The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor, the Office for Promoting Christian Unity of the Archdiocese of Toronto, and The Catholic Register are proud to present the 2025 Friars' Student Writing Contest. 

This year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, celebrated Jan. 18-25, will have the full participation of the Archdiocese of Toronto.

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor, the Office for Promoting Christian Unity of the Archdiocese of Toronto, and The Catholic Register are proud to present the 2024 Friars' Student Writing Contest. 

In last week’s column I recalled Pope John Paul II’s call for “a patient and fraternal dialogue” among Christian leaders and theologians on possible reform of papal primacy. The day after I sent that column to TheRegister for publication, I received my copy of the British Catholic magazine TheTablet in which Rowan Williams, the former archbishop of Canterbury, discussed the same topic.

ROME — Abiding in God's love means nurturing one's relationship with him and with all those whom God loves, Pope Francis wrote in his homily for the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

A spiritual director once surprised me by asking: “What does your little voice have to say?” 

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor, the Office for Promoting Christian Unity of the Archdiocese of Toronto, and The Catholic Register are proud to present the 2022 Friars' Student Writing Contest. 

Ray Temmerman’s been a committed Catholic all his life. He’s a former president of the National Council of Development and Peace. He’s taken time out from his career in automotive technology and human resources to study theology at the University of Winnipeg, earning a Masters in Sacred Theology.

VATICAN CITY -- The search for Christian unity must involve all aspects of the churches' lives, including their different church laws, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis said giving fragments of St. Peter's bones to the head of the church founded by Peter's brother, St. Andrew, was meant to be a reminder and encouragement of the journey toward Christian unity.

VATICAN CITY -- The Catholic Church gives an authentic witness of God's love for all men and women only when it fosters the grace of unity and communion, Pope Francis said.

The entrants in the annual Friars’ Student Writing Contest did not make it easy on judges from The Catholic Register. 

The contest drew many quality essays on the question referring to Deuteronomy 16:18-30: How can Catholics and Christians of all denominations unite to create a more just society and be examples of Christ’s healing grace in a broken world?

Last week we published the winning entry from Lucas Georgey of St. Michael’s Choir School. This week, we feature the second and third place winners — Vincent Pham from Chaminade College School and Nathan Nambiar from St. Francis Xavier Secondary School. Pham has earned the second-place prize of an iPad while Nambiar is awarded a Google Home smart speaker.

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VATICAN – Despite some new tensions, "practically the whole of Christianity is in a process of advancing beyond the controversies and competition of the past, toward greater understanding, trust and solidarity," said Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

BEIRUT – At a gathering of Middle East leaders coinciding with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Syriac Orthodox patriarch emphasized the need to unify efforts against extremism and terrorism.

ROME – Just as divisions in society grow when wealth is not shared, divisions within Christianity grow when the richness of gifts God has given to one Christian church or community are not recognized and shared, Pope Francis said.