Chair of Unity Octave

The Chair of Unity Octave runs from the Feast of Saint Peter's Chair at Rome to the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. Please read the history of this devotion below and the wonderful conversions it has brought. et us observe this octave most carefully and !ray for true Catholic unity. Say the !rayer below" then say the !rayer assigned for each day. #Other !rayers for Catholic unity are added at the end.$ %& That they all may be one" as Thou" Father" in 'e and ( in Thee) that they also may be one in Us) that the world may believe that Thou hast sent 'e. #*ohn $+vii, -..$ %& ( say unto thee" that thou art Peter) R./nd u!on this Roc0 ( will build 'y Church. %& OR1 *esus Christ" 2ho saidst unto Thine a!ostles) Peace ( leave with you" 'y !eace ( give unto you) regard not our sins" but the faith of Thy Church" and grant unto her that !eace and unity which are agreeable to Thy will. 2ho livest and reignest 3od forever and ever. R&. /men.

*anuary .4
Prayer for the Reunion of Christendom et us Pray. O 3od" in thy mercy thou dost set aright those who have gone astray and thou dost save those whom thou hast gathered together. 2e beseech thee to !our down u!on all Christian !eo!le the grace of union with thee" so that !utting aside disunion and attaching themselves to the true she!herd of thy Church" they may be able to serve thee humbly and lovingly. Through Christ our ord. R. /men.

*anuary .5
Prayer for the Reunion of the 6ast and 2est et us Pray. O ord" who hast united all nations in the confession of Thy 7ame" we !ray Thee for the dissident Christian !eo!les of the 6ast. 'indful of the !lace they have held in Thy Church" we beg of Thee to ins!ire them to occu!y it again" so as to form with us one single fold" under the guidance of one and the same She!herd. 3rant that they" together with ourselves" may be !enetrated with the teaching of their holy doctors" who are also our Fathers in the Faith. 3rant us that the s!irit of !eace and charity" the mar0 of Thy !resence among the faithful" may hasten the day in which their !rayers may be united with ours" so that every !eo!le and every tongue may ac0nowledge and glorify thy Son" Our ord *esus Christ. R. /men.

*anuary -8
Prayer for the Conversion of 6ngland et us Pray. O *esu" 3ood She!herd" loo0 down with favour u!on the great and noble 6nglish nation. Converted to thee through the labours of St. /ugustine and his com!anions" it was for many centuries rich in fruits of faith and sanctity. So devoted was this nation to thy holy and immaculate 'other that it was 0nown throughout Christendom as the 1owry of 'ary. 2hen it was se!arated from thee in cruel fashion" many hundreds of its !eo!le willingly shed their blood in testimony of their loyalty to thee and thy Church. O loving She!herd of souls" recall this great nation once more to the unity of thy Church" and grant !eace of soul to all those now se!arated from thy floc0. R. /men.

*anuary -.
Prayer for the Conversion of 6uro!ean Protestants et us Pray. O most beloved ord *esus Christ" who hast redeemed the world at the !rice of thy most Precious 9lood" loo0 down in thy mercy u!on the Christian !eo!les of 6uro!e" who are still outside thy fold" and let the full light of thy truth shine u!on them. 'ulti!ly" O 3od" the true messengers of thy 3os!el" ins!ire them with fervor" ma0e them fruitful in good wor0s" and bless with thy grace their :eal and their labours" so that the se!arated Christians of 6uro!e may be fully converted unto thee" their Creator and Redeemer. Recall the strayed shee! to thy fold" and the wanderers to the bosom of thy one true Church. ;asten" O dearest Saviour" the ha!!y advent of thy <ingdom on earth" draw all men to the treasures of thy Sacred ;eart" so that all may share in the !riceless benefits of thy Redem!tion and in the eternal ha!!iness of ;eaven. R. /men.

*anuary -Prayer for the Conversion of /merica et us Pray. O ord *esus Christ" grant unto all thy servants" but es!ecially to the !eo!le of our own nation" the grace of being fully united with thee in Thy Church. O divine Redeemer" of whom the !ro!het sang =all the 0ings of the earth shall adore ;im" and all the nations shall serve ;im"= e+tend thy <ingdom over the entire human race" but es!ecially over our own beloved country. 3rant in thy 'ercy that the !eo!le of our land may be converted unto thee" and humbly and lovingly serve thee. This we as0" O Saviour" through the intercession of thine (mmaculate 'other" the !atroness and !rot>ctor of our nation. R. /men.

*anuary -?
Prayer for a!sed Catholics et us Pray. O /lmighty Father" who desirest not the death of the sinner" but rather that he be converted and live" !our out u!on us thy mercy and hear the !rayers of thy servants. Soften the hearts of thy children who have strayed from the true !aths" which thou didst establish for their salvation. They are now forgetful of their duties as Catholics" and !ursue only the transitory !leasures of the world. 3rant that they may s!eedily return to the !ractice of every Christian virtue" so that their lives may shine with the integrity of faith" the fervour of !iety and the ardour of charity. Restore all of them to thy sacraments and to the life of thy grace" through the merits of the 'ost Precious 9lood of thy Son" our Saviour *esus Christ. R. /men.

*anuary -@
Prayer for the Conversion of the *ews et us !ray. O 3od" who dost manifest thy mercy and com!assion towards all !eo!les" have mercy u!on the *ewish race" once thy chosen !eo!le. Thou didst select them alone out of all the nations of the world to be the custAdians of thy sacred teachings. From them thou didst raise u! !ro!hets and !atriarchs to announce the coming of the Redeemer. Thou didst will that thine only Son" *esus Christ our ord and Saviour should be a *ew according to the flesh" born of a *ewish maiden in the and of Promise. ;ear the !rayers we offer thee today for the conversion of the *ewish !eo!le. 3rant that they may soon come to a 0nowledge and love of our ord *esus Christ" the 'essiah foretold by their !ro!hets" and that they may wal0 with us in the way of salvation. R. /men.

*anuary -B
Prayer for the Conversion of our 9rethren et us Pray. 6ternal 3od" Creator of all things" remember that the souls of unbelievers have been created by thee" and formed to thine own image and li0eness. 9ehold" O ord" how to thy dishonour hell is being filled with these same souls. Remember" O 3od" that for their salvation thy Son *esus Christ underwent a most cruel death. Permit not" O ord" that thy divine Son be any longer des!ised by unbelievers) but be a!!eased by the !rayers of the Saints and of the Church" the S!ouse of thy most holy Son" and forgetting their idolatry and unbelief" grant that they may at last come to ac0nowledge thy Son *esus Christ" who is our Salvation" ife and Resurrection" through whom we have been saved and redeemed) to whom be glory forever and ever. R. /men.

;istory of The Chair of Unity Octave

On October ?" .455" the eve of the feast of St. Francis of /ssisi" the Rev. ewis Thomas 2attson" an 6!isco!al clergyman later 0nown as the %ery Rev. Paul *ames Francis" S./." arrived at 3raymoor" 7.C. to establish a community of 6!isco!al Franciscans called the Friars of the /tonement. / year !reviously" 'iss urana 2hite" a devout young woman" had founded in the same !lace a community of 6!isco!al nuns 0nown as the Sisters of the /tonement. For ten years the two communities were Dointly 0nown as the Society of the /tonement and lived the monastic life as members of the Protestant 6!isco!al Church. oo0ing about him on a largely irreligious world" Father Paul grieved most because Christians seemed divided into warring sects and factions. ;e began to !reach cor!orate reunion of the 6!isco!al Church with the Roman Catholic Church. 9ecause of this he was banned from the !ul!its of the 6!isco!al Church. (n his brown robe and sandals" Father Paul too0 his message to the streets and !ar0s of 7ew Cor0. ;e caused Euite a sensation. Father Paul *ames Francis was determined to carry on a vigorous a!ostolate for the return of all se!arated Christians to communion with the ;oly See. To further this aim" he inaugurated in .584 the Chair of Unity Octave #*an. .4F-B$. One year later" the members of the Society themselves received the grace of conversion" and on October ?8" .585" they entered the Catholic Church in a body. (t astonished no one when he too0 his own advice and brought his community with him into the Catholic Church. 2ith the blessing of Po!e St. Pius G" they were !ermitted to continue as a religious society in the Catholic Church and were commissioned to carry on the a!ostolate of Christian unity as their community aim. The Chair of Unity Octave was also a!!roved as a Catholic devotion by Po!e 9enedict G% in an /!ostolic 9rief in .5.H. (n .5-." at their annual meeting in 2ashington" the Catholic hierarchy of the United States unanimously ado!ted the Octave for all the dioceses in the country. Under the !atronage of St. Peter" the first %icar of Christ" 9isho! of Rome" and St. Paul" the /!ostle of the 3entiles" the Chair of Unity Octave has flourished and grown. (t is now observed in many !arts of the world.

Other Prayers
FOR C;URC; U7(TC et us !ray for heretics and schismatics" that our 3od and ord rescue them from all their errors and deign to call them bac0 to their holy mother" the Catholic and /!ostolic Church. /lmighty everlasting 3od" who savest all men and willest that none should !erish, loo0 u!on those souls who are led astray by the deceit of the devil" so that hearts which have erred may abandon the evil of heresy and come bac0 re!entant to the unity of Thy truth. Through our ord *esus Christ" Thy Son" who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the ;oly 3host" 3od" forever and ever. /men Prayer for heretics and schismatics, O 'ary" 'other of mercy and Refuge of sinners" we beseech thee" be !leased to loo0 with !itiful eyes u!on !oor heretics and schismatics. Thou who are the Seat of 2isdom" enlighten the minds that are miserably enfolded in the dar0ness of ignorance and sin" that they may clearly 0now that the ;oly Catholic Church is the one true Church of *esus Christ" outside of which neither holiness nor salvation can be found. Call them to the unity of the one fold" granting them the grace to acce!t all the truths of our holy Faith" and to submit themselves to the Su!reme Roman Pontiff" the %icar of *esus Christ on earth) that so" being united with us in the sweet chains of divine charity" there may soon be one only fold under the same one She!herd) and may we all" O glorious %irgin" sing forever with e+ultation, ReDoice" O %irgin 'ary" thou only hast destroyed all heresies in the whole world. /men. ;ail 'ary... #thrice$ et us Pray. O 3od" in thy mercy thou dost set aright those who have gone astray and thou dost save those whom thou hast gathered together. 2e beseech thee to !our down u!on all Christian !eo!le the grace of union with thee" so that !utting aside disunion and attaching themselves to the true she!herd of thy Church" they may be able to serve thee humbly and lovingly. Through Christ our ord. R. /men.