Ecumenical service calls on Southwest Christian leaders to be 'the eyes and hands of Christ'

By Tony Gutiérrez

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (OSV News) -- Prior to processing into St. Apkar Armenian Apostolic Church in Scottsdale, Bishop John P. Dolan of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix teased his Lutheran counterpart in the hall. The two joined other Christian bishops and leaders from the Southwest -- including Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of the Catholic Diocese of Tucson -- to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in a Jan. 24 ecumenical observance.

"Because we've spent time together ... we understand there's a humanness to each one of us and the work that we do. While we do it in a particular way, there is a unity in what we're doing as well," said the Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer, bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. "In a world that is so filled with divisiveness but also fearful of each other, to gather together tonight and know that we're praying for unity, that's very moving for me."

In his reflection for the ecumenical service, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, who shepherds the Armenian Apostolic Church's Western Diocese based out of Burbank, California, told the story of the late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu visiting the Sant'Egidio Community in Rome, where the South African prelate noticed Christ's body on the crucifix did not have hands. A youth at the center told Archbishop Tutu that it "signifies that we are the right and the left hands of Christ our Lord."

"We are entrusted a sacred mission as servants of Christ -- all of us with clergy and laity -- to become the eyes and hands of Christ our Lord in the life of our respective communities," Archbishop Derderian said. "It is a call that we need to respond courageously with a firm faith in Christ our Lord, always with a renewed commitment to share the word of God, enlightening the hearts and souls of the members of our communities, thus making God ever present."

In his reflection, the Armenian prelate recalled the ecumenical efforts of the late Vazgen I, Catholicos of All Armenians from 1955-1994, who ordained Archbishop Derderian to the priesthood in 1980.

"We earnestly long to witness the unity of the church, recognizing its oneness in Christ and his sacred word," he quoted the late Catholicos as saying. "Engaging in real dialogue with the world, we open ourselves to it, all the while preserving our distinct identity."

Interpretation of doctrine should never be a barrier that separates us, declared the archbishop, adding that dialogue must be a permanent fixture in the relationships among Christian traditions. Jesus Christ's parable of the good Samaritan -- from which the service's theme, "You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself" (Lk 10:27), was taken -- serves as a reminder that life is a pilgrimage.

"Rooted in prayer, this dialogue and prayer hour strengthens us individually and empowers us to draw closer, inspiring our faithful toward common goals for the healing of wounded souls," he said. "The parable of the good Samaritan is a direct call to us all to embrace our Christian faith in action, with deeds -- and not words -- so that we may draw closer to God and closer to one another."

During the service, Bishop Weisenburger blessed the holy water and sprinkled it upon the interdenominational congregation together with Rev. Hutterer.

"I always feel privileged to stand with other Christian leaders in ecumenical efforts," Bishop Weisenburger told OSV News after the event. "Unity is built upon relationships along with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Establishing the bonds of friendship, which includes deep listening and recognizing Christ in the other person, is the surest path to true Christian unity."

For the Tucson bishop, Christian unity finds a special place in his heart. Having grown up in southwest Oklahoma where the Catholic population was 3% at the time, most of his childhood friends were not Catholic.

"Yet, I believe most of us had a shared Christian identity. Looking back, I believe that those early life relationships revealed a path forward for me in how Christian unity is established -- it's all about relationships," he said.

For his part in the service, Bishop Dolan proclaimed the Gospel passage after censing the Book of the Gospels and lectern.

"Prayer and dialogue are essential in our Christian enterprise, as it helps us to be about communion, even if our communion is imperfect," Bishop Dolan also told OSV Newsfollowing the event.

In a blending of Armenian chant and contemporary worship, Ann Weiss, the retired music director at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Scottsdale, led the music for the service. Weiss selected hymns to go with the service's readings and worked in concert with St. Apkar's choir.

"I had no idea of the beauty that comes in that chant," she said. "The world is so fractured in so many ways, and coming together -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism -- was very powerful."

Father David Loeffler, director of the Office of Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs for the Diocese of Phoenix, served on the coordinating team for the prayer service and said a large part of ecumenical work relies on the Holy Spirit.

"As much as we can talk in broad levels of the institutional church or doctrinal things -- and each of those has their place -- such an important part of ecumenical work happens at this level, at the level of individuals. Someone actually knows someone personally and passes on this commitment, this pursuit towards unity," said Father Loeffler. "There's something powerful about coming together and praying together, expressing that desire to the Lord and inviting, asking the Holy Spirit to be at work to bring us together."

For Father Zacharia Saribekyan, St. Apkar's parish priest, hosting an ecumenical service is in the spirit of Armenian spirituality; because of the Armenian diaspora, many faithcommunities would be isolated if they didn't reach across denominational lines.

"Everywhere (I've lived), I'll find not only an Armenian community but also brothers and sisters in Christ -- and in different faiths, too -- that love Christ, love each other, trying to be good neighbors," said Father Saribekyan.

During Archbishop Derderian's reflection, the archbishop presented Father Saribekyan with a cross to thank him and remind him to "always be engaged in the ecumenical life of this city and the state of Arizona because we all are stewards of God."

For Father Saribekyan, the message was clear.

"I have to carry Christ's cross," he said. "It's his love and appreciation that way but when it comes with a cross, there is a meaning: 'You carry the cross. You have something to do here as a priest.'"

Before the service ended, each church leader added incense to the thurible. The Rev. Carlo A. Rapanut, a bishop in the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church, reflected on its meaning, noting that incense is not typically used in his tradition.

"It made me reflect on how might we, as the Christian church united, become a fragrant offering to the people around us," he said. "It was this moving moment where we come from different traditions -- and we're adding in our fragrance into the fragrance of Christ."