News Release #348

Released January 17, 2003

New Ulm, MN - In celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, (January 18-25) an ecumenical prayer service will be held Saturday, January 25, 2003 at 1:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm. Everyone is invited to participate.

The Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of New Ulm, will give the main homily and other religious leaders will also speak. The Chorale music group from the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity will lead the music. Everyone is invited to gather afterwards for fellowship in Leifeld Hall, which is located in the basement of the Cathedral.

The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity had its origins in the Episcopal Church in 1908, and began in Graymoor, in New York's Hudson Valley. It was Paul James Wattson, a priest of the Episcopal Church who was a great advocate of Anglican and Roman Catholic reunion. He emphasized the papacy's role in the reunion of Christians. Wattson recommended a "Church Unity Week" beginning on the Feast of the Chair of Peter (which was January 18 at that time) and ending on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25).

The Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965, promulgated a Decree on Ecumenism in 1964 and called prayer the soul of the ecumenical movement and encouraged the observance of what is now known as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In 1966, the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Vatican Secretariat (now Council) for Promoting Christian Unity began collaborating on a common international text for worldwide usage. These international texts are based on themes proposed by ecumenical groups throughout the world. Each year the theme and texts for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity are initially prepared by an international group whose members are appointed by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. This year's theme is: "With you is the fountain of life" (Psalm 36:5-7).

For further information, contact the Catholic Diocesan Pastoral Center at 507-359-2966.