Theme for 2012:
"We will all be changed by the Victory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (cf. 1 Cor 15:51-58)

The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (PCU) gives witness to the unity that Jesus asked for when he prayed “that they all may be one” (John 17:21) and focuses on all that Christians of many traditions have in common.

Ever since it was established in 1908, the week has been observed each year from January 18 to January 25 or at Pentecost.

 A joint commission prepares a program of prayer that is published by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches.

This year, the program for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was prepared by an ecumenical commission in Warsaw, Poland. The history of this country has been marked by a long series of defeats and victories, centuries of striving to overcome enslavement and reacquire freedom. We are asked to consider that in all these moments of life, in our personal lives and in world history, there are those who win and those who lose, and to consider where defeat and victory really lie. We are asked to undergo a deep transformation so as to conform to the likeness of Christ, to acquire a willingness to view victories in humility, without triumphalism. In Jesus' life, we find the inspiration for the victorious life of faith, which is expressed in social commitment, humility, service and faithfulness to the Gospel. As we all know, Christ is the only true victory.

Local communities around the world adapt this program to highlight their own unique gifts.

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, congregations and parishes gather as one community to get to know each other better and to pray together.

Either by hosting a prayer service or by participating in local events, members of the Focolare Movement throughout the United States and in other parts of the world welcome this unique opportunity to build the one Christian family through a dialog of life.

For our Word of Life this month, we propose a similar text from Paul, Colossians 3:1 that Chiara commented: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1)

We invite everyone to join us in living and building unity with those around us of other Christian traditions!

Participate with a friend in a PCU event in your city!