In celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in partnership with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), is holding a week-long Ecumenical Liturgical Service across various archdioceses and dioceses nationwide, which began last Monday, January 19.
This year’s celebration is centered on the theme: “There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4).
On the third day of the observance, representatives from different Christian faiths gathered at the San Carlos Seminary College (SCSC) for an Ecumenical Liturgical Service hosted by the Archdiocese of Cebu.
The gathering also marked the opening of the local celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Cebu.
Among those present were Lucena Bishop Mel Rey Uy, Chair of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs; Fr. Alvin Raypan, Rector of San Carlos Seminary College and Chair of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on Ecumenism; along with leaders and representatives from various Christian denominations.
The event began with a tree-planting activity, symbolizing the shared Christian commitment to upholding the sanctity of life and caring for our common home.
Reflecting on the reality faced by Christians in many parts of the world where faith is challenged and believers endure persecution for their belief in God, Bishop Uy emphasized that we can only build unity when there is peace.
“Where is that peace? It is not just tranquility. Peace is not just silence or calmness. Peace is freedom. Peace is liberty — liberty from oppression, liberty from hunger, liberty from all those kinds of sins bringing us down not to be human but animal. Sins that bring us to darkness,” said Bishop Uy.
He also invited the faithful not only to hope, but also to labor actively for it.
“The light of Christ is inviting us to work on hope. We have to work for this hope. We cannot just wait for hope, because this is our calling. We cannot polish a calling if we just wait for it. We have to work for what we are aspiring to. We have to work for justice, for peace, for equality. We are here not just to pray, but also to work for peace and for the Light to triumph, so that the light of Christ will really be ablaze and triumph among us,” the Bishop exhorted.
This celebration stands as a visible sign of Christian solidarity, affirming the call to deepen dialogue, foster mutual understanding, and witness together to the hope found in Christ.