2016 WEEK OF PRAYER
Ambitious program planned
The 2016 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, called by the Canadian Council of Churches, will be marked in Saskatoon by an ambitious program planned by the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism (PCE) and the local Christian ecumenical community.
PCE Director Darren Dahl says this year’s theme, ‘Called to proclaim the mighty acts of God,’ will be highlighted throughout the week in a variety of ways.
“The much-loved 7 a.m. services held each morning in a different church are traditional,” he says, “and are always well attended. We have a faithful group that looks forward to each service and moves from church to church. We could call them our ecumenical pilgrims.”
The Week of Prayer begins Sunday, Jan. 17, with an opening service at 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 323 Fourth Avenue South.
The Monday 7 a.m. meeting is at Holy Trinity Anglican, 3572 33rd Street West. Morning services are always followed by a light breakfast and fellowship.
The Tuesday 7 a.m. morning service is at Grace Westminster United Church, 505 10th Street East.
“On Tuesday evening, we’re holding a service of hymn singing at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 436 Spadina Crescent East,” Dahl says. “We started this last year and it was a huge success. It’s essentially an ecumenical hymn sing with songs from a number of different traditions led by a praise and worship band. Last year we included songs from the Iona Community in Scotland.”
Music, he says, is a good way to explore Christian diversity.
On Wednesday the morning service will be in the chapel of the Cathedral of the Holy Family, 123 Nelson Road.
Thursday is a full day with the 7 a.m. service at Mount Royal Mennonite Church, 610 Avenue O North, and a service and luncheon at noon at Queen’s House of Retreats, 601 Taylor Street West.
The De Margerie Series lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at St. Thomas More College will feature Bishop Kenneth Kearon, an Anglican priest who was recently consecrated Anglican Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe in Ireland. His lecture is titled On Building an Ecumenical Barn.
Kearon served the Anglican Communion as secretary general from 2004-14, and was director of the Irish School of Ecumenics at Trinity College, Dublin from 19992005. The school is dedicated to the study and promotion of peace and reconciliation in Ireland and around the world.
Dahl says this is the fourth annual lecture in the De Margerie Series which is named Rev. Bernard de Margerie, a pioneer in ecumenism in Saskatoon. De Margerie founded the PCE in 1984 and served as its first director. The lectures are sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, St. Thomas More College, and the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism.
The Friday morning service at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 310 Lenore Drive will be followed at 9:30 a.m. by a workshop at the Cathedral of the Holy Family for clergy and people in ministry within their churches. The topic is Ecumenical Foundations for Christian Communion.
“On Friday evening we’re doing something brand new,” Dahl says. “We’re holding an ecumenical Ceilidh, A Celtic Celebration of Unity, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Family.
“The idea here is to reach out to people who wouldn’t normally come to the Week of Prayer. It’s a family-friendly event for all ages, an opportunity to celebrate together. Worship and prayer for unity is important, but this is an opportunity to celebrate unity.”
Dahl says a Ceilidh seemed an appropriate way to host the guest speaker from Ireland.
A Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) is an evening of Scottish or Irish dance, a lively party for all ages with Celtic fiddles and group dancing. Dahl sees the evening as a festival of religious and cultural diversity.
On Jan. 23, a lay workshop at 9:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Family will feature Bishop Kearon speaking on Being Church in the World today.
He will also preach at the closing service at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24, at Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1202 11th Street East.
Dahl says Saskatoon is very unique in how the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated.
“Colleagues around the country are amazed that we’re able to generate this amount of interest. We can because we’ve had 30 years of building up the community that comes out and supports these kinds of activities.”
The week’s events are open to everyone at no cost.
Offerings are taken at the Sunday worship service, and a free will offering at the Ceilidh will go to cover the cost of the musicians.
Colleagues around the country are amazed that we’re able to generate this amount of interest. We can because we’ve had 30 years of building up the community that comes out and supports these kinds of activities. PCE Director Darren Dahl