A History of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Father Jim Loughran, SA, remembers January of 1982, in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

The General Council has completed canonical visitations to our Friars in Massachusetts, Japan, Italy, and Peru. In Peru, this included the profession of vows of three novices, Br. Teodoro Zamora, NSA; Br. Yasser Zamora, NSA; and Br. Alexander Espinosa, NSA. The Council also discussed the applications of sixteen men for the residential postulancy. It is an exciting time of growth for the Friars!

Father Paul Wattson, SA, Servant of God, is remembered for his world wide ministry in ecumenism. He founded what became the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" in 1908, which the Church still celebrates today.

There are many signs around us that Ecumenism in our day and age is flourishing. Reverend Dr. Thomas F. Best pointed to several of those signs on Thursday, December 15, during a presentation titled, “The Ecumenical Winter is Over.”

The Holy Mountain Franciscan Retreat Center is offering spiritual direction sessions in the Franciscan tradition. Trained spiritual directors are available to meet with individuals who desire spiritual direction, conducted in a safe space for those who seek a deeper connection with God.

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement offer an opportunity to experience the Lord’s Nativity in a unique way, with the annual Christmas Around the World Creche display. Nativity sets from all corners of the globe, made from a variety of materials, are available for viewing on the fifth floor of Graymoor’s Pius X building.

From Thursday, December 1 through Friday, December 3, Graymoor will host a Holiday Shopping Fair, to be held at Our Lady of the Atonement Chapel. Artisans and artists will be on hand to sell goods, and food trucks will available.

St. Christopher’s Inn is not just a place where men in crisis can seek addiction treatment and recovery. It’s a home where they can come to heal and find spiritual hope and renewal.

Ministry to Christians around the world is a crucial part of At-One-Ment, and the Friars take their responsibility to those in need very seriously. To that end, the Friars are proud to work with the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America for infants in the Holy Land each December, and that tradition is still going strong. 

Fr. Brian Terry, SA recently visited the Atonement friar community in Japan. It was a wonderful time of sharing, introductions and communication as he met the wonderful friars working for Christ across the Pacific.