The 2011 observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (our seventeenth year)
was held on Sunday, January 23rd at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Bethesda. The rector of St. Luke’s,
the Rev. Dr. Stephanie Nagley, presided over the celebration and Father Joseph Sileo of St. Bartholomew’s
Catholic Church delivered the homily. Father Sileo reminded us that Christians are called together to
evangelize and be a sign of unity in our broken world. Besides Msgr. Hill and many Holy Cross Parishioners,
clergy and members from the following churches were in attendance: St. Luke’s, St. Bartholomew’s, St. Jane
de Chantal, Church in Bethesda, North Bethesda United Methodist, Saint Mark Presbyterian, and Trinity Lutheran.
Special music was provided by the combined choirs of the participating churches and the Trinity Lutheran
Handbell Choir. The service was followed by hospitality and refreshments.
The theme of the service was “One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and Prayer ” (Acts 2:42).
Concerning the theme, our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI encouraged a "more generous commitment" to eventually
bring Christians together in full communion, "breaking the Eucharistic bread and drinking from the same chalice."
The theme and the prayers for the service were selected by the Christian churches in Jerusalem, which
invited their brothers and sisters around the world to join them in prayer as they struggle for justice, peace
and prosperity for all people of the land. In keeping with the theme, the offering at the service went to
“Face to Face/Faith to Faith,” a program that brings together teens from Israel/Palestine who build relationships
across lines of difference and examine how their faith can be an inspiration for peaceful change in their
communities.
The 2011 observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (our seventeenth year)
was held on Sunday, January 23rd at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Bethesda. The rector of St. Luke’s,
the Rev. Dr. Stephanie Nagley, presided over the celebration and Father Joseph Sileo of St. Bartholomew’s
Catholic Church delivered the homily. Father Sileo reminded us that Christians are called together to
evangelize and be a sign of unity in our broken world. Besides Msgr. Hill and many Holy Cross Parishioners,
clergy and members from the following churches were in attendance: St. Luke’s, St. Bartholomew’s, St. Jane
de Chantal, Church in Bethesda, North Bethesda United Methodist, Saint Mark Presbyterian, and Trinity Lutheran.
Special music was provided by the combined choirs of the participating churches and the Trinity Lutheran
Handbell Choir. The service was followed by hospitality and refreshments. 
The theme of the service was “One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and Prayer ” (Acts 2:42).
Concerning the theme, our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI encouraged a "more generous commitment" to eventually
bring Christians together in full communion, "breaking the Eucharistic bread and drinking from the same chalice."
The theme and the prayers for the service were selected by the Christian churches in Jerusalem, which
invited their brothers and sisters around the world to join them in prayer as they struggle for justice, peace
and prosperity for all people of the land. In keeping with the theme, the offering at the service went to
“Face to Face/Faith to Faith,” a program that brings together teens from Israel/Palestine who build relationships
across lines of difference and examine how their faith can be an inspiration for peaceful change in their
communities.