‘One Body, one Spirit’

‘There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling’ (Ephesians 4:4). This excerpt from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians, is the theme of this year’s ‘Week of Prayer for Christian Unity’. The week begins on Sunday 18 January 2026, and ends on 25 January. The theme, prayers, and reflections have all been chosen and prepared by the faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with their sisters and brothers of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches.

In his letter to Jesuits, friends, and colleagues regarding the week, Tom Layden SJ, the Province Coordinator for Ecumenism, says this annual week of prayer, “offers people a particular opportunity to recall all that we have in common, to express regret for the hurt caused by our divisions, and to ask the Lord to deepen in us the hope that we will all be one someday in the future.” Read the full letter below.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 18 -25 2026

Dear Brothers and Friends,

I write to you concerning the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25 January).

This year’s theme is ‘There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling’ (Ephesians 4:4). The prayers and reflections have been prepared by the faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with their sisters and brothers of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches.  These resources draw upon  centuries-old traditions of prayers and petitions used by the Armenian people along with hymns which originated in the ancient  monasteries and churches of Armenia, some dating back to the fourth  century.

In a world with diverse and often divided traditions of Christian faith, Ephesians 4:4 reminds us that all believers are part of the ‘one body’ of  Christ. Paul’s epistles stress the importance of unity within the Church. This unity is not about uniformity. It is about a common commitment to the core truths of the Christian faith. It serves as a powerful witness to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit when Christians of various backgrounds come together with a shared goal and vision. In a world where the Body of Christ is wounded by divisions within and between traditions, the Apostle’s call to unity is addressed to each of us.

The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity offers us a particular opportunity to recall all that we have in common, to express regret for the hurt caused by our divisions and to ask the Lord to deepen in us the hope that we will all be one someday in the future. And this annual letter is a reminder and an encouragement to all of us to participate in the Week of Prayer in some appropriate way. You can download the service booklet for this year’s prayer by clicking here ».

I offer some suggestions as to how we can participate in the Week. You will, of course, have ideas of your own based on your own experience and context.

• Remember the intentions of the Week in personal and common prayer.

• Use some part of the order of service in the resources in the link sent along with this letter in either personal or communal prayer.

• Use the prayers from a Votive Mass for the Unity of Christians at Mass.

• Use one of the Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation from the Missal.

• Watch online or attend in person a Sunday service from a church of another tradition.

• Write a letter of greeting or send an email to a person from another Christian tradition whom you know either through work or personal contact.

May the Spirit of Unity continue to be active in our midst. We give thanks for the growth in unity which we have seen in the years since the Edinburgh Conference (1910) and the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). We ask the Lord’s blessing on the work that still needs to be done.

If I can be of any further assistance to you, please feel free to contact me at: [email protected] or by phone at: 00 44 74 7991 3293.

Your brother in the Lord,

Tom Layden, SJ.

Province Coordinator of Ecumenism.

9 January 2026.