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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity January 18-25

Posted : Jan-15-2024

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) have provided the following information and resources regarding the upcoming Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity [WPCU] is an annual global ecumenical celebration (traditionally held January 18-25 in the northern hemisphere). Christians around the world are invited to pray for the unity of all the baptized; to reflect together on Scripture; to participate in jointly-organized worship services; and to share in acts of outreach and fellowship. The theme for 2024 is drawn from Luke 10:27: “You shall love the Lord your God…and your neighbour as yourself.”

Each year the Canadian Council of Churches [CCC]-sponsored Writing and Animation Team—whose members are drawn from a spectrum of denominations—supports the nationwide observance of the WPCU by contextualizing the international resources developed by the World Council of Churches in partnership with the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. The resources proposed for use in Canada in 2024 are in turn made available at a dedicated website, co-sponsored by the CCC, the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism:

https://www.weekofprayer.ca/

For the full text from the CCCB, please visit their website here.

The Archdiocese of Toronto’s Office for Promoting Christian Unity and Religious Relations with Judaism, along with the Greater Toronto Area Council of Christian Churches jointly planned a special prayer service to celebrate the WPCU.

All are welcome to join His Grace, Archbishop Francis Leo and a wide representation of Christian leaders to pray for the restoration of full visible unity on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at 4 p.m. at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, 455 Ferrier St., Markham, Ont.

The Office for Promoting Christian Unity and Religious Relations with Judaism has additional information and resources on their website here.

The office also has a downloadable sheet of complementary resources on how to observe WPCU that can be accessed here.