Church unity week

This year is the centenary of the January Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Among the events organised for the week is the Morning Service programme on RTÉ, 27 January, at 11.15am, which will be led by staff and students from the Irish School of Ecumenics. The Week in Dublin opens with an ecumenical service in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral at 8pm on Friday, January 18, 2008. The preacher will be Archbishop Alan Harper, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh. Also, Tom Layden SJ has been invited to preach at the morning service in Knock Methodist Church, Belfast, on Sunday 20 January.
From press release:The annual week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins on Friday, January 18. We are celebrating the centenary of the January Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this year. It began with the initiative of Fr Paul Wattson, an Episcopal (Anglican) priest and co-founder of the Society of the Atonement at Graymoor (Garrison, New York). He introduced a Prayer Octave for the intention that the followers of the Lord would become one that was first celebrated from 18 to 25 January, 1908.

The theme for 2008 is ‘Pray without ceasing’ ( 1 Thess 5 : 17). Helpful resource materials can be downloaded from the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website.

There are many ways of participating in the week of prayer. One can attend a local ecumenical service, go to a Sunday service in a church of another Christian tradition or pray privately during the week using some of the resources which can be accessed from the website just given.