Salt + Light Media Menu
Salt + Light Media Home
Magnifying Glass
coverPhoto
Premium content

Asset title

Asset description

An extraordinary prayer in an unlikely place

Kris Dmytrenko

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

In nearly six years at S+L, my most challenging film shoot was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Widely considered the holiest shrine in the world, the church features prominently in the documentary Within Your Gates.
Gaining access to film in the edicule—the small structure marking Jesus’ burial tomb—felt like a minor miracle. But just getting through the front doors was difficult enough. The church is divided into sections for several denominations; the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Roman Catholics are accorded the largest share of the space. Separate filming permits must be acquired from each denomination. I had to run the gauntlet of patriarchate offices in the Old City to pick them all up.
The notion that different Christian groups peaceably share one building would be edifying, if only it were true. Despite a rigid “status quo” agreement legislating when and where each group may worship, shameless brawls have erupted between competing factions as recently as 2008.
What could change if the beleaguered Christians of the Holy Land learned to pray together? In 2005, a small group of them felt called to find out. After praying together in the Holy Sepulchre, a few monks and lay people decided to start regular times of intercession. The idea quickly caught on:
During Christmas night 2005, the apostolic nuncio of the Vatican to the United Nations strongly encouraged the small group of prayer: “Above all, do not stop praying!” In the spring of 2006, a cardinal present in Jerusalem confirmed his private participation in the prayer initiative, invoking the “urgent necessity of the intercessory prayer”.
Since then, the organization has gained the support of Catholica Unio Internationalis and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, two organizations of the Holy See. The first televised event, called the Extraordinary Prayer of All Churches for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, took place in May 2009. The fifth and most recent event was held at the Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral, presided by Archbishop Abba Matthias.
The TV audience has grown to include Lebanon, France, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, and the Czech Republic—as well as Canada on Salt + Light Television. S+L will air the 5th Extraordinary Prayer this Saturday at 8pm ET / 9pm PT. The broadcast begins with a documentary about the host church. The service is translated into English, though viewers can also pray along by printing the program found here.
In the meantime, please take a moment to pray for the three intercessions at the heart of the Extraordinary Prayer:
1) For Peace in Jerusalem, for Peace in the Holy Land.
2) For the Mother Church of Jerusalem, that she might fully respond to her vocation of inspiring and promoting Unity among Christians and of inspiring and promoting inter-religious dialogue.
3) For the unification of the date of Easter among Christians, in view of Unity in Spirit,
The 6th Extraordinary Prayer, already scheduled to take place on June 11th, will be the first to be hosted by the Latin-rite Catholic Patriarchate.
NOTE: Watch Perspectives on Wednesday night for my phone interview with Véronique Nebel, the coordinator of the Extraordinary Prayer. Perspectives airs at 7 & 11 pm ET and is also streaming on demand from the S+L home page.


Related Articles:

Category: Highlight

Tag: lunar new year, 新春祝賀

教宗方濟各昨晚安然入睡,今早起床吃早餐

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

鹽與光

2025年2月19日上午,聖座新聞室在週三早上在記者會中分享道:「教宗渡過了一個安寧的夜晚,起床後吃了早餐。」此前,聖座新聞室在週二晚上聲明表示教宗感染雙側肺炎。

耶路撒冷教會的人道呼籲:捍衛加沙人民的尊嚴與存在

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

鹽與光

耶路撒冷的宗主教及各基督宗教領袖:「願仁慈的上主堅固受苦的人,軟化掌權者的心,帶來維護正義、維護人類尊嚴的和平,並保障所有人在屬於他們的土地上的存在。」

教宗方濟各患上雙側肺炎,情況複雜但精神仍然良好

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

鹽與光

2025年2月18日,星期二下午,聖座新聞室在新聞稿中表示,教宗方濟各患有雙側肺炎,但精神仍然良好。

教宗方濟各入院進行支氣管炎治療

Friday, February 14, 2025

鹽與光

2025年2月14日,聖座新聞室表示,教宗方濟各今天上午在聖瑪爾大之家進行幾場接見活動後,在羅馬傑梅利醫院住院,為他已感染數日的支氣管炎「進行必要的診斷檢查,並在醫院環境裡繼續接受治療」。

第十六屆世界主教代表會議常務大會《最終文件》【中文】

Friday, February 14, 2025

鹽與光

2025年2月14日,天主教會臺灣地區主教團發布官方由原文意大利文翻譯成中文的「教宗方濟各第十六屆世界主教代表會議常務大會 以共融、參與及使命來體現共議性的教會 《最終文件》」,歡迎大家下載。

SUPPORT LABEL

Receive our newsletters
Stay Connected
Receive our newsletters
Stay Connected
Copyright © 2025 Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
Registered Charity # 88523 6000 RR0001
FR | CH