Millions of Christians across the globe will join hands and voices in prayer for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, to be held Monday to Monday, Jan. 18-25, 2010.

Ecumenism has shown how important prayer is for Christian unity, and for 100 years, Christians have gathered around the world to pray in communion with the prayer of Jesus “that they all may be one” (John 17:21). Houston-area Christians of all confessions will collaborate during the week-long observance to come together in prayer. Each night of the week will be hosted by a different Christian Church or Community. The Houston services are organized by the University of St. Thomas Center for Faith and Culture.

“Christians, who share belief in Christ and share one baptism and one Lord are obligated to overcome the stumbling block of disunity,” said Fr. Donald Nesti, CSSp, director of the UST Center for Faith and Culture. “Obliged by their belief Christians of every generation and every decade must enter into relationship of prayer and dialogue to sense where it is that the Holy Spirit is leading them to be one. Only the Spirit can be the ‘Glue’ that will reassemble a fractured Body.”

The Church Unity Octave, a forerunner of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, was first celebrated in January 1908 by the Rev. Paul Wattson, SA, at Graymoor in Garrison, N.Y. The eight days between two liturgical feasts, the Confession of St. Peter (Jan. 18) and the Conversion of St. Paul (Jan. 25), seemed especially appropriate to pray for the unity of the Church.

“This new prayer movement caught the imagination of others beyond the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement to become an energetic movement that gradually blossomed into a worldwide observance involving many nations and millions of people,” said Rev. Timothy MacDonald, SA, associate director of Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute.

The 2010 theme, “You Are Witness of These Things,” comes from Luke’s Gospel, chapter 24 verse 48. Each prayer service will integrate the theme along with Luke’s entire chapter 24. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity schedule is:

7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 18
The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1111 St. Joseph Parkway – 77002

7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 19
St. Mary’s Seminary Chapel 9845 Memorial Drive – 77024
 
7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20
University of St. Thomas – Chapel of St. Basil 3802 Yoakum – 77006

7 p.m., Thursday January 21
St. Theresa Catholic Church 6622 Haskell Street – 77007

7 p.m., Friday, Jan 22
Windsor Village United Methodist Church 6011 West Orem - 77085

6 p.m., Saturday Jan. 23
Christ the King Lutheran Church 2353 Rice Boulevard - 77005

4 p.m., Sunday Jan. 24
St. Martin’s Episcopal Church 717 Sage Road - 77056

7 p.m.,  Monday Jan. 25
The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1111 St. Joseph Parkway - 77002

All prayer and celebration is open to the public. View event poster.

For more information, contact UST Center for Faith and Culture, at 713-942-5066 or www.stthom.edu/cfc.