Celebrating 2021 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Canada
Every year, Christians around the world are invited to celebrate a Week of Prayer for the unity of all Christians, to reflect on scripture together, to participate in jointly-organized ecumenical services, and to share fellowship.
The international resources for 2021 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by the Monastic Community of Grandchamp in Switzerland, a group of religious sisters from different church traditions brought together by a common vocation of prayer, community life and hospitality and by their commitment to Christian unity.
The 2021 theme
Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit (John 15:5-9) – calls us to pray and to work for reconciliation and unity in the church, with our human family, and with all of creation. Drawing on the Gospel image of vine and branches, it invites us to nourish unity with God and with one another through contemplative silence, prayer, and common action. Grafted into Christ the vine as many diverse branches, may we bear rich fruit and create new ways of living, with respect for and communion with all of creation.
About the Week
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) was first proposed in 1908 as an observance within the Roman Catholic Church by Fr Paul Wattson, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in Graymoor, New York. Since the founding of the World Council of Churches in 1948, many other Christian denominations
around the world have come to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In Canada, The Canadian Council of Churches and its ecumenical partners, the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, work for ‘unity in diversity’ by supporting WPCU celebrations across Canada. For over 40 years, our Canadian ecumenical writing team has adapted WPCU materials developed by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity for the Canadian context.
Visit weekofprayer.ca for more information and to download resources.
What is Happening to Celebrate
The Anglican Church of Canada has created a video series for use in streamed services. More information about how to access the videos can be found at https://www.anglican.ca/weekofprayer/
An Introduction to the WPCU from the Primate, Abp Linda Nicholls https://vimeo.com/501793828
Video service for the WPCU from Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria https://vimeo.com/501039459
Vigil 1— Abiding in Christ: The unity of the whole person
Vigil 2 — Abiding in Christ: The visible unity of Christians
Vigil 3 — Abiding in Christ: The unity of all peoples and all creation
A collection of prayers for the WPCU: https://www.stdunstansvictoria.ca/news/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity