For 100 years the Week of Prayer has stood as a reminder that the soul of ecumenism is prayer, making this year’s theme “Pray without ceasing” (1Thess 5:17) most appropriate.

The letter to the Thessalonians is addressed to a troubled community. They suffer from external persecution and struggle with internal questioning. Not unlike contemporary Christians, they question how Christians should live, succumbing at times to the ways of the local community; they raise questions about leadership and authority; they wonder whether those who die before the return of Christ will be saved. Paul responds by exhorting the community to “be at peace among yourselves”(5:13b) He reminds them to provide encouragement to one another, to ensure that all contribute to the well-being of the community, he calls on them to help the weak, to be patient, to repay evil with good, “rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances.” (5:14-18) Rejoicing in the Lord, giving thanks and praying without ceasing provide the foundation on which the community builds. Like these early Christians we are called to build on the foundation of prayer, to open ourselves to the Spirit and to discover through God’s grace the spiritual gifts that will lead us to the unity that God desires.

A brief history of the Week illustrates how the Christian community has grown both in its understanding of the nature of unity and in its understanding of prayer for Christian unity. In 1908 Paul Wattson, the American Episcopal priest who initiated the Church Unity Octave and co-founded the Society of the Atonement, which was received into the Catholic Church in 1909, believed that unity entailed reunion with Rome. In the 30s, Wattson changed the name of the Octave to the Chair of Unity Octave, highlighting the Roman Catholic understanding of the importance of the Petrine ministry.

Around that time, Abbe Paul Couturier, a Roman Catholic priest from France, recognizing that the theology under girding the Octave was not acceptable to many Christians, called for a Universal Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that would foster “a unity that Christ wills, as he wills, and when he wills”. At the same time, Protestant and Orthodox communities were engaged in efforts for Christian unity. In 1921, the World Conference on Faith and Order established an Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity, which would conclude on Pentecost Sunday and in 1941, the Faith and Order Commission moved the Octave to January in the hope that Protestants and Catholics might pray together for the unity of the church. Conversations between Protestants and Catholics regarding the Week of Prayer were already taking place quietly in the late 50s and early 60s.

The work done at Vatican Council II opened the doors for greater cooperation between Catholics and Protestants, leading to an agreement between Catholic, Orthodox and Protestants to observe a joint Week of Prayer. Since 1968, the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity have collaborated on selecting a theme and producing materials for the Week of Prayer. Thus in this anniversary year we also celebrate 40 years of joint prayer for unity.

From the beginning, the Society of the Atonement has played a major role in promoting Christian Unity and in adapting the resources prepared by the World Council and the Pontifical Council for use in the United States. Through the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, http://www.geii.org/wpcu_index.htm, they make resources available to congregations each year. This year the Institute sponsored an illustration contest and a hymn contest. The hymns, used for the first time at a meeting of the National Convention of Pastoral Musicians in July, will be made available for use in local celebrations. More extensive information on the Week of Prayer and suggestions for local programs can be found at http://www.weekofprayer2008.org/. Additions to the site will be posted and contributions from local communities are welcome.

During this anniversary year, we have much to celebrate: ecumenical agreements which have led to full communion between major denominations; major agreements on contested issues such as justification; and common social action and witness. There is also much work to be done as we continue to seek God’s will. Difficult theological and moral questions remain. We, like the Thessalonians, are called to affirm one another and to build the community, to rejoice and to give thanks and above all to pray without ceasing so that we can be united in mission and ministry for the greater glory of God.