Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 2005

January 18 through January 25, inclusive.

"Christ, the one Foundation of the Church" (1 Cor 3:1-23).

This year, the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity begins Tuesday, January 18, and concludes Tuesday, January 25. This year's theme is from 1 Corinthians 3:1-23: "Christ, the one Foundation of the Church".

The celebration of the Octave was begun in 1908 by the Society of the Atonement, an Episcopalian religious order founded in 1898 by Father Paul Wattson and Mother Lurana White, as related in this beautiful webpage (whence comes the image of the gorgeous triptych, above):

.... Father Wattson made his profession of vows and took the name Paul; White also took vows but retained her birth name, Lurana. They now set about the task of reflecting upon and clarifying the purpose of their new Society. Clearly their church unity vocation was founded on the prayer of Jesus, "That all may be one". But this conviction would be shaped in a special way by both their understanding of church and by their pro-Roman beliefs. For Father Paul and Mother Lurana the one Church of Christ was constituted of the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and The Orthodox Church. Each was truly church and while each branch was a manifestation of Christ's one church, both the Anglican Communion and The Orthodox Church had suffered because of their break with the See of Rome. Indeed for Father Paul and Mother Lurana the Roman See was the divinely established center of Church unity....

Replying to the Reverend Jones on November 30, 1907, Father Paul wrote, "The 'Peter sermon' suggestion is fine.... In addition to that, what do you think of inaugurating a Church Unity Week beginning with St. Peter's Chair at Rome, January 18th, and ending with St. Paul's Day?" Without waiting for an answer from Jones, Father Paul began writing letters to clergy and friends of Graymoor, both Roman and Episcopal, asking them to participate in the Octave of Prayer for Unity. Over 2,000 persons agreed to do so in this first observance....

On October 30, 1909, the Society of the Atonement acted upon the advice given by the Episcopal Bishop of Delaware. On that day, Father Paul and Mother Lurana, along with another Friar, two Atonement Sisters, two novices, and ten lay associates made their unqualified submission to the Latin Church. Their profession of faith was received by Monsignor Joseph Conroy, Vicar General of the diocese of Ogdensburg, who was the personal representative of Archbishop John Farley.

Due to the influence of Cardinal Merry del Val, who was a faithful reader of The Lamp and Secretary of State under Pius X, the Holy See was quite gracious in its reception of the small Community. It was accepted as a distinct Religious Community, allowed to keep its name, and encouraged to keep as its purpose prayer and work for Christian unity and mission. The corporate reception of the Friars and Sisters of the Atonement into the Roman Church was the first such occurrence since the Reformation....

These are traditional Catholic prayer intentions for each day in the Octave (as listed here):

January 18: For the return of the "other sheep" to the One Fold of our Lord Jesus Christ.

January 19: For the return of the Eastern Orthodox Christians to communion with the Apostolic See.

January 20: For the return of the Anglicans to the authority of the Vicar of Christ.

January 21: For the return of all Protestants throughout the world to the unity of the Catholic Church.

January 22: That Christians in America may be one, in union with the Chair of Saint Peter.

January 23: That lapsed Catholics will return to the Sacraments of the Church.

January 24: That the Jewish people will be converted to the Catholic Faith.

January 25: That missionary zeal will conquer the world for Christ.

These are traditional Anglican/Episcopalian prayer intentions for each day in the Octave (as listed here):

(18) East Orthodox, Coptic, and other Eastern Churches

(19) Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic Churches

(20) Anglican, Old Catholic, and allied Churches

(21) Lutheran, Moravian, and Methodist Churches

(22) Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed Churches

(23) Baptist, Amish, Mennonite, Hutterite, and Christian (Disciples of Christ) Churches

(24) Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches

(25) Other groups, particularly "non-mainstream" ones; theologians and councils seeking to promote Christian Unity while preserving Christian Truth

Here are lists of Epistles and Gospels from the Mass for Christian Unity in the Lectionary of the Roman Missal (Editio Typica Altera):

1. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13
2. Ephesians 2:19-22
3. Ephesians 4:1-6
4. Ephesians 4:30-5:2
5. Philippians 2:1-13
6. Colossians 3:9-17
7. 1 Timothy 2:5-8
8. 1 John 4:9-15

1. Matthew 18:19-22
2. Luke 9:49-56
3. John 10:11-16
4. John 11:45-52
5. John 13:1-5
6. John 17:1-11
7. John 17:11-19
8. John 17:20-26

And here are some prayers suitable for use during the octave:

• Prayers for the Church Unity Octave
• Prayers for the Church Unity Octave: In honor of Saints Peter and Paul.

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Mon. 01/17/05 07:11:01 PM
Categorized as Religious.