Bridging Chasms

A promising truce in the bitter near-1,000-year family squabble between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches will be observed next Saturday when the two faiths co-host a concert in Orange County.

The performance by the acclaimed vocal chamber ensemble Capella Romana at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine will be a precursor to Christian Unity Week, which begins Jan. 18.

The unity week will feature eight days of prayer and two programs designed to bring together Christian denominations.

“The goal of Christian Unity Week is to show visible unity, visible communion,” said Father Rafael Luevano, ecumenical and interreligious affairs officer for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. “It’s a week devoted to prayer and outward signs and celebrations of Christians working together while respecting our differences.”

Capella Romana’s concert, “Epiphany: Mystical Chants from Old and New Rome,” will include musical traditions of medieval Rome (sung in Latin) and Constantinople (sung in Greek).

“I think the unity week is a sign of the really good relationship between the Greek Orthodox church and the Diocese of Orange,” said Father Steven P. Tsichlis of St. Paul’s. “And the concert lets us explore our common musical roots.”

The event is co-hosted by St. Paul’s and the Catholic diocese, marking a rare union.

“The prelude to Christian unity is friendship,” Luevano said. “While we also struggled with relationships with other denominations, a priority for Catholics is to settle family matters with our Orthodox brothers and sisters. This is a first and significant step in working together.”

The Great Schism of 1054 between the Roman Catholic church in the West and the Orthodox church in the East arose after centuries of bickering over doctrinal differences. The final split occurred when the Eastern church, governed by bishops, refused to acknowledge the Roman papacy.

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Christian Unity Week, once a sleepy observance in Orange County, gained momentum after the appointment of Tod Brown as bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Orange in 1998. A proponent of ecumenism--forging links among religions--the bishop heads the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Backed by Brown, and Luevano as a full-time ecumenical liaison, the Catholic church has been able to rally a record six major denominations (Catholic, Orthodox, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Methodist) to plan this year’s unity event. Only Catholics and Lutherans took part in planning last year’s program.

Still among the missing during unity week are Orange County’s nondenominational megachurches. The large congregations typically don’t get involved in any ecumenical efforts, primarily out of concern that their doctrine will be diluted, said Eric Heard, a pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine.

“There is a fear factor, a definite dissolution of doctrinal integrity,” said Heard, adding that time is also an issue. “If I’m busy doing what God wants me to do, what priority does an interfaith gathering have?”

Christian Unity Week will include a free panel discussion Jan. 22 at Tustin Presbyterian Church among Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Presbyterian leaders.

Organizers predict the discussion also will touch on topics such as female priests, homosexuality, abortion, capital punishment and euthanasia.

“In an increasing postmodern and post-Christian world, we Christians have much more in common than we once realized,” said panelist Mark Roberts, senior pastor at Irvine Presbyterian.

Throughout the week, Christians worldwide will be encouraged to pray for the unity of the church, using specific Scripture readings as a guide.

The week will end Jan. 25 with an ambitious “Ecumenical Celebration of the Word” at Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano. The evening will include shared prayers, music, Scripture readings and a sermon from the Very Rev. Mary June Nestler, dean of the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont.

Organizers said all Christians are invited.

“The celebration is a prophetic moment for what’s to come,” Luevano said. “It makes you contemplate where we might be at the end of the century in terms of Christian unity.”

Added Tsichlis: “It took the first thousand years to pull us apart,” and the second millennium saw even more division. “I hope it won’t take another thousand to pull us back together.”

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Christian Unity Week Highlights

Jan. 13 (precursor event)

“Epiphany: Mystical Chants from Old and New Rome” will be performed by Capella Romana, a vocal chamber ensemble that uses the ancient musical traditions from the Christian West and East. Cost is $15. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine. (949) 733-2366.

Jan. 22

Anglican, Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Presbyterian clergy discuss issues facing the Christian church in the panel discussion moderated by Marvin Meyer, chairman of Chapman University’s religious studies department. The free event begins at 7 p.m. at Tustin Presbyterian Church. (714) 544-7070.

Jan. 25

The week wraps up with an “Ecumenical Celebration of the Word,” featuring prayers, music, Scripture readings and a sermon by the Very Rev. Mary June Nestler, dean of the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont, all at 7:30 p.m. at Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano. (949) 234-1360.

Unity Week Prayer

O God, holy and eternal Trinity,

we pray for your church in the world.

Sanctify its life; renew its worship;

empower its witness; heal its divisions;

make visible its unity.

Lead us, with all our brothers and sisters,

toward communion

in faith, life and witness

so that, united in one body

by the one Spirit,

we may together witness

to the perfect unity of your love.

For more information on Christian Unity Week, call (714) 282-3091.