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January 18-25 is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Christians of all denominations are called to celebrate Jesus together—and respect each other's differences.

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Praying for Christian Unity: 100-year Anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The movement among Christians promoting Christian unity, as everyone knows, is the ecumenical movement. It is the Church’s attempt to practice what Our Lord prayed for on the night before he died for us.

Praying for Christian Unity
The desire for Christian unity—which is the real spark behind the ecumenical movement—originates in the heart of Christ. And Jesus’ fervent desire is expressed clearly in the prayer he uttered at the Last Supper.

Catholicism Welcomes the World
Unity, especially among Christians, was a theme of the papacy of John XXIII. He wanted to change the long-standing attitude of Catholic triumphalism that stood in the way of better relations with other denominations.

The Christian Family Tree: Celebrating Jesus Together
The 20th century saw the rise of the ecumenical movement as Christians began to show interest in breaking down the historic barriers between the Churches. The movement that emerged made some real gains, thanks to a new spirit on both sides of the wall separating Protestants, Orthodox and Catholics.


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Jerome Emiliani: A careless and irreligious soldier for the city-state of Venice, Jerome was captured in a skirmish at an outpost town and chained in a dungeon. In prison Jerome had a lot of time to think, and he gradually learned how to pray. When he escaped, he returned to Venice where he took charge of the education of his nephews—and began his own studies for the priesthood. 
<p>In the years after his ordination, events again called Jerome to a decision and a new lifestyle. Plague and famine swept northern Italy. Jerome began caring for the sick and feeding the hungry at his own expense. While serving the sick and the poor, he soon resolved to devote himself and his property solely to others, particularly to abandoned children. He founded three orphanages, a shelter for penitent prostitutes and a hospital. </p><p>Around 1532 Jerome and two other priests established a congregation, the Clerks Regular of Somasca, dedicated to the care of orphans and the education of youth. Jerome died in 1537 from a disease he caught while tending the sick. He was canonized in 1767. In 1928 Pius Xl named him the patron of orphans and abandoned children.</p> American Catholic Blog Fortitude is believing and acting on our beliefs when it is hard to do so. Principles, truth, courage—they are easy virtues in easy times. It’s at the shank of the evening, when belief is hard, that fortitude becomes a virtue to live by.

 
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