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Our Diocese and the 54th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

20 May, 2021

“Prayer is at the very heart of the ecumenical journey”

– Benedict XVI

This week is the 54th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

There will be an ecumenical gathering of churches at St Joseph’s Cathedral this Sunday, 3pm, to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. All are invited to join.

Sr Beryl Amedee rsm, represents Bishop Michael on the local minister’s fellowship which comes under the group called Rockhampton Churches Together. She said the Diocese has a good working relationship with the mainline churches in Rockhampton.

In 1916 Pope Benedict XV extended the invitation to pray for unity to the entire Catholic Church.

On 23 January 2008 Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his weekly catechesis to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Vatican Council II promulgated the Decree on Ecumenism “Unitatis Redintegratio” which, Pope Benedict XVI said, “lays great emphasis on the role and the importance of prayer for unity.” He continues

Prayer is at the very heart of the ecumenical journey … because in joint prayer Christian communities come together before the Lord and, aware of the contradictions caused by their divisions, manifest their desire to obey His will. Joint prayer is not, then a form of volunteer work or sociology, but an expression of the faith that unites all Christ’s disciples.

Pope Francis reminded everyone at 54th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that Jesus did not command his disciples to be united, but rather prayed that they might be.

This, he said, “means that we are not able to achieve unity with our own strength. Unity is above all a gift, a grace to be requested through prayer.”

Our Diocese has its own unique journey of involvement in Ecumenism. We caught up with Sr Beryl to put together a video for the 54th week of Prayer for Christian Unity in which she encourages us around Ecumenism, its history in our Diocese and ways we can be involved. You can also find a number of other videos that follow the first where Sr Beryl outlines the long history of ecumenism in the Dicoese.

You can start watching the conversation here: https://youtu.be/FzjV6dYG_xc