While all Christians may be united in faith, they are typically divided by doctrine. So fierce are those doctrinal divisions at times that they erupt into physical confrontations, such as the annual inter-denominational scuffle during the ceremony marking the Miracle of the Holy Fire on Easter Eve at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City. Opponents of the Church like to point to such conflagrations and the divisions that spawn them in order to criticize our faith.

But too often overlooked are genuine efforts toward unity, like the upcoming Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Jerusalem. From January 22-29, members of various Christian denominations from Catholics to Orthodox Christians to Anglicans to Protestants will visit one another's churches and pray together.

It is a concrete and shared gesture that is part of a consolidated tradition on a path that progresses at the pace typical of this land. "They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers." (Acts 2,42), we can read in the Acts of the Apostles about the life of the first Christian community.

The material for this year’s prayer and reflection has been prepared by the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and the old Catholic and Protestant Churches active in Poland. The aim of the effort is precisely to invoke the power of the love of Jesus to change, which can truly take the Church back to the authenticity of its origins, to the rediscovery of its vocation for unity, as a visible manifestation of the body of Christ.

This is the extraordinary “victory” of Our Lord Jesus who, in the face of the passion that awaited him, accepted all suffering, praying that His disciples would draw strength from that to live in unity and so that, through their testimony of authentic Christian life, the world could find faith and salvation.

Each day, participants will visit a different church in order to become better acquainted with their Christian brothers and sisters and to seek God's blessing as they strive for unity. It is an unprecedented gesture aimed at reversing a shameful history of inter-denominational hostility.

Schedule of Events for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Saturday, January 21 - 5:30 p.m.
Service at Anastasis (Holy Sepulcher), Calvary; Greek Orthodox Office of “Apodeipnon” (Compline)

Sunday, January 22 - 5:00 p.m.
Anglican Cathedral of St. George on Nablus Road

Monday, January 23 - 5:00 p.m.
Armenian Cathedral of St. James in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City

Tuesday, January 24 - 5:00 p.m.
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem's Old City (near Holy Sepulcher)

Wednesday, January 25 - 5:00 p.m.
Latin Patriarchate's Church near Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem's Old City

Thursday, January 26 - 4:00 p.m.
Upper Room, Cenacle on Mount Zion

Friday, January 27 - 5:00 p.m.
Ethiopian Orthodox Church on Prophet's Street in West Jerusalem

Saturday, January 28 - 5:00 p.m.
St. Anthony's Church (Coptic Orthodox) in Jerusalem's Old City (near Holy Sepulcher)

Sunday, January 29 - 5:00 p.m.
Greek Catholic Church of Annunciation in Jerusalem's Old City (near Jaffa Gate)