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January 29, 2024By Beth Griffin
NEW YORK (OSV News) -- "American culture is being devoured by a vicious battle, not between members of different religions, but among people all of whom claim to be Christian," according to the homilist at a Jan. 24 ecumenical service in Manhattan to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The prayer service at the chapel of the Interchurch Center in Manhattan was part of the worldwide observance of the Jan. 18-25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which had as its 2024 theme the words of Jesus Christ from Luke 10:27: "You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself."
Organized by the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, a ministry of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, the Manhattan event included Catholic, Baptist, Orthodox and Episcopal presiders.
In his homily, the Very Rev. Patrick Malloy, dean of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, said fissures in the Christian church are no longer along theological lines; they are political and ideological.
"A large slice of American Roman Catholics is in bed with a large slice of Southern Baptists, and a large slice of American Anglicans is in bed with nondenominational evangelicals," he said. "To tell the truth, I have a lot more in common with a lot of atheists than I do with a lot of Christians."
Rev. Malloy said the deep divisions are about to be on a huge stage during the upcoming national election and it's hard to see how Christians are ever going to get across them.
Despite the scandal of division and the recognition that division is not the will of God, there is hope in prayer and the effort to demonstrate that many Christians are committed to being one, as Jesus and his Father are one, Rev. Malloy said.
He said Community at the Crossing, a recently established intentional ecumenical community in New York, is evidence of the potential to bridge divides. The new community is an initiative of St. John the Divine in partnership with the Chemin Neuf Community, a 50-year-old French Catholic association with an ecumenical focus.
Sister Hannah Spiers, an Anglican sister who is part of the Chemin Neuf Community, is a coordinator of the Community at the Crossing initiative. Community at the Crossing is open to Christians ages 21-33 who commit to spend a year in prayer, discernment, biblical and theological formation, intentional community, service and mission -- and to do so with men and women who may be radically different from themselves.
Sister Hannah told OSV News the initial cohort of 13 young adults in the community comprises people from nine states. It includes seven residential members who live together on St. John the Divine's campus and six local members who integrate the community rhythms into their current professional activity or study on a part-time basis, while living off-site.
Current participants come from many Christian traditions including Catholic, Episcopal, Church of the Nazarene, Mennonite, Lutheran, Missionary Alliance and Church of God.
Sister Hannah said the yearlong Community at the Crossing program is an opportunity to "experience a deeply shared life with people who are not like you." The anticipated takeaway is an understanding of God's unique purpose for them and a conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord, the source of unity, and both more human and more divine than we imagine, she said.
"Prayer is the source of all intelligent action, and we hope participants will establish rhythms and patterns of prayer that will be foundational for the rest of their lives," she said.
Community at the Crossing residential member Caleb Parker, a son of Episcopal priests, said the kick-off -- a seven-day silent retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius -- was one of the highlights of the program to date. Colleague Noah Starr comes from a Holiness Church and Methodist tradition. Starr said he is impressed by the opportunity to learn from biblical scholars who spend two days at a time with the members, notably Amy-Jill Levine, a scholar of Jewish studies and the New Testament.
Local member Stephanie Athanas is a doctor of physical therapy who works as lead ergonomist for BlackRock, an international investment company. She learned of the nascent community from Father Jean-Sebastian Laurent, a Catholic member of the Chemin Neuf Community and one of the program coordinators, while participating in the monthly young adult Mass and social at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
As a student, Athanas had pivoted from her nominally Catholic practice to study the Bible with a Protestant denomination, where she also led a small intentional community for several years. By her own description, she was called back to the Catholic Church through prayer and divine timing.
She joins fellow Community at the Crossing members at daily morning prayer and participates in a weekly evening program as well as two weekend events each month.
Athanas appreciates the open dialogue with her colleagues, where they can explore how and why they think about issues.
"We've established trust, community and vulnerability with one another. It's easier to trust when you know you're going to be met with love and respect," she said.
The focus is not only on similarities among the various Christian churches, but on describing and understanding their differences, Athanas said. There is no interest in converting people to a different church or holding one up as better than the others. Athanas laughed when she said the experience has made her more Catholic.
All of the work accomplished by the community is by the grace of the Holy Spirit, she said, adding the group's goal is to be an example to the world of how people can come together.
Athanas' parents come from two different Christian traditions.
"I've always had a big heart for ecumenism, but seeing the logistical side of how it plays out and some of the relationships that are being built, I feel like I have a much broader understanding of that interplay," she said.