At the very heart of the ecumenical movement is the reality of prayer. Jesus prayed that we may all be one, united in God in the mystery of the Trinity. That is the basis and the goal of our search for unity.
The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle enables us to journey in prayer through every region of the world and through every week of the year affirming our solidarity with Christians all over the world, brothers and sisters living in diverse situations, experiencing diverse problems and sharing diverse gifts. Lord, hear our prayer ... These pages are based on the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle "In God's Hands - Common Prayer for the World". The book and the website offer valuable aids for intercessory prayers, prayer on behalf of and in solidarity with others.
Week # | Countries * | Dates in 2009 | Week 1 | Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
| 28 December 2008 - 3 January 2009 | Week 2 | Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Iraq | 4-10 January | Week 3 | Cyprus, Greece, Turkey | 11-17 January | Week 4 | Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia | 18-24 January | Week 5 | Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden | 25-31 January | Week 6 | Ireland, United Kingdom | 1-7 February | Week 7 | Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands | 8-14 February | Week 8 | Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta | 15-21 February | Week 9 | Germany, France | 22-28 February | Week 10 | Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino | 1-7 March | Week 11 | Myanmar, Thailand | 8-14 March | Week 12 | Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam | 15-21 March | Week 13 | China, Hong Kong, Macao | 22-28 March | Week 14 | Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore | 29 March-4 April | Week 15 | East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines | 5-11 April | Week 16 | Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan | 12-18 April | Week 17 | Djibouti, Somalia | 19-25 April | Week 18 | Eritrea, Ethiopia | 26 April - 2 May | Week 19 | Sudan, Uganda | 3-9 May | Week 20 | Kenya, Tanzania | 10-16 May | Week 21 | Malawi, Zambia | 17-23 May | Week 22 | Botswana, Zimbabwe | 24-30 May | Week 23 | Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland | 31 May - 6 June | Week 24 | Angola, Mozambique | 7-13 June | Week 25 | Brazil | 14-20 June | Week 26 | Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay | 21-27 June | Week 27 | Bolivia, Chile, Peru | 28 June - 4 July | Week 28 | Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela | 5-11 July | Week 29 | Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama | 12-18 July | Week 30 | Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico | 19-25 July | Week 31 | The Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago | 26 July - 1 August | Week 32 | Canada, USA | 2-8 August | Week 33 | Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia | 9-15 August | Week 34 | The Pacific islands: Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Western Samoa and the French Overseas Territories of New Caledonia (Kanaky) and French Polynesia (Tahiti) | 16-22 August | Week 35 | Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania | 23-29 August | Week 36 | Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia | 30 August - 5 September | Week 37 | Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia | 6-12 September | Week 38 | Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania | 13-19 September | Week 39 | Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine | 20-26 September | Week 40 | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia | 27 September - 3 October | Week 41 | Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan | 4-10 October | Week 42 | Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal | 11-17 October | Week 43 | India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka | 18-24 October | Week 44 | The Indian Ocean islands: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives | 25-31 October | Week 45 | Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda | 1-7 November | Week 46 | Republic of Congo, Gabon, Sao Tomé and Principe | 8-14 November | Week 47 | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea | 15-21 November | Week 48 | Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger | 22 - 28 November | Week 49 | Liberia, Sierra Leone | 29 November - 5 December | Week 50 | Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal | 6-12 December | Week 51 | Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo | 13-19 December | Week 52 | Ghana, Nigeria | 20-26 December |
* The mention or absence of a country or a name of a country in this list does not imply any political judgment on the part of the World Council of Churches.
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Prayers for this and next week:
28 June - 4 July 2009 5 July - 11 July 2009 Prayers are published one week in advance
Click here to submit prayers or liturgical texts that could be included in a future edition of the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:
Celebrated annually in January between the feast of the Confession of St Peter and of the Conversion of St Paul, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is another way in which Christians around the world remember one another in prayer.
Click here for more information. |
Prayers for each week 