Lahore: January 28, 2014 (Fr. Inayat Bernard) “It is a joyous evening when the faithful from different churches come together to pray for the Christian unity”. Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw OFM of Lahore was talking to over 200 interdenominational gathering at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of the church of Pakistan during the closing prayer service organized by Ecum.enical Unity Committee in the Octave of Prayer for Unity. Archbishop Sebastian said that today we celebrate three occasions at the same time first is the closing prayer of the unity octave, second is the feast of the conversion of St. Paul and third is 127th anniversary of the Cathedral of Resurrection of the church of Pakistan. He said I feel happy to see the heads of four mainline churches, viz. Salvation Army, Church of Pakistan, Presbyterian Church in Pakistan and the Catholic Church. He said there are lot of problems in the country but we stand firm in our faith in the Lord. He said that unity is to be appreciated in diversity and it needs not to be uniformity. Each church has got its own chrism and we should encourage and appreciate what each denomination is doing for the establishment of the kingdom of God. Talking about the conversion of St. Paul he said that Saul was full of hatred towards Christians but after his conversion he becomes Paul, his vision also broadened and his hatred turned into love for all human beings. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians he says under an inspiration of the Holy Spirit that hope and faith are there but the greatest is love. He ended by saying that St. Paul was obedient to the Lord and he was told that after he gains his eyesight he will be told what to do and he did as he was told and preached the Gospel to the far ends of the worlds of that time. The heads and representatives of the four denominations entered the cathedral with the band of Salvation Army. The inaugural prayer was said by Rev. I. B. Rocky of the diocese of Raiwind of the Church of Pakistan while Sr. Irene Stephen RJM led in the peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. Rev. Amjid Niamat read the first reading from Romans 12: 1-8 while most senior diocesan catholic Priest Fr. Benjamin Joseph of the Archdiocese of Lahore read the Gospel of St. John 17:20-26. Psalms and hymns were sung by the Cathedral choir. Dean of Cathedral Rev. Shaid Meraj welcomed the heads of churches, the representatives, sisters, fathers, pastors, catechists, seminarians and the faithful for triple celebration. The Secretary of Ecumenical Unity Committee and the rector of St. Mary’s Seminary Fr. Inayat Bernard, on behalf of Fr. Francis Nadeem OFM Cap coordinator of Ecumenical Solidarity Committee (ESC) thanked all the committee members, the support of the heads of churches, the local organizers in different churches during the week of Unity Octave and the participants at each place. He said that coordinator of ESC Fr. Francis Nadeem OFM Cap took lot of pain to get all the activities implemented and the church representatives have developed their closeness to one another. He said that from October 2012 two main activities have been regularized. One was to have Ecumenical Christmas Carol on 14th December every year and the Alleluia conference after Easter in rotation to all four main line churches. Bishop of Lahore and host Dr. Irfan Jamil thanked the efforts of the ESC. Regarding the 127th anniversary of the cathedral, he said firstly to remember all the people who had the vision to build the cathedral and it was completed on the 25th of January 1887. Secondly he continued that we remember all the people in all these 127 years who have been regularly attending the services conducted here and thirdly we pray for the outreach and continuation of the grace of God to flow from the House of God. Church of Pakistan’s Bishop Irfan Jamil of Lahore ended by saying that there is unity in the triune God and the unity among the churches has to be appreciated and promoted looking at the unity among the members of the early church.