Bishop Larry Silva’s office sent an invitation to 96 Christian church leaders in Hawaii to join him in a Taize Prayer around the Cross 7 p.m., Jan. 24, at the University of Hawaii’s Newman Center to commemorate the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25.
The bishop is proposing the Taize Prayer, named for the international ecumenical community in Taize, France, that originated it, as a substitute for Oahu’s annual ecumenical prayer for Christian unity which was canceled this year.
“This year has been especially challenging for all of us Christians,” the bishop wrote in his invitation letter, “because of the differences among us over recent issues in our community that saw divisions even between Christian churches.”
“It seems all the more important that we not fail to gather this year to at least pray together that the Lord may unite us in our mission to the world,” he said.
The prayer around the cross consists of an hour of chants, hymns, prayers and Scripture reading around a large icon of a crucifix that is placed on the floor. It is commonly used for Good Friday.