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One Hundred Years of Prayer for Christian Unity
by Rev. Damian MacPherson, SA
On January 18th, 1908, just ten years after their foundation in the Anglican Communion, the communities of Friars and Sisters of the Atonement gathered at Graymoor in Garrison, NY, to celebrate the first Church Unity Octave.
The Octave was the brainchild of Rev. Paul Wattson, in partnership with Mother Lurana White. These founders were in the process of breaking new ground whose influence is felt to this day. One year later, in 1909, Pope Pius X corporately received the Society of the Atonement from its Anglican roots into the Roman Catholic Church and shortly thereafter gave his official blessing to the Octave. In 1919 Pope Benedict XV encouraged observance of the Octave universally through the Roman Catholic Church.
On Friday, January 18, 2008 this prayer movement of the friars and sisters of the Atonement will celebrate its centenary year. Isaac Hecker, the founder of the Paulists, would be pleased, for it is the same date on which the Paulist Fathers will inaugurate the year-long 150th anniversary celebration of their foundation as a community. When it comes to concern for church unity, Watson and Hecker held a commonly shared view. Indeed, Wattson admired Hecker and is known to have said that he would like to found a community of preaching friars similar to the Paulists.
This centenary year comes at a time when one can detect a renewed emphasis on the importance of what Vatican II called “spiritual ecumenism”. Evidence of this is the book recently written by Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Kasper’s recent publication, A Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism (New York City Press) reaffirms what the Church has earlier said upon her entrance into the mainstream of the ecumenical movement: “…prayer is the soul of the ecumenical movement”(Cf. Unitatis Redintegratio, 6-8).
This emphasis on spiritual ecumenism should in no way point to a lessening or downplaying of theological dialogue, which has born an abundance of fruit in recent decades. John Paul II said it this way:
Such dialogue remains, as always, an indispensable task. In fact unity between the followers of Christ can only be a unity in truth. The Spirit guides us toward this goal also through theological dialogues, which represent a sure occasion of mutual enrichment, (Cf. January 25, 2003 Homily).
Serious ecumenists agree that prayer and dialogue must remain in permanent partnership as we move toward the full, visible unity of the Church. In this journey made by Christians together, prayer, as Pope John Paul II noted, must occupy the first place (Ut Unum Sint, n. 102). It was the Dominican ecclesiologist Yves Congar who provided a visual image to the centrality of prayer in saying “We can only pass through the door of unity on our knees”.
In the 1930’s the name of the Church Unity Octave was changed to “Chair of Unity Octave” to emphasize the centrality of the Petrine ministry and reinforce the notion of a “return (to Rome) theology.” In the meantime, a contemporary of Rev. Wattson, Abbe Paul Couturier from Lyon , France, advocated a Universal Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January. Couturier’s emphasis was for a “unity that Christ wills, as he wills, and when he wills.” This emphasis on Church unity would eventually win the day and find acceptance, especially in the Second Vatican Council as reflected in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen gentium), and the Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio).
The conciliar understanding of the Church as a Communion of communions gave full recognition to all the baptized as also united in Christ, and it upheld the presence of those ecclesial elements present within other Christian communities as a true and legitimate expression of the work of the Holy Spirit. Today the Roman Catholic Church teaches that “whatever is wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can contribute to our own edification”(Unitatis Redintegratio, n.4).
Following the Council and its ground–breaking ecumenical advances, the term Chair of Unity Octave was set aside. In keeping with the original dates established in 1908 at Graymoor, the name Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was adopted. Since 1968 representatives of the World Council of Churches (Geneva) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Vatican) meet to select the scriptural themes and chose helpful materials to promote the annual Week of Prayer, now celebrated universally through the Christian world. In September 2006, this combined committee met for the first time outside of the United States at Graymoor. The 2008 theme chosen was Pray Without Ceasing(1Th. 5:15).
Special efforts are underway to provide appropriate celebrations at the local level. For example Paulists should especially be proud of the achievement of Rev. Ricky Manalo, CSP. His efforts took first prize in international competition to produce an original hymn to be used locally for centenary celebrations. The hymn will receive international distribution as part of the materials prepared for the Week of Prayer Celebration. The contest was co-sponsored by the Friars and Sisters of the Atonement and the National Catholic Pastoral Musicians in the United States. Final entries are being reviewed for a similar contest for the annual poster used for the Week of Prayer in 2008.
As well, The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (CADEIO), in partnership with the Friars and Sisters, will invite seminarians to participate in essay contests focused on the 2008 theme of the Week of Prayer. Publication of a book relating to spiritual ecumenism and the Week of Prayer is underway, as are arrangements for Cardinal Kasper and WCC General Secretary Samuel Kobia to participate in events at Graymoor. Arrangements for a pilgrimage to Rome, Canterbury and Lyons, France are also in process. For other activities, ideas and resources visit the centenary website at, www.weekofprayer2008.org
As Paulists, Friars and Sisters of the Atonement mark these significant milestones, we should not hesitate to evoke the intercession of our devoted founders in our work for Christian unity as we celebrate the anniversaries of these events.
Rev. Damian MacPherson, SA, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement, is Director for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto
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