The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement cordially invite you to:
A VISIT WITH THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
THE MOST REV. JUSTIN WELBY

Please join us as we present His Grace with the 14th Paul Wattson Christian Unity Award.

Saturday, September 23, 2023,
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Franciscan Friars of the Atonement at Graymoor
40 Franciscan Way
Garrison, NY 10524

RSVP to Jennifer Heyd at jheyd@atonementfriars.org
or call 845.424.2131 by September 12th

Morning refreshments will be served.

His Grace, Archbishop Justin Welby

The Most Rev. Justin Welby was installed as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury in March 2013. Aside from being the successor to Saints Augustine and Thomas Becket, and fulfilling the role of Primate of All England, he is the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, which numbers 85 million throughout the world.

During Archbishop Justin’s sermon at his installation, he announced three personal priorities for his ministry: the renewal of prayer and religious life in the church, seeking reconciliation within the church, and encouraging every Christian to share their faith. In his ten years as archbishop he has borne ecumenical witness to the causes of the poor, for justice and peacemaking, and for ecological integrity. Earlier in 2023, he joined with Pope Francis and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Very Rev. Dr. Iain Greenshields, on a mission of solidarity to South Sudan. In 2022, he granted an exclusive interview to Ecumenical Trends in the course of his participation in the World Council of Churches’ 11th General Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany. His ecumenical presence and commitment have been consistently outstanding.

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement recall with great fondness the visit to Graymoor of Archbishop Welby’s predecessor, the Most Rev. Michael Ramsey, a little over 50 years ago in 1972, when he became the fifth recipient of the Paul Wattson Christian Unity Award. We are now well pleased to bestow the Award on Archbishop Michael’s successor.

The Paul Wattson Christian Unity Award

The Paul Wattson Christian Unity Award is given only occasionally to those who have made significant contributions during their lives to the unity of the church. The Award is named for Fr. Paul Wattson, SA, Servant of God and Founder, along with Mother Lurana White, of the Society of the Atonement in 1898 at Graymoor. He is referred to as an “Apostle of Unity and Charity” by the Roman Catholic Church, due to both his and Mother Lurana’s pioneering vision of what they called “Christian reunion” or what the Church experiences today as the “ecumenical movement,” as well as ministering in mission to the poorest in society.

Both founders began their mission for At-One-Ment, or unity by way of reconciliation through Christ, at the end of the nineteenth century as high-church American Episcopalians. They, and a small community of sisters, friars, and lay associates were brought corporately into full communion with the Catholic Church by permission of Pope St. Pius X in 1909. They were commissioned to continue their work for unity among Christians. Before this, in 1908, Fr. Paul worked with the Rev. Spencer Jones of the Church of England to promote the annual observance of the Church Unity Octave, January 18-25. These eight days of prayer grew along with later observances to become the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 1968.

The Paul Wattson Christian Unity Award has been presented on thirteen different occasions: previous recipients include Rev. Charles Boyer, S.J. (1961); Lawrence Cardinal Sheehan and Msgr. Joseph Nelligan (1964); Augustin Cardinal Bea, S.J. (1965); Dr. Martin Marty (1969); Archbishop Michael Ramsey of Canterbury (1972); the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (1974); Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan (1975); Pere Yves Congar, OP (1984); Jan Cardinal Willebrands (1987); Rev. John F. Hotchkins, S.T.D. and Prof. George A. Lindbeck (2000); the University of San Francisco (2004); the Pontifical Council (now Dicastery) for Promoting Christian Unity and Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (2008); and the Rev. Dr. John Ford, CSC (2014).