Unity Collect

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is fast approaching. With minor exceptions, this is celebrated between January 18 and 25. Episcopalians, particularly, may want to pray especially hard this year.

In 2004, I wrote a collect with a Christian unity theme. It was a part of a series of liturgical resources on reconciliation written by me and others in anticipation of the annual convention of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. As I do with many things I write, however, I also put the collect on my Web site. I was surprised when, in 2006, it showed up on the official Anglican Cycle of Prayer for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is on that prayer list again this year.

I am humbled at the thought of my prayer’s being commended to the entire Anglican Communion and, perhaps, used throughout the world. I am still mystified by how one’s collect finds its way onto the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, since no one ever contacted me about inclusion of the collect.

You can find the collect, with appropriate links, on my Web site. I hope that Episcopal churches, especially, will see fit to use the collect this year.