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Like in years past, many Toronto area clergy from various faiths and their congregants will unite in prayer for Christian unity, this year at North City Church in Woodbridge, Ont.
Register file photo
January 17, 2025
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Christians of all denominations are invited to mark the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 19 with a Greater Toronto-wide service at North City Church in Woodbridge, northwest of the city.
The annual service is the highlight of a week full of special services and events bringing the various factions of Christ’s followers together in unity under His name. Auxiliary Bishop John Boissonneau and a wide representation of Christian leaders will join in prayer for the restoration of full visible unity of Christ’s Church at the 4 p.m. service.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is formally observed each year from Jan. 18-25. This year’s theme reflects on belief as Christians are invited to reflect on the story of Martha’s confession of faith in Jesus as narrated in John 11:26, where Jesus asks of Martha, “Do you believe this?”
There is a special significance this year, 1,700 years after the First Council of Nicaea, where the words “I believe” were chosen to anchor the Creed as an instrument of Christian unity.
Dating back to 1908, the week was originally termed the “Church Unity Octave” by Franciscan Friar of the Atonement Fr. Paul Wattson. It arose out of earlier correspondence between Wattson and the Rev. Spencer Jones, a clergyman from Moreton-in-Marsh, England. It has evolved over the years, drawing in churches from more nations, and in 1963 the name was officially changed to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
In 1966, common international texts for each week were developed for annual use. This year's text was prepared by the Monastic Community of Bose in northern Italy along with an international team appointed by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches.
Besides the Greater Toronto Area Service in Woodbridge, other events in conjunction with the week will be celebrated in various parishes (check with your parish) as well as the Toronto School of Theology’s annual service Jan. 22 at Knox College. The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement also hold an annual student writing contest in partnership with The Catholic Register where students write an essay on the annual theme.
There is also the Festival of Faith for Christian Unity 2025: A Journey Through the Nicene Creed, which will share the faith monthly (except for July and August) throughout the Toronto area. Included are two St. Augustine’s Seminary Divina Eloquia Lectures, Jan. 28 and March 25, at Charbonnel Lounge, Helmsley Hall.
For more resources of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, see https://www.weekofprayer.ca/2025-wpcu-resources/.
A version of this story appeared in the January 19, 2025, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Service set to pray for Christian unity".
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Photo courtesy St. Michael’s Choir School
