Bishop Larry Silva of the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu has invited nearly 100 Christian church leaders, as well as the public, to join him in a "Taize Prayer around the Cross" at 7 p.m. Friday at the University of Hawaii’s Newman Center/Holy Spirit Parish.
The prayer, commonly used for Good Friday, will be held as part of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which starts today. The Week of Prayer is a century-old international tradition that underscores church unity toward and fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper, "that they all may be one."
The call for unity comes in the aftermath of an emotionally charged special session of the Legislature that led to Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s signing of the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act. In November, Hawaii became the 15th state plus the District of Columbia to allow gay marriage.
In Silva’s invitation letter, he wrote, "This year has been especially challenging for all of us Christians because of the differences among us over recent issues in our community that saw divisions even between Christian churches. It seems all the more important that we not fail to gather this year to at least pray together that the Lord may unite us in our mission to the world."
The bishop suggested that the Taize Prayer, named for the international ecumenical community in Taize, France, be used for the ecumenical event. The prayer around a large icon of a crucifix that is placed on the floor consists of an hour of chants, hymns, prayers and Scripture reading.
Jon James, a professor of humanities at Chaminade University, said Silva chose the Taize style of worship for the event because it "is known for its ecumenism and its emphasis on reconciliation," he said. James said he has conducted the Taize Prayer each Good Friday during Easter at the Newman Center for more than 20 years.
"The Taize cross is upright for a good part of service, and then near the end it is brought down and placed on stools. Usually 10 to 12 at a time come up and kneel, and place their foreheads on cross at various places and pray silently for whatever time they want. Very powerful, indeed, to see this. (There is) intense prayer," James said, noting "We have the exact Taize icon cross at Newman, which I brought from France some years ago."
The international Taize community in France consists of more than 100 brothers, half of whom are Catholic and half Protestant.
Free parking is available at St. Francis School, at 2707 Pamoa Road, behind Newman Center. UH parking is $6 except on weekends. A reception will be held after the service.
