Saint Joseph Catholic Church and School hosted its seventh annual Ecumenical Prayer Service on Friday, January 20 at 9:00 a.m. The purpose of this service was to bring together churches, families. and pastors to celebrate the international “ Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” ( January 16 – 20, 2012). This service is one of the many ways Saint Joseph’s ministry and school staff reaches out to the community to enrich the lives of all children in the Midlands, regardless of their specific religious affiliations.

“It is our goal, as a parish and as a school, to help find common ground as Christians so that we may show children the importance of unity in our community,” says Reverend Monsignor Richard D. Harris, V.G., pastor of Saint Joseph Catholic Church.

All churches in the downtown Columbia area were asked to participate in this service, with special invitations sent to the churches of the children who attend Saint Joseph Catholic school that are not members of the parish. Participants this year included: The Rev. Dr. William R. Childs, Washington Street United Methodist Church; Mrs. Deborah Goodwin, Shandon Presbyterian Church; The Rev. Phil Lavender, Trinity United Methodist Church; The Rev. Father James Frazier Lyon IV, Good Shepherd Episcopal Churc; The Rev. Paul Pingel, Ebenezer Lutheran Church; The Rev. Julie Songer-Belman, Shandon United Methodist Church; The Rev. Paul Stricklin, St. Michael and All Angels’ Episcopal Church; The Rev. John Trump, Saint Andrews Lutheran Church; The Rev. Cole Weathers, Bethel AME; and The Rev. Paul Wollner, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Reverend Paul Wollner of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church said, “It is wonderful to experience the energy of young people of faith. I hope that every child today takes this experience back to his local church and explains to them the joy of celebrating our Christian faith as community, rather than as separate churches.”

Saint Joseph Catholic School, a coeducational parish school for grades K4 through 6, exists for the purpose of providing Catholic education of the highest quality to the children of parishioners and other residents of the Columbia area. Central to the school program is a dedication to spiritual development and academic excellence based on Gospel values. Through opportunities to worship, to learn, and to grow in character, Saint Joseph students are prepared to be lifelong learners who practice and live their values in the Catholic, Christian tradition. For more information, please visit www.stjosdevine.com.