Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Nairobi (Fides Service) - Christians of different confessions in Kenya have planned various initiatives for the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25 January) with the theme this year “When two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them (Mt 18:20)”.
A resource booklet titled 'Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity' jointly prepared by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC), an association of Protestant churches, is published in English and Kiswahili by The Seed magazine and has been sent to subscribers of the magazine with the January-February issue.
In his message published in the booklet, the chairman of the Ecumenical Commission of the Kenya Episcopal Conference, Bishop Philip Anyolo, Bishop of Homa Bay, calls on all Church communities to reflect on the pastoral proposals that have been suggested for the Week "Ecumenical initiatives during the week and throughout the year are highly recommended. I advise you to keep to the ecumenism principles in all activities," he says.
Also published in the local edition of the booklet 'Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity' is a message from the Kenya Inter-Church Work Group representing Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya, Kenya Assemblies of God, National Council of Churches of Kenya and the Methodist Church in Kenya. The message reads: “The Prayer for Christian Unity is a shared initiative of many Christian churches all over the world. This tradition dates back to 1908 and the traditional dates have been 18-25 of January. The intention of our Inter-Church Work Group composed of some committed Kenyan church members is to promote even more, if possible, the spiritual dimension for unity in our churches through a locally adapted common edition of the texts prepared in view of the Prayer Week at the level of the world churches. Our proposal and service is to start a Kenyan inter-church edition of the Prayer Booklet. We wouldn't like to impose any programme for local use in our different churches. We suggest only that, according to the local needs and traditions, the prayer suggestions may be used in the best way possible, at the service of our Christian community.”.
Initiatives for the week include 16 through 20 January a daily Eucharistic Celebration in the spirit of the Prayer Week at Consolata Shrine Parish Westlands, with an adapted short ecumenical witness by members of the Mustard Seed Ecumenical Network MUSEN. On Saturday, January 21 at 9 00 am, an inter-church prayer service organised by the Consolata Shrine Parish and MUSEN. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 16/1/2006 righe 36 parole 403)
