The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hono­lulu held a Taize "prayer around the cross" ecumenical service Thursday to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Bishop Larry Silva invited scores of Christian church leaders and the public to take part in the event held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Newman Center/Holy Spirit Parish. The Newman Center also hosts the French-inspired service each Good Friday.

This year’s theme is "Jesus said to her: ‘Give me to drink’" (John 4:7), which refers to an encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan. A message tied to the biblical story is that it "invites us to try water from a different well and also to offer of our own so that we can enrich each other," Silva said.

The Taize prayer service, which comes from the Taize Community of Catholic and Protestant religious brothers in Taize, France, consists of chants, prayers, petitions, scriptural reading, periods of silence and reverence of the cross. Toward the end of the service, lights are dimmed as a large icon cross is displayed horizontally. Small groups of participants kneel around the cross, touching it with their heads or hands while others pray and sing.