Church of St. John Nepomucene,411 East 66th Street,10065,New York,NY,US

On Monday, January 23, 2017, at 7 p.m., St. Vladimir’s Seminary will co-sponsor an “Orthodox-Catholic Prayer for Unity and Life” event at the Parish of St. John Nepomucene and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. Other sponsors include the host parish and the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Sienna. An Orthodox Christian service, the “Akathist for the Unborn,” and a Roman Catholic service, the “Divine Mercy Chaplet,” will be held during the evening.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), will speak following the Akathist, which will be served by seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield. Sister Virginia Joy of the Sisters of Life, a Catholic religious order dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life, will speak following the Chaplet service.

The event is related to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity originally begun by the World Council of Churches's Faith and Order Commission and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The Week of Prayer is customarily held between January 18 and January 25 annually, inclusive of an octave of days.

“This particular jointly sponsored event,” said Fr. Chad, “uniquely focuses on the common witness of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian faithful as regards the value of human life.

“It will be a precursor to what will happen at the conclusion of the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, January 27th, when once again Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic believers will stand with their hierarchs to up offer memorial prayers for the unborn.”

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