Communities of Prayer: Antigonish, NS
Childhood connections to the WPCU inspired new growth in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
This piece is part of a series highlighting some of the diverse expressions of the WPCU in communities across Canada. If you feel inspired to share with us about your own community’s experience of the WPCU, please contact Amelia Pahl at pahl@councilofchurches.ca.
Karen Schuegraf’s experience with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity goes back all the way to her childhood in England, when she used to attend WPCU services regularly with her mother. Years later, when she found herself living in Antigonish, NS, she surprised her parish priest by asking when that year’s WPCU celebration was to take place. “He replied that he didn't know,” says Schuegraf, and he “assigned me the job of contacting the other clergy in the area to find out if anyone knew anything about it.”
In just one week, Schuegraf’s inquiries inspired the congregations of the area to put together a WPCU service. Over the decade that followed, she continued to lead a small group of lay people from four local denominations in planning Antigonish’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As she thinks back over these years, she remembers that “one part of preparing the services which I really enjoyed was to try and bring an experience of the host country to the service, either in the preparation, or in the service itself or in the speaker or a combination of the above.”
“My hope is that our Christian faith in this town will be strong enough to enable us to reach out to each other in friendship, using this once-a-year opportunity to gather together and celebrate.”
Schuegraf notes that the community of Antigonish has “a good degree of cooperation on social issues,” which she considers to be a sign of strong ecumenical relationships even beyond the WPCU. In the past, the community has also celebrated the World Day of Prayer in addition to the WPCU. For Schuegraf more personally, these ecumenical events have provided a “joyful opportunity” for reuniting with her Anglican friends after having converted to Roman Catholicism.
St. Ninian's Cathedral in Antigonish (NS) is decorated for the 2015 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
As in many communities across Canada, Antigonish’s tradition of celebrating the WPCU is in a time of transition. This is partially due to declining numbers and partially due to the more general pandemic situation. When she considers the future of the WPCU in Antigonish, Schuegraf expresses her hope in the power of faith and friendship to build strong relationships: “My hope is that our Christian faith in this town will be strong enough to enable us to reach out to each other in friendship, using this once-a-year opportunity to gather together and celebrate.”