Christian Unity Week in 2026
“One body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call” (Ephesians 4:4).
From January 18 to 25, 2026, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (initiated by Paul Couturier) takes place in the Northern Hemisphere (in the Southern Hemisphere, this week falls during a holiday, so the Week of Christian Unity is celebrated around Pentecost).
These eight days form an octave of prayer. The purpose of this ecumenical event is to bring together Christians of all denominations for a week of common prayer for unity. In 2026, the theme of this week is: “One body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call” (Ephesians 4:4). The prayers, texts, and reflections for this week were prepared by an ecumenical group coordinated by the Department of Interfaith Relations of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The materials for this week draw upon the collection of prayers and hymns traditionally used by the Armenian people for several centuries (some hymns were composed as early as the 4th century).
This Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 therefore invites us to draw upon this shared Christian heritage and to deepen the unity of Christ’s disciples throughout the world.
Biblical Text for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026
“I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Diversity of Gifts. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, it says: “He ascended on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.” What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ,”
(Ephesians 4:1–13)
Prayer for Christian Unity
“Lord Jesus, who on the eve of your death for us prayed that all your disciples might be perfectly one, as you are in the Father and the Father is in you, make us keenly feel the unfaithfulness of our disunity.
Grant us the honesty to recognize and the courage to reject whatever lies hidden within us—indifference, mistrust, and even mutual hostility.
Grant that we may all come together in you, so that from our souls and our lips your prayer for Christian unity may rise unceasingly, as you will it, by the means you choose.
In you, who are perfect love, help us find the path that leads to unity, in obedience to your love and your truth. Amen.”
Pray with Hozana during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity!
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, everyone is personally invited to pray for Christian unity, especially during Mass or at prayer vigils.
- . Reflect on the virtues through which, by God’s grace, Christians may journey toward unity!
- Through this prayer community, discover and appreciate more deeply .
- Through this novena, with Saint John Paul II.
