Bishop Paul Bradley of the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo will participate in an Ecumenical Taize Service at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church April 22 in Edwardsburg. (Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK)

Bishop Paul Bradley of the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo will participate in an Ecumenical Taize Service at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church April 22 in Edwardsburg.

The special prayer service, which begins at 7 p.m. for Christians of all denominations, will be led by local pastors the Rev. Scott Scheel of the Presbyterian Church of Edwardsburg, the Rev. Jeff Reese of Hope United Methodist Church in Edwardsburg and the Rev. Joseph McCormick, OSA of Our Lady of the Lake Parish.

“I guess what I am most proud of is how the three churches work together for the community,” the Rev. McCormick said. “All the churches in the area are great, but there seems to be, even before I got here, such a cooperative effort between Hope United Methodist, the Presbyterian and by Our Lady of the Lake. I have been in Chicago and Detroit over the years, but I have never had such a wonderful working relationship and social relations with the churches, the congregations and the pastors.”

Other pastors from the region have been invited to attend.

The Ecumenical Taize Service is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council in the Roman Catholic Church, which called for stronger ties and cooperation with all Christians.

The service will be fashioned on a Taize prayer, which is a scripture-based service of prayer, song and meditation developed by the contemporary ecumenical community of Taize, France.

Bishop Bradley will speak on the important work of believers in the world today.

He has been at the Vatican recently and met with new Pope Francis.

“He may bring some greetings from Pope Francis,” the Rev. McCormick said.

The service is open to the public. Refreshments and fellowship will follow the service in the parish social hall.