In order to unite with one another, we must love one another;
in order to love one another, we must know one another;
in order to know one another, we must go and meet one another.
Testament of Cardinal Mercier
Cardinal Mercier words are key words to the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The week of prayer, which is actually an octave of eight days, has been celebrated annually since 1894. This week however was a dream of many Christian leaders.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is now celebrated around the world in January.
In Canada, the week is observed between the two Sundays within which Jan. 25 falls. The traditional date for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was between the 18th and the 25th of January.
The dates were proposed in 1908 and occur between the feast of St. Peter and the feast of St. Paul, and therefore have a symbolic meaning.
The theme and focus biblical texts are prepared by an international joint committee of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. National and regional councils of churches work to adapt and add to those resources as appropriate to their local context.
This year on Jan. 18 at 4pm at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, 290 Belsyde Avenue in Fergus, the Center Wellington Ministerial Association will be hosting a special service of prayer to begin this week. The service will be an inter-religious one that will focus on prayer for peace and unity as the whole people of God.
The offering that will be taken during this special prayer service will be used to support the Center Wellington Community Benevolence Fund.
