the concept, and [[Benedict XV]] "encouraged its observance throughout the entire Roman Catholic Church." For a while, the observance was renamed the "Chair of Unity Octave" by Wattson, in order to emphasize the relationship between Christian unity and the Petrine See (''i.e.'', the [[papacy]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geii.org/week_of_prayer_for_christian_unity/week_of_prayer_history.html|title=Brief History of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25, 2020|last=Orians|first=Thomas}}</ref>

Protestant leaders in the mid-1920s also proposed an annual octave of prayer for unity amongst Christians, leading up to [[Pentecost]] Sunday (the traditional commemoration of the establishment of the Church).<ref name="oikoumene.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/2007pdfs/WPCU2008_Booklet_EN.pdf|title=Resources for 2008 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity|access-date=2008-04-04|archive-date=2008-05-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530165027/http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/2007pdfs/WPCU2008_Booklet_EN.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Evolution==
Abbé [[Paul Couturier]] of [[Lyon]], France, who has been called "the father of spiritual ecumenism",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2005/august/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20050819_ecumenical-meeting_en.html|title=Apostolic Journey to Cologne: Ecumenical meeting at the Archbishopric of Cologne (August 19, 2005) – BENEDICT XVI|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> had a slightly different approach from that of Father Wattson, a convert to Roman Catholicism from [[Anglicanism]]. He advocated prayer "for the unity of the Church as Christ wills it, and in accordance with the means he wills", thereby enabling other Christians with differing views of the Petrine ministry to join in the prayer. In 1935, he proposed naming the observance "Universal Week of Prayer for Christian Unity", a proposal accepted by the Catholic Church in 1966. Father Couturier's message influenced a Sardinian nun, [[Maria Gabriella Sagheddu|Blessed Sister Maria Gabriella of Unity]], whose deep, prayerful, sacrificial devotion to the cause of unity is held up by Rome as an example to be followed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20080125_week-prayer_en.html|title=25 January 2008: First Vespers for the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – BENEDICT XVI|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

In 1941, the Faith and Order Conference changed the date for observing the week of unity prayer to that observed by Catholics. In 1948, with the founding of the [[World Council of Churches]], the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity became increasingly recognised by different churches throughout the world.{{cn|date=January 2017}}

In 1958, the French Catholic group Unité Chrétienne and the [[Faith and Order Commission]] of the [[World Council of Churches]] (a body which includes, among others, most of the world's Orthodox churches as well as many Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, United and Independent churches) begin co-operative preparation of materials for the Week of Prayer. The year 1968 saw the first official use of materials prepared jointly by the Faith and Order Commission and the [[Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity]], representing the entire Catholic Church. Collaboration and cooperation between these two organizations has increased steadily since, resulting recently in joint publications in the same format.{{cn|date=January 2017}}

==Observation==
In the [[Southern Hemisphere]], where January is a vacation time, churches often find other days to celebrate the week of prayer, for example around [[Pentecost]] (as originally suggested by the Faith and Order movement in 1926,<ref>''Faith and Order Commission, World Council of Churches''</ref> and [[Pope Leo XIII]] in 1894),<ref name="oikoumene.org"/> which is also a symbolic date for the unity of the church.{{cn|date=January 2019}}

The 2008 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was celebrated as the centennial. For 2012, {{bibleref|1 Corinthians|15:51}} was chosen with the theme "We will all be changed".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ecumenism.net/wpcu/index.htm|title=Ecumenism in Canada / Œcuménisme au Canada|first=Ecumenism in Canada / Œcuménisme au|last=Canada|website=ecumenism.net}}</ref>

The 2016 Week was provided by the Churches of Latvia,<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Audience of 20 January 2016: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity {{!}} Francis |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160120_udienza-generale.html |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> and the theme was that all Christians are 'Called to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord' (indirectly referring to {{bibleref|1 Peter|2:9}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Week of Prayer for Christian Unity set to begin {{!}} World Council of Churches |url=https://www.oikoumene.org/news/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-set-to-begin |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=www.oikoumene.org |language=en}}</ref>

The theme for the week of prayer in 2019, "Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue ..." was inspired by Deuteronomy 16:18-20.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/events/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity|title=Week of Prayer for Christian Unity |last=World Council of Churches|website=www.oikoumene.org|date=20 May 2023 }}</ref>

The 2024 week of prayer draws together churches across the globe under the theme "You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbour as yourself" (Luke 10:27) with materials prepared by an ecumenical team from Burkina Faso, facilitated by the local Chemin Neuf Community (CCN).<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 06 05 Texts for 2024 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity |url=http://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/en/news/2023/2023-06-05-texts-for-2024-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity.html |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=www.christianunity.va}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity]]
* [[Schism (religion)]]
* [[World Council of Churches]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3193 World Council of Churches: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity]
*[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/sub-index/index_weeks-prayer.htm Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity]
*[https://ia601209.us.archive.org/10/items/devotionsforchai00soci/devotionsforchai00soci.pdf Devotions for the Chair of Unity Octave compiled by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement]

{{Epiphany|state=expanded}}

[[Category:Christian ecumenism]]
[[Category:Christian festivals and holy days]]
[[Category:January observances]]

[[fr:Œcuménisme#Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens]]