Chapel of Our Savior in Brockton, MA celebrated the Week of Prayer with (from right to left) Fr. Damian MacPherson, SA; Rev. Mary Perry, Pastor of Faith Congregational Church, Stoughton, MA; Fr. James O’ Driscoll, Holy Family Church, Rockland, MA; Mr. Robert Jarvits; Our Savior Chapel, Brockton, MA; Fr.. Francis, St. Martin de Porres Church, Brockton, MA; Fr. John Keane, SA; Ms. Ursula Smith, Our Savior Chapel, MA.
An enjoyable ecumenical service using the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity program was held by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement at the Chapel of Our Savior in Brockton, MA. The service was developed by the Christian Churches on the island of Malta and it was sponsored by the World Council of Churches and the Vatican Office for promoting Christian Unity.
About 50 people gathered to recall the time St. Paul was shipwrecked off the coast of Malta, as explained in the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 28. The natives of Malta accepted all the survivors “with unusual kindness”. The Rev. Harry Walton, Pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church in Stoughton, MA, was invited to speak at this service and he said: “Kindness has a ripple effect, spreading out in ways we know and ways we can never know and perhaps that’s a good thing for us. Because unusual kindness comes from the heart, it gives people reason to hope again. When we show genuine acts of kindness, God is glorified. His light shines through our words and actions lifting spirits and making us a little more human.”
A scale model ship was placed upon the altar with a cloth the color of the sea floating over the sides of the altar. Eight oars representing different virtues, like hope and generosity, were solemnly installed alongside the scale model ship. During the refreshments after the service, pastors from several local churches, like Holy Family in Rockland, MA, and from Faith Congregational in Stoughton, MA, were able to meet informally.