“I am a coordinator for ecumenical and interreligious relations in the Diocese of Vancouver, Canada. In January 2014, the prayer service was planned jointly by the Anglican Diocese, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Mennonite Church, the United Church of Candada and the Armenian Apostolic Church. There was a solemn moment for the exchanging of gifts, and everyone felt how much the Churches had to offer. The musical interludes were also gifts to each other. We invited the choirs and cantors from five different traditions to enrich the prayer service with their harmonies. The joy of being together and recognizing the power of common prayer was very tangible, as well as the willingness to open ourselves to each other.” A project was also born from this experience: an ecumenical concert involving choirs from different traditions. The concert included three choirs (Ecumenical Fatima Choir, Armenian Apostolic Church choir and the Focolare choir), as well as a cantor from the United Church of Canada. The Focolare choir offered two songs that described the joy we experience when Jesus is in our midst. The variety of the programme that included both traditional Christmas carols and contemporary music, interspersed between readings from the Second Sunday of Advent, drew people in from many denominations in Vancouver. The service concluded with the lighting of candles as a symbol of carrying Christ into the world. People were very pleased and appreciative of the event, especially the possiblity of gathering members from diverse churches and Christian communities during the Advent season, to give glory to God with hymns from different traditions. The Advent Ecumenical Service was only one of several events. The Catholic Church in Vancouver will mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Decree on Ecumenism, with a conference titled: “Unity of Christians: Have we answered the call?” The conference will be held on January 17 and be one of the events of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Vancouver. Speakers will be from the different Christian Churches; the programme that was prepared and sent to all the Christian communities of the city, has been widely appreciated, and many have said they will attend.” Marjeta (Focolare, Vancouver)