“There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.”
(Ephesians 4:4)
Theme for 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Announced
By Fr. James Loughran, SA, Spiritual Director of Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute
Dear to the heart of Christians, Jews and Muslims is the story of Noah. While the Qur’anic version is rather different from the Genesis story, particularly in the idea of Noah (Nuh) being sent by God as a prophet to the people and in a different set of characters with him on the ark (his wife and son reject the invitation to join), Genesis sees Noah as a figure of a new founder, with one little family, who will work with God in trying to start things over, in making things right again. Ancient tradition, known of course to Jesus and his disciples, sees the safe arrival of Noah and his ark on the peak of Mount Ararat as the beginning of a covenant between all human beings and God. God’s pledge is made visible by the appearance of the rainbow. The diversity of the rainbow acknowledges the diversity of humanity. Yet the rainbow is one entity. Truly sometimes it is considered good luck to see a double or triple one in the calm after a storm, but in each one the constancy of water droplets partnering with the sunlight create the technicolor unity of red and orange, yellow and green, blue and purple.
In the appearance of the Son of Man in Daniel and in the Book of Revelation, theophanies often include the rainbow to symbolize the fulness of creation and to invoke that ancient covenant, reminding us, as stated in Genesis, that God not only saves the faithful remnant of human beings, but also pledges undying love for all creation as a reminder that God “saw that it was good.”
Mount Ararat is the pride and jewel of the Armenian Caucuses. It is so beloved by the Armenian people that almost all Armenian churches are architecturally designed to represent it. In the Holy Church of Armenia, Christ is proclaimed as in all Christian communities as the complete sign of the Covenant in his blood that brings together the diversity of believers. As Logos of the Divine One, Jesus acted with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the creation of all things, visible and invisible. While rainbows come and go and are not visible in the dark, the light of Christ is never ending and dispels all darkness, even the darkness of sin and death. Armenia accepted this message in 301 CE, by embracing the teaching of its prophetic first Catholicos, St. Gregory the Illuminator. Armenia was the first nation to declare itself Christian. The theme taken from Ephesians 4:4 for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 comes from the Christians of Armenia: Oriental Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical.
Study of the style and tone of Ephesians helps us understand that while this Letter is addressed to the Church at Ephesus in Asia Minor, it is actually an example of Paul’s attempt to reach a much wider audience, with hymns, prayers and litanies of faith that would be read in all the churches. This “encyclical” intention emphasizes catholicity as well as the unity of the Church. This universality and unity are offered as gifts from the Holy Spirit to enable mission and evangelization.
The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 is taken from Ephesians 4:4, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.” These words of St. Paul see the unity of the community of believers as a vocation, a calling by the Holy Spirit. This requires conversion of heart, which is not possible without openness to reconciliation. This unity is linked to one hope and practiced in communal support, by embracing diversity while maintaining communion.
This also means accepting the diversity of gifts exercised in ministry, the goal of which is building up unity for the whole. “And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (4:11-12). This unity is guided by a mutual search for truth in a spirit of communal love. “Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.” (4:15-16)
It is in Ephesians 4 that Paul emphasizes the seven “unities” of the Church: Spirit, hope; one Lord, faith, and baptism; and the one God (4:4-6).
Studying the text chosen by the Armenian Church, the International Commission, appointed by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches exegetes the text as a vocation to unity that is also a vocation to the life of conversion.
In its Introduction to the Theme for 2026, the International Commission states, “The teaching regarding the unity of the Church is further expanded by the Apostle in Ephesians 4:4 when he states that all Christians are called to the ‘one hope’ of salvation and eternal life. This ‘one hope’ means that all believers strive towards the same goal—eternal life with Christ. …
… “Making ‘shared hope’ the objective of our calling as Christians defines our membership in the Church in terms of worldwide fellowship in the hope of salvation and eternal life.” …
… “It serves as a powerful witness to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit when Christians of varied backgrounds come together with a shared goal and vision with authenticity and sincerity.”
Unity is a key proclamation in the liturgical prayer of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Every Sunday, in the Liturgy, the faithful embrace one another and sing, “The Church has become one”, a tangible manifestation of their collective faith and shared purpose. (Introduction, International Commission).
The Scriptural Theme for 2026 appropriately does not separate unity from service to the universal community of humanity and all creation. The rainbow sign of covenant with God becomes realized in the unity of the Church.
Each year, the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute (GEII) adapts the texts chosen and prepared by representatives of the Vatican and the World Council of Churches and publishes a full suite of print and digital materials and resources for use in celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the U.S. These materials and resources will soon be available through the GEII website geii.org.