In 1907, the suggestion of one day of prayer grew into an eight-day octave between the Feasts of the Chair of St. Peter, formerly January 18 and the Conversion of St. Paul, January 25. The Church Unity Octave was founded the next year. Through the years, other prayer movements for unity were promoted.
In 1964, the Second Vatican Council issued the Decree on Ecumenism, calling prayer “the soul of the ecumenical movement.” In 1967, churches agreed to jointly observe a time of prayer called the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Since 1968, the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity have collaborated annually in selecting scriptural themes and promoting prayer for the unity of Christian Churches.
As a worldwide observance seeking “unity in diversity” (words from the Preface of the Mass for Christian Unity), the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity focuses on the shared yearnings of all Christians “that all may be one” (Jn. 17:21) according to the will of Christ. The theme for this year’s celebration focuses on the transformative power of faith in Christ: We Will All Be Changed by the Victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:51–58)
Thanksgiving Litany for the Churches
Let us give thanks for the gifts and graces
of each household of the Christian family.
(response) We thank you, God, and bless your holy name.
For the Churches of the Anglican Communion: their reverent worship,
their Catholic heritage and Protestant conscience, their ecumenical zeal
and desire to be used as a house of reconciliation. (response)
For the Baptist, Evangelical and Pentecostal Churches: their emphasis on regeneration, missionary zeal and the conscious relation of the mature soul
to its God. (response)
For the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): their respect for individual freedom
And their dedication to the unity of the Church through a common commitment
to Christ as God’s complete disclosure. (response)
For the United Church of Christ: their concern for the rightful independence
of the soul and of the group. (response)
For the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches: their sense of the reality of Christ’s continuing presence through the Divine Liturgies and their fellowship in the Trinitarian mystery in faith and in charitable service. (response)
For the Lutheran Churches: their devotion to the grace of the Triune God
received by faith in Christ and made known through the ministry of Word
and Sacrament, and their contributions through theology, worship, education
and music. (response)
For the Churches in the Methodist tradition: their awakening the consciences
of Christians to social responsibilities, and their emphasis upon the witness of experience and the fruits of the disciplined life. (response)
For the Presbyterian and Reform Churches: their reverence for the sovereignty
of God and their faithfulness to God’s covenant and their sense of moral law. (response)
For the Roman Catholic Church: its traditions, disciplines and worship, rich
with religious passion of the centuries, and their noble company of believers. (response)
For all other Christian bodies: their proclamation of the Gospel of salvation through humble repentance, their preaching of the Word of God, and the inspiration of their members for conscientious Christian living. (response)
O gracious God, as families of your people, we offer you those graces and gifts which you have given us. By using them and sharing them, may we glorify you today and every day, now and forever. Amen.
- from the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute
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