Ecumenical group joins global week of prayer
>> Tuesday, January 18, 2011
By Maurice Malanes
BAGUIO CITY – A local inter-church group is joining a Vatican- and World Council of Churches-led global week of prayer, which is intended to unite all Christians of various denominations and sects worldwide.
“Through this global week of prayer for unity, we can listen to and learn from each other’s Christian tradition and prayer is the first thing that can unite us all,” said Fr Andres Cosalan, vicar-general of the Roman Catholic diocese of Baguio.
Cosalan was speaking recently before members and leaders of the Baguio-Benguet Ecumenical Group, which groups Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical and Pentecostal churches in Baguio and Benguet.
The ecumenical group celebrates the global “week of prayer for Christian unity” from Jan. 17 to 22. Every 5 p.m. starting Jan. 17, parishioners of various churches will celebrate a Holy Mass or worship service in an assigned host church.
The Baguio Cathedral will be the first host on Jan. 17; the United Methodist Church, Jan. 18; the St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Jan. 19; the Anglican Cathedral of the Resurrection, Jan. 20; the Philippine Military Academy Evangelical Church, Jan. 21 and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines-Baguio, Jan. 22.
An important integral activity of the global week of prayer is an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. continuous reading of the Bible at the People’s Park (formerly Malcolm Square) on Jan. 21.
The desire of various local Christians to participate in the global week of prayer actually paved the way for the organization of the Baguio-Benguet Ecumenical Group, said Cosalan.
The ecumenical group also has since become one of the strong voices against social ills such as all forms of gambling and drug addiction.
It also participated in helping ensure clean and honest elections.
In their meeting last Jan. 7, members and leaders of the group agreed to help tackle soon the issue of youth gangs and fraternities, many of which have become notorious for their street violence and other crimes.
The desire of various local Christians to participate in the global week of prayer actually paved the way for the organization of the Baguio-Benguet Ecumenical Group, said Cosalan.
The ecumenical group also has since become one of the strong voices against social ills such as all forms of gambling and drug addiction.
It also participated in helping ensure clean and honest elections.
In their meeting last Jan. 7, members and leaders of the group agreed to help tackle soon the issue of youth gangs and fraternities, many of which have become notorious for their street violence and other crimes.
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