“The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity not only reminds us that Jesus Christ is the One Saviour of all peoples and nations, but also that there is great blessing and new life when those of many families of faith come together in wonder, praise, and commitment to follow the One true Lord and Saviour.” – Bishop Mark Hagemoen, message for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026
To Clergy, Religious, & Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Saskatoon:
During the week of January 18 to 25, our diocese joins with Christians around the world to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year’s theme is based on the biblical passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.” (Ephesians 4:4) Having just concluded the Jubilee Year of Hope, we are reminded that our shared goal and expectation for all Christians is life with the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a promise that unites all Christians to a common purpose and destiny.
This “one hope” is a not an optional or partial feature, but is a spiritual reality already established by God’s revelation and action in our world. St. Paul will go on in Ephesians 4 to call all striving to follow and imitate Christ to strive for such unity through humility, gentleness, patience, and love; making an effort to preserve the bond of peace created by the Holy Spirit. All are called to build unity and peace, and to avoid causing divisions.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 offers an invitation to draw on this shared heritage and to enter more deeply into the faith that unites all Christians. In the words of Pope Leo, “By receiving the Lord’s peace, and accepting His call – which includes being open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit – all the followers of Jesus can immerse themselves in the radical newness of Christian faith and life.” (Pope Leo XIV Address, “To the Participants in the Commemoration of 500 years of the Anabaptist Movement” May 23, 2025.)
Our striving for unity among our Christian brothers and sisters is both a personal journey of deepening conversion, and a witness to a world of much brokenness, division, and strife.
As we prepare to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we are asked to reflect on the following questions:
- How does Jesus Christ – who is the resurrection and the life – inspire and call each of us to be channels of His hope, peace, and charity for the world?
- How can we live our unity as Christians so as to confront the evils and injustices of our time?
- How can we engage in dialogue – for the sake of increased awareness and insight about one another’s experiencesof the journey from brokenness to forgiveness, healing, and new life?
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity not only reminds us that Jesus Christ is the One Saviour of all peoples and nations, but also that there is great blessing and new life when those of many families of faith come together in wonder, praise, and commitment to follow the One true Lord and Saviour.
For further information and resources, please see the attached resource jointly prepared and published by the Pontifical Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches. For this and other material, you can also go to:
In the words adapted from the resources available for this week, let us pray:
Let us glorify Almighty God, who has shined his light upon his creatures. Now, may he once more shine his abundant mercy upon those who glorify his name… Loving Lord, accept the prayers of all your faithful children throughout the world, who call out to you with one mind, one voice, and one heart. Through your beloved disciple John, you promised that if we walk in your light, then we will have communion with one another, and your precious blood will cleanse us of all sin. Bring us that blessed communion, O Saviour!
Grant us peace, O Loving Lord, and remove the scourge of civil unrest and violence from the face of the earth. Change the hearts of all who make war and touch the wounds of all who are afflicted by war. Comfort all prisoners of war and speedily bring them home. Let the light of your love shine in all the dark places of our world and hasten the day when all peoples may dwell in peace with justice.
…Strengthen our hearts in expectation and hope as we work for unity and together seek the harmony of all people and creation. Let us be burning lamps, until the day of the coming of your Son in glory, with all his saints in the everlasting kingdom. Blessed are you, now and forever, and to the ages of ages. AMEN
As we begin this New Year 2026 and look to live the fruits of that past Jubilee Year of Hope, let us renew our commitment to the goal and work of ecumenism.
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Ecumenism, Communications, and Catholic Saskatoon News are supported by gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal: dscf.ca/baa