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2023 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
2023-01-18

2023 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

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The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be celebrated January 18 to 25. Inaugurated in 1908, the event is now celebrated around the world on an annual basis.

The theme for this year is “Do good, seek justice” (Isaiah 1:7). The materials for prayer and reflection have been prepared by the Minnesota Council of Churches (USA), in the aftermath of the 2020 extrajudicial killing of George Floyd and the trial of the police officer responsible. As local Christian communities sought to respond to the anguish of these events, they also recognized their own historical complicity in perpetuating racial injustice. Inasmuch as the Church is summoned to be the sign and instrument of the unity God desires for the whole of His creation (cf. Lumen gentium, 1), the continued divisions between Christians constitute a scandal: we are thus called to repent of our disunity and work together for reconciliation among all peoples.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity – previously named the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity – and the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) have uploaded resources to aid the faithful in participating in this act of solidarity:

As the universal Catholic Church is summoned by Pope Francis to a new evangelization, through the 2023-24 Synod on Synodality, both ecumenism and interreligious dialogue are receiving renewed prominence. Hence the vademecum for the Synod, the “Official Handbook for Listening and Discernment in Local Churches,” proclaims: “The dialogue between Christians of different confessions, united by one baptism, has a special place in the synodal journey.”

  • Statement by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on the Non-Permissibility of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide within Canadian Health Organizations with a Catholic Identity

    For generations, Catholic dioceses and religious orders in Canada have been major contributors to the development and delivery of healthcare services across the country. The first hospital in Canada, the Hôtel-Dieu in Quebec City, was established in 1639 by three Religious Sisters of the Augustines de la Miséricorde de Jésus to provide medical care to the French settlers and Indigenous populations of the time. That hospital was the first in North America and is still in operation.


    Published on 30.11.23
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    Published on 29.11.23
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    Published on 27.11.23
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    Published on 27.10.23
  • Inauguration of Saint Paul Syriac Catholic Parish in Gatineau

    Sunday, October 22 saw the official inauguration of Saint Paul Syriac Catholic parish in Gatineau. This parish, which had rented premises in various Ottawa churches since its foundation some ten years ago, recently acquired the Notre-Dame-de-l'Île church at 115 boulevard Sacré-Cœur. Under the terms of the contract signed between the two fabriques, the Notre-Dame-de-l'Île parish community will be able to continue to use the site to celebrate Mass on Sunday mornings.


    Published on 23.10.23
  • Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Elect New Executive

    Following the conclusion of the 2023 Plenary Assembly meeting, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) held its biennial election to determine the new members the Executive Committee and Permanent Council. The Most Reverend William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary was elected as President, and the Most Reverend Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière was elected as Vice President.


    Published on 18.10.23
  • Statement by the Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary and CCCB President, to the Catholic Faithful in Canada on the Recent Escalation of Conflict in the Holy Land

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    As the Holy Land is immersed in this violence and bloodshed, we remember that Jesus, the Son of God, who lived and walked there as Love Incarnate, through His teaching by word and deed, calls us as brothers and sisters to be always united by the bond of charity.


    Published on 12.10.23
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    Published on 10.10.23
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    Published on 04.10.23
  • Provincial Day for the Permanent Diaconate Ministry: October 4, 2023

    The first Wednesday of October is the Provincial Day for the Permanent Deacons. The Assembly of the diocesan delegates of the permanent deacons, in partnership with the Carrefour intervocationnel, offers an animation kit (in French) to pray for this ordained ministry and to raise awareness for the mission of permanent deacons in our Church. We are invited to take advantage of this day to pray for deacons across Quebec, wives, and their families.
     


    Published on 18.09.23

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