Despite the freezing temperatures outside, hundreds of Christians of various denominations flocked to St. Jude Catholic Church in Fort Wayne on Sunday, January 18, to participate in an ecumenical prayer service marking the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Held annually from Janua ry 18 (the traditional date of the feast of the Chair of St. Peter) through January 25 (the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul), the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity dates to 1909, when it was founded as the Octave of Christian Unity by Servant of God Paul Wattson. For nearly 60 years, the week has been organized through a collaboration between the World Council of Churches and what is now the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. Leaders of these groups selecting scriptural themes. This year’s theme is taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (4:4). Scott WardenFrom left, Pastor Anthony Opliger, Father Emmanuel Abuh, Bishop Rhoades, and Pastor Chris Norman preside over an ecumenical prayer service at St. Jude Catholic Church in Fort Wayne on Sunday, January 18.   At the beginning of the prayer service, Bishop Rhoades welcomed those who braved the cold to gather in prayer. “Christians throughout the world celebrate this special week, praying for greater unity – and hopefully, one day, full unity – as members of the Body of Christ,” Bishop Rhoades said. “We can celebrate the unity we already share by praying together.” Scott WardenBishop Rhoades lights a candle for a mother and her child during the ecumenical prayer service at St. Jude Catholic Church. Bishop Rhoades noted that each year a different Christian tradition is tasked with preparing the prayer service that is used throughout the world. This year’s service, Bishop Rhoades said, was prepared by the Armenian Church. “It’s a way to experience the diversity within the unity, and the universality, of the Church’s spiritual tradition,” Bishop Rhoades said. “Thank you all for coming despite the very, very cold weather outside,” Bishop Rhoades said, concluding his opening remarks. “Here though, inside this church, it is nice and warm. And in our prayer today, may we also be warmed by the love of Christ and the fire of the Holy Spirit as we pray together as brothers and sisters in Christ for Christian unity.” Pastor Anthony Opliger, left, and Father Emmanuel Abuh read from Scripture during the ecumenical prayer service.   Bishop Rhoades was one of four presiders of the prayer service, as he was joined by Pastor Chris Norman of Grace Gathering Church, Pastor Anthony Opliger of Northeast Church, and Father Emmanuel Abuh, pastor of St. Jude. The prayer service included the singing of several hymns that focused on unity, including “In Christ There Is No East or West,” “Here I Am to Worship,” “One Lord,” and “Amazing Grace.” Scripture passages were read, Psalms were recited, and, together, worshippers prayed the Lord’s Prayer and proclaimed the Nicene Creed. Scott WardenPastor Chris Norman of Grace Gathering Church preaches the sermon at the ecumenical prayer service.   Pastor Norman gave the evening’s sermon and stressed in his opening lines that “if there was ever a time for Christian unity, now is that time.” He continued, saying: “In the world today, there are wars, and rumors of wars, and pain, and heartache, and disfunction, and brokenness, but Jesus is the light of the world. What hope would we have today without the hope of Jesus? Every Christian in our world, in our country, and in this community where we live should stand together in love, unified, and with one mind and heart to reflect the beauty of Jesus and the power of Jesus to impact a world that is in desperate need.” He read from Chapter 4 of Ephesians, from which the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity’s theme was taken, telling the audience that while St. Paul’s words “were profound to the first-century audience,” they are “just as profound 2,000 years later.” He quoted: “Be complete, humble and gentle; be patient with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” “Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox all have different theological interpretations of many different doctrines of the faith, but there is only one faith, one baptism, one God who is over all things,” Pastor Norman said. “… We don’t worship a different Jesus; we worship the same Jesus, the same God, and because of this, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. … The foundation of our unity is that we worship the Risen Christ.” He added: “As God looks down on us this evening in this service, I think He is smiling from heaven, [saying], ‘Ah, it’s good to see my kids getting along and loving one another.’” Scott WardenAttendees, including members of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, sing a hymn written by the 12th-century Armenian saint Nersess the Gracious. The singing centers around the word “looys,” which is Armenian for “light.”   Pastor Norman has been active in ecumenical efforts with Catholics for the past several years, engaging in ministries with Shema Culture and with the Common Table Series at the University of Saint Francis, which aimed at fostering dialogue between Catholics and evangelical Christians. “I feel like the last few years I’ve seen God move in various ways,” Pastor Norman told Today’s Catholic. “I think there’s something unique going on in the last few years that has allowed opportunities to really see greater progress in the area of unity. I feel like it’s just been a part of what God’s been doing in our city and our community.” In his sermon, Pastor Norman joked that the prayer service was more of “a home game” for the Catholics in the audience, and while some of his Protestant brothers and sisters might have been uncomfortable in an unfamiliar setting, Pastor Norman noted that “growth always causes some discomfort, and that’s healthy. It’s been great that we’ve had ecumenical services in Catholic parishes and Protestant churches in our city. It’s been kind of a mutual encouragement to be a part of one another’s traditions and settings. I think part of what God’s doing is very intentional: He’s bringing us together.” Scott WardenPastor Anthony Opliger smiles while listening to Bishop Rhoades welcome visitors to the ecumenical prayer service.   Pastor Opliger of Northeast Church agreed that going outside of one’s comfort zone is vital to living out the Gospel mission – “Going places that are uncomfortable in terms of God’s mission in the city and in other nations. Going places that are uncomfortable in order to grow in Jesus. Going places that are uncomfortable in terms of unity in Jesus.” Pastor Opliger told Today’s Catholic that his involvement in ecumenical events over the past couple of years has opened his eyes – specifically about Catholics. “I had so many things that I thought I knew about Catholics that I didn’t know, and so while I’ve learned about Catholicism, I’ve also learned about myself and the prejudices and assumptions in my head that I couldn’t get my head around.” Scott WardenMembers of the St. Jude choir sing during the prayer service on Sunday, January 18.   This spirit of listening and understanding is vital to the ecumenical movement, said Father Glenn Kohrman, pastor of St. Therese Catholic Church in Fort Wayne, who attended the prayer service at St. Jude. “We need to heal the divisions, especially for the sake of the culture, and to fulfill the Scriptures. Isaiah says, ‘All nations are called to Him,” and hopefully we can all come together and say, ‘Behold the Lamb of God,’ and work through our differences, and let ourselves be united by all that’s true, good, and beautiful,” Father Kohrman said. “I love what Augustine said. He said, ‘In essential things, unity; in nonessential things, liberty; and in all things, charity.’ And these events help us forge bonds of charity, companionship, and getting to know people.” Father Abuh, pastor of St. Jude, which hosted the prayer service, told Today’s Catholic that it’s important for Catholics to participate in ecumenical efforts such as the prayer service “because it is Jesus Christ Himself who prayed, ‘We may all be one.’ So, in participating in this event, we are actually walking in the path of Jesus and answering His call for all of us to be one in faith and in love.” Father Abuh said he’s hoping one of the fruits from hosting the ecumenical prayer service is that the St. Jude community will continue to be open “to accept all the people from different denominations, to respect them, to know that we can pray together, and that we have the same mission of becoming light to the world.” Prior to the prayer service, Bishop Rhoades told Today’s Catholic that Christian unity “is integral to our faith.” “This is Christ’s will,” he said, “so we have to be committed to Christian unity. It’s the clear teaching of the Second Vatican Council, and certainly the popes. It’s really our duty to pray for Christian unity and to work toward the reunion of all Christians.” Scott Warden is editor-in-chief of Today’s Catholic. Email him at [email protected]. The post Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Gather for Ecumenical Prayer Service in Fort Wayne appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less