The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion has requested that all Churches of the Communion of the world wide Anglican Episcopal family of Churches observe the feast of Pentecost and the nine days preceding it is a special time of prayer for the forthcoming Lambeth Conference 1998. The Conference, an international gathering of over 800 bishops, will be held this July in Canterbury.

Secretary General Canon John L. Peterson has said, "The feast of Pentecost reminds us vividly of our diversity as a Christian community." It is the hope that each parish will offer special prayers on Pentecost, which in 1998 falls on May 31st, as this day is often observed with special international elements in its liturgical worship. In many churches the gospel lesson for the day is read in several languages; namely the languages that may be represented by the different nationalities in particular congregations. A special prayer booklet has been provided by the Lambeth Conference office for this observance.

Following the Biblical example in the Acts of the Apostles, the nine days from the feast of our Lord's Ascension to the Day of Pentecost will be observed with daily prayers in churches uniting the faithful in prayer for the Archbishop of Canterbury, the archbishops and bishops and their spouses who will attend Lambeth 98 as well as the staff and organisers.

Canon Peterson spoke of the traditional theme of Pentecost, Come Holy Spirit and kindle in us the fire of your love as "central to our understanding that as a family we must come together in a spirit of love and sensitivity, especially when differences come into play". It is hoped that these nine days of prayer will help the world Anglicans/Episcopalians focus appropriate attention to this important international gathering of bishops held every ten years, this year meeting from July 18th to August 9th.

Speaking of the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury, president and host of the Lambeth Conference, said, "As President of the Anglican Communion I am increasingly aware of our inter-dependence that supports our mission and service in God's world today. We need each other. Our Anglican tradition has much to offer in its proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all people."

Further details of the conference are available from the Lambeth Conference communications office. Press releases will be issued on a regular basis beginning with the accreditation application mailing in April.

Historical Note:

The feast of Pentecost, often called Whitsunday, is a day that traditionally observes the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the awaiting Church and has been known as a celebration of the birthday of the Church. It occurs 50 days after Easter. It is one of the three greater festivals of the church year- the others being Christmas and Easter. In Christian doctrine the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Note to Editors:
Churches of the Anglican Communion are found in 164 countries in what is called a Province. These include the Church of England, the Episcopal Church USA, the Church of Ireland and 34 others. Membership is at approximately 70 million baptised people world-wide.

Four "Instruments of Unity" help enable the work of the Churches. These are: The Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Information leaflets are available.

Photos available:
Archbishop of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral and Lambeth Conference planning group.