Unceasing prayer is centenary theme

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is the scriptural theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which Canadian churches will celebrate on Jan. 20-27.

This year marks 100 years of official, ecumenical celebrations of the Octave Prayer for Christian Unity, which later became the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

In the United States, the week of prayer from Jan. 18-25 will be marked with special events, including ecumenical celebrations that will use a new communion song composed by Rev. Ricky Manalo, a composer and author. Parts of the song, That All May Be One in Christ, have been translated into Spanish and Vietnamese, reflecting unity in diversity.

The centenary marks the beginning of a particular movement amongst Anglicans and Roman Catholics, said the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) in a press statement. (The Anglican Church of Canada is a member of the CCC.) “The great 7 ecumenical movements in Mission and in Faith and Order broadened the celebration more widely ecumenically in the 1920s,” the statement continued, “and since the foundation of the World Council of Churches in the 1940s, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been marked internationally with wide ecumenical participation.”

Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity are available at www.ccc-cce.ca/english/faith/week.htm.