Snowstorms made it impossible for Watson to travel to Ottawa as planned, so St. Bart’s parishioners and others in attendance gathered in the church hall to listen online.

Watson’s morning session was on historical friendships that have advanced ecumenism.

He began by mentioning some famous friendships such as the ones between St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare; St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross; and Trappist priest Thomas Merton and social justice and anti-war activist Dorothy Day.

Watson then shared the inspiring story of how a friendship helped heal a deep schism between the Eastern and Western Churches (later known as the Orthodox and Catholic churches). A dispute led to the leaders of the two branches of the church excommunicating one another in 1054 and a “deep freeze” of alienation that lasted for 900 years.

A shift happened when Pope Paul VI was elected in 1963 in the midst of the Second Vatican Council (which included a goal of fostering greater Christian unity.)  In the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople was aware of the beginning of a “thaw” in Catholic attitudes towards other churches. He began a correspondence with Vatican leaders and eventually with Pope Paul himself.

In 1964, Pope Paul made a surprising pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He and Patriarch Athenagoras met, embraced and prayed together on the Mount of Olives in January 1964.

Later that year, Pope Paul returned a relic — the skull of St. Andrew — that had been in Rome to the Orthodox Church. (Andrew is the traditional patron of the Eastern Orthodox).

In December 1965, the Pope and Patriarch made an announcement that they were lifting and cancelling the excommunications imposed by their predecessors in 1054.

Patriarch Athenagoras commissioned this icon which depicts the embrace of the holy brothers — Andrew and Peter — as a gift for the Pope.

In 1975, Pope Paul met with Orthodox Archbishop Meliton. The pope knelt and kissed the Archbishop’s feet, in a gesture that was inspired by Christ washing the feet of his disciples.

Watson noted Jesus’s words to the apostle in John 15:14-15

“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends.”

He concluded: “With friendship, ecumenism becomes something we long for and desire.”

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The event is the culmination of efforts by each congregation to grow in love and partnership with our fellow Christians. Starting in 2017 with CtF, and in 2021 with SMCK, St. Paul’s has shared its building with each congregation. Each exercises their own worship and ministry, and each enjoys office space for their administrative needs. In return, St. Paul’s receives help in covering its financial obligations. But these relationships are about so much more than a blessing of space and finances: they have brought about a flourishing of spiritual vitality and mutual care.

For St. Paul’s, one of the spiritual benefits of this partnership is regular exposure to church traditions very different from our own. Holy Week, for example, revealed both the unity and diversity of Christian traditions in a striking way. With some creative scheduling due to the Coptic season overlapping with the Anglican, the people of St. Paul’s and the SMCK were encouraged to visit each others’ services to experience them for themselves.

As a church founded in first century Egypt, Coptic musical and linguistic traditions are very different from Anglican practice. However, the points of unity were just as profound. The Nicene Creed and Lord’s Prayer were immediately recognizable to all, and the Eucharistic Prayer pointed to the common trust we have in Christ and in his sacraments. Mutual visitation has only increased the sense of unity which Jesus has preserved within the diversity of Christian expression.

Catch the Fire is distinctive in a different way. Founded in 21st century Canada, it embraces a Pentecostal tradition of spontaneity and liveliness in worship. Its members and St. Paul’s parishioners often attend one another’s services, and they pray for each other regularly. Jeff Duncan, Catch the Fire pastor, sees this as one of the greatest benefits of cooperation: “I remember the first time I saw a St. Paul’s bulletin and our congregation was listed as a regular prayer request. I was deeply touched.”

This commitment to prayer, along with social gatherings like the potluck, has been a powerful sign of care for one another. With each passing month, parishioners have grown more committed in friendship and in appreciation for each other’s way of living out Christian life. Fr. David Azer, priest at SMCK, echoes this: “The blessings have been many. Our two communities have developed genuine friendships and deeper understanding of Christian unity. Joyful moments—like the potluck and celebrating feasts together—stand out.”

None of this cooperation has resolved all the barriers to visible unity between the churches. There remain differences that prevent sharing some ministries and sometimes even sharing the Eucharist. We’re still saddened by these barriers, as they still detract from our common witness to the world. Yet, the simple commitment to deeper friendships, greater understanding, and mutual appreciation has laid the foundation for that deeper unity Jesus calls his church to embrace. In God’s grace, it is something we should all continue to strive for.

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The Rev. David Sherwin of the United Church, president of the Christian Council of the Capital Area (CCCA) welcomed all attending from various Christian denominations and thanked Father Anthony Mourad, the clergy and parishioners of St. George and St. Anthony for their warm welcome.

The congregation then enjoyed a liturgy enriched with beautiful Coptic music and chanting.

Anglicans were among the clergy participating in the service. The Rev. Chung Yan Lam, who is an ordained Lutheran priest serving as associate incumbent in the Anglican parish of All Saints is vice-president of the CCCA and helped organize this year’s events. Archdeacon Linda Hill read one of the lessons, and the Rev. Dr. Canon Peter John Hobbs delivered a homily centred on the gospel reading for the day from Luke 10:25-37, the parable of the good Samaritan.

Hobbs began by saying that his own experiences of seeking Christian unity “which I suspect is like that of many other Christians in our local context, is informal,” and takes place in conversations with family, friends, colleagues. “What strikes me in these informal, implicitly ecumenical relationships is that after a brief discussion of doctrine and differences, we very quickly find unity in the mission of the Church, the mission of God, the body of Christ, in the values of compassion and mercy at the heart of the gospel, and the practice of service and hospitality,” he said. “The foundation of our unity is our shared service to the world God loves.”

He described his professional ministry as director general of the Community Ministries of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. “This work is rooted in a much broader sector, that part of the social service sector which strives to address the most vulnerable in our midst, often around issues of homelessness, poverty, trauma, addiction, and mental illness. It is a sector marked by partnerships, collaboration, with people from all walks of life, from all backgrounds, striving to address human suffering.”

In this diverse interfaith pluralistic milieu, Hobbs said he meets a lot of Christians from all sorts of denominational backgrounds. “No surprise, given our core values and faith in Christ. The Christian unity we discover in service, grounded in compassion and mercy, also brings us into relationship with those of other faiths and backgrounds.”

Drawing the parallel to the gospel reading about the good Samaritan, he said, “Our differences fall away when we are moved by compassion, when we show mercy, when we stop abruptly on our way to address the suffering of another who is right in front of us.”

Now, there is a great need for all Christians and people of faith to work together to help the many in need. “The city of Ottawa is facing a profound crisis, not unlike many other communities in our country,” Hobbs said. “When one walks across many parts of our city, the evidence of homelessness and poverty is striking—people hanging out in the streets, sleeping, openly using drugs, making encampments across our cities, in churchyards, underpasses, parks, walkways, doorways. Increasingly more and more people have fallen into desperate situations.”

He noted that in Ottawa, the number of newcomers seeking shelter increased by 165% in 2023 and many refugee claimants and asylum seekers find themselves without resources or places to stay.  “For the first time, there is not enough shelter space to accommodate everyone looking for a bed or a mat to lay their head. It is a struggle to manage the influx of vulnerable people, shelters and social service agencies are overwhelmed.

“The incidence of drug overdoses is on an exponential rise as toxic, deadly drugs are hitting the streets. People are dying. We are struggling to keep people alive for just another day.

Frontline staff administer on a daily basis Naloxone to people who have overdosed, each day, saving lives,” he added. 

He noted that many Christians, as individuals and congregations, are already engaged in work help the most vulnerable and have been for a long time.  

For those asking,  “What can we do? Hobbs had this advice: 

“Homelessness is a failure of public policy, and it starts with affordable housing and well-resourced support services. We need to advocate, in no uncertain terms, that truth. …

“We can learn, we can proclaim, we can advocate, and we can serve. We serve in many different ways, as leaders, donors, joining committees, sitting on boards, as frontline workers and volunteers, we can serve as congregations and individuals….There will be no shortage of opportunities to serve, so give of yourself. Follow the invitation of Jesus, who in reference to the Samaritan said, Go and do like this…..Our unity, our hope, is in our shared compassion.”

The parish of St. George and St. Anthony has a special focus on helping youth, particularly youth affected by life on the street, and donations from the service were dedicated to that work.

The post Uniting in mission and compassion: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity appeared first on Perspective.

The Christian Council of the Capital Area (CCCA) has for many years been encouraging ecumenical engagement through worship, education, and building mutual understanding and appreciation. During the pandemic, we discovered that online study series were more accessible for more people than our in-person gatherings. These sessions sparked friendships and discussions across Christian faith traditions. In celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we held a series based on the theme “Do Good; Seek Justice,” co-facilitated by ecumenical leaders within our council as well as Saint Paul University.

Starting March 1, we will be holding our second 5-week (Wednesdays at 7 p.m.) online series based on the book “Our Home and Treaty Land” by Ray Aldred and Matthew Anderson, (Anglican and Lutheran, Indigenous and non-Indigenous co-authors). We are looking forward to open conversations and planning a nature walk together where we will take our learning to action, honouring the land that we walk together, seeking to create a shared story where it is built on mutual respect and regard for our common humanity.

To join these sessions, visit https://www.christiancouncilca.ca/events

Treaty is key to the shared narrative, shared spirituality, and shared respect for the land that Ray Aldred says are necessary for our peoples – Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike – to walk well, to live well together on the land because Treaty still is, or should be, a lived reality.

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