During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, on 18 January 2026, the monastic community of Einsiedeln in Switzerland hosted its fourth ecumenical vespers service. Nearly twenty communities from different denominational traditions gathered to pray together.
In their lecture, Pastor Sabine Brändlin and Pastor Ruedi Beck from the Reuss Institute in Lucerne showed how prayer can contribute to the renewal of the Church. They emphasised that it is God who renews the Church when we listen to him in silence and allow ourselves to be challenged by his revelation.
More than a hundred people gathered under the Christmas dome of the abbey church for communal prayer. God was praised in different styles – from Gregorian chant to Taizé songs and worship. In his address, Abbot Urban emphasised the value of mutual inspiration between denominations and insisted that Christian unity contributes to the peace that the world so urgently needs today.
A small delegation of six people from the Chemin Neuf Community was present. Our brother Francis Schubiger took part in the universal prayers for world peace and unity among the Churches. Our national leader, Anny Lang, was invited by the Benedictine abbot to stand beside him during vespers and then prayed the Chemin Neuf prayer for Christian unity.
The meeting ended with a small aperitif and pleasant conversations.
