Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

From 18 – 25 January, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is held. This is the traditional period in the northern hemisphere for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

These dates were proposed in 1908 by Paul Wattson to cover the days between the feasts of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and therefore have a symbolic significance. In the southern hemisphere where January is a vacation time churches often find other days to celebrate the week of prayer, for example around Pentecost (suggested by the Faith and Order movement in 1926), which is also a symbolic date for the unity of the Church.

The theme chosen for this year is Jesus said to her: ‘Give me to drink’ (Jn 4:7). Resources for this year have been prepared by the National Council of Christian Churches of Brazil at the invitation of two bodies that co-sponsor the Week of Prayer – the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches. Local resources for Ireland are adapted by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.