O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This prayer for the Unity of the Church (BCP, p. 818) invites us into the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25). This week is coordinated by the members of the World Council of Churches, of which the Anglican Communion is a member, and its beginnings can be dated back to 1908. It calls for Christians of all denominations to join together in prayer over the octave (8 days) asking for unity among us so that we “all may be one.” Interestingly, the octave differs depending on which hemisphere you are in. Here, in the Northern Hemisphere, we mark it from January 18 (the Confession of Peter) to January 25 (the Conversion of Paul). In the Southern Hemisphere, where January tends to be a popular vacation time in the summer, it is observed over eight days between Ascension Day and the Feast of Pentecost. In our own observation of this week, Bishop Diane and I will be meeting with Fr. Paul Turner from Immaculate Conception and Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr., Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. It is my prayer that we can, once again, come together for joint celebrations throughout the year.

Tomorrow, our own Diocese will gather at the Cathedral at 10 a.m. for the ordination of three people to the Sacred order of Deacons. Please join with us to celebrate Mark Andrew Bowers, Silas Engstrom, and Katherine Louise Mansfield as they are ordained to the transitional diaconate. A reception will follow in Founders’ Hall.

We have another opportunity to join together in this Diocese as we prepare to elect a new bishop in November. The Bishop Search Committee is conducting listening sessions throughout the diocese and invites your participation. Some are geared toward specific groups such as clergy, youth, and Spanish-speaking congregations, while others are open to all. There are three more open sessions coming up: January 27 from 10 a.m.–noon at St. Peter’s and All Saints’ in Kansas City (in-person), January 30 from 6:30–8:30 p.m. (Zoom), and February 3 from 3–5 p.m. at Calvary, Sedalia (in-person). If you’d like to join the Zoom session, please register at bishopsearch.diowestmo.org. You may also fill out a survey from the search committee found HERE. Your comments and participation in these sessions are vital to forming a profile that accurately reflects what we are hoping for in our next bishop. I hope you will join in.

Please continue to pray for one another, for our Cathedral family, for Christian unity, the nation, and the world.

For posts not listed here, visit our From the Dean Archive page.