Eurobishop

Ecumenical Walk in Copenhagen

2012-01-27T13:40:00.000Z

Copenhagen's streets saw 800 ecumenical walkers on the streets last Tuesday 24 January. The Kirkevandringen ("church wandering") was started 58 years ago by the Fellowship of St Alban and St Serguis, and is older than the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity itself. Pictured above with Archdeacon Jonathan LLoyd and Canon Ulla Monberg are the Bishop of Copenhagen and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Denmark, alongside clergy from the Russian Orthodox, Danish Lutheran, Danish Methodist, Swedish Lutheran, Norwegian Lutheran, and RC churches in the city.

The large congregation worshipped for 15 minutes in each church (with two services in each of the smaller churches), and walked in procession between each one. Starting at St Paul's Lutheran Church (built 1877), they then went to Jerusalem Methodist Church (built 1866), St Aleksandr Nevskij Russian Orthodox Church (built 1883), St Ansgar RC Cathedral (built 1842), St Alban's Anglican Church (built 1887) and finally (for the sermon by the Bp of Copenhagen) to St Gustaf Swedish Church (built 1911) followed by strong Swedish coffee! At St Alban's, Evensong was led by Canon Ulla Monberg.

Archdeacon LLoyd said "To have 800 people walking the streets in prayer in a temperature of -2C, was a wonderful experience of visible ecumenism in action."

St Bartholomew's Dinard continues its witness for Christian unity

2012-01-25T15:29:00.002Z

Fr Randall (rt) with ecumenical colleagues in St Bartholomew's

St Bartholomew's Dinard traditionally plays an active part in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Brittany. This year was no exception. Our congregation hosted an ecumenical gathering on Thursday 19 January at which the Revd Gareth Randall, priest-in-charge of St Bartholomew's, preached in French. He spoke of the fundamental unity we share, whether Roman Catholic, Adventist, Reformed, Anglican, Methodist or Baptist, in the firm belief that Jesus is risen, and that through him, God's Son, we can attain eternal life.

Although relatively few in number on continental Europe, Anglicans continue to witness in significant ways to the Gospel imperative of unity for all Christians.

Anglicans in Istanbul take active part in Week of Prayer for Unity

2012-01-23T17:57:00.002Z

Fr Engin Yildirim (left) at ecumenical evening prayer hosted by the Church of the Resurrection

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was an active one for Anglicans in Istanbul. Several Churches in the city hosted events during the week: Roman Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, German Lutheran, Anglican, International and Turkish Protestant churches all participated.

Fr Engin Yildirim, priest-in-charge of the Church of the Resurrection, was invited to represent the Anglican Church in the readings in the different churches during the week. This Turkish language congregation of the Diocese in Europe, in the Pera district of the city, hosted the evening prayer event on Wednesday 18 January.

In spite of very cold and snowy weather, over 100 from different churches gathered for the prayers each evening. Afterwards every church served warm drinks and snacks to create and encourage a time for fellowship.

Fr Engin and the Church of the Resurrection – Pera continue to place significant importance on building bridges among all the churches in Istanbul. Their participation and leadership this past week most certainly helped accomplished this goal.

The Revd Sampson Ajuka makes history in Clogher

2012-01-20T00:34:00.000Z

A priest from the Diocese in Europe is making history in the Church of Ireland!

The Revd Sampson Ajuka is a native of Nigeria who tested his vocation to the priesthood in the diocese in Europe several years ago. He was ordained in this diocese after his studies at the Queens Foundation for Theological Studies in Birmingham and served his curacy in St Anthony of Egypt congregation in Padua and St George's Venice. Just before Christmas, Fr Sampson moved to take up responsibility for the Devenish and Boho Group of Parishes in the Diocese of Clogher in the Church of Ireland. He is accompanied by his wife Ugonna and their two children Chiemela and Rejoice.

The Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd John McDowell, says of this appointment, "It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Sampson and his family into the Diocese. I think I am correct in saying that Sampson will be the first African clergy person to have charge of a parish in the Diocese of Clogher, and his presence will also serve to remind us that the Anglican Communion, to which we belong, is a worldwide fellowship. For many years all of the movement of clergy was from the UK and Ireland to Africa, but now the Churches of Africa are in a position to share their spiritual riches with us. We rejoice in that day.”

In the photo above, Fr Sampson (left) on the day of his ordination to the priesthood, with the Archdeacon of Italy and Malta, the Venerable Jonathan Boardman (right).

Vocations to the priesthood being explored in St Andrew's Moscow

2012-01-19T17:20:00.000Z

A remarkable feature of parish life in St Andrew's Moscow is the emergence of possible vocations to the priesthood. At present 2 young people, both Russians, are engaged in the discernment process under the direction of the Director of Ordinands of our diocese, the Revd William Gulliford.

Given that we have only two parishes in Russia (Moscow and St Petersburg) one would think it would be quite unusual for Russians themselves to have an experience of Anglicanism that was of such significance that they wish to begin exploration to priesthood! So it is a tribute to the quality of the spiritual, liturgical and community life of this active, multicultural parish, that people are finding this to be a Church where deep questions of Christian discipleship and possible public ministry can be explored. It is also due, in no small measure, to the example of faithful parish priesthood seen in the ministry of the chaplain of St Andrew's, Canon Simon Stephens.

During my recent visit to St Andrew's, two of the postulants for Holy Orders, Olga and Ivan, took me for a walking tour of some of the more unusual Churches in central Moscow. They are pictured above outside the Church of the Bulgarian Metochion. A metochion in Orthodoxy, is rather like an "ecclesiastical embassy church". I suppose not unlike our own Church of England congregations on the Continent!

St Andrew's Moscow and the Russian Orphan Education project

2012-01-15T23:46:00.001Z

Fr Simon Stephens (left) with some students and teachers of the ROOF education centre

On a recent visit to St Andrew's Moscow I visited with some students and teachers at the ROOF education centre. ROOF (Russian Orphan Opportunity Fund) is a charity supported by St Andrew's. The education centre is housed in the parish facilities.

This project seeks to provide education for young people from orphanages in Moscow. In Russian orphanages only the basics of education is provided. ROOF provides further learning in core and vocational subjects to help the young people to overcome their disadvantaged past and thus open up opportunities for employment and higher education which otherwise would not be possible. Many graduates of the centre have gone on to university; one is now a lawyer and one is a priest! The chaplain of St Andrew's, the Revd Canon Dr Simon Stephens is very much the pastor to the students and teachers at the centre.

The ROOF education centre was launched in 2000. 200 students are currently enrolled. Classes run 6 days a week. The website for ROOF (there are other aspects to the charity besides the education centre) is here.

St Andrew's Moscow website is here.

The Revd Andrew Sillis to Bonn and Cologne

2012-01-15T05:00:00.000Z

This month, the Revd Andrew Sillis began his new ministry in All Saints, Cologne, and St Boniface, Bonn, in Germany.

Fr Sillis comes to this diocese from St Mary the Virgin, Cuddington, in the Diocese of Guildford. Before ordination he trained as an environmental scientist, and continues a interest in this area. He also is a musician and admits to being "an avid follower of Formula 1". He is accompanied by his wife Rebecca ( a teacher of English, German and French), and his two children, Zachary 14, and Hannah, 8.

We welcome Fr Andrew to this diocesan family.

There have been Anglican congregations in these two cities since the mid 1800's. The website of the Churches in Bonn/Cologne is here.

Bishop Arturo Sánchez, RIP

2012-01-14T10:18:00.000Z

Bishop Arturo Sánchez Galán, the retired bishop of the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church (Iglesia Española Reformada Episcopal, IERE) died on the morning of 10 January. He was 85. "Don Arturo" was the bishop of this Spanish Anglican jurisdiction, from 1983 to 1995. (IERE was organised in 1868 by dissident Roman Catholics. It became an autonomous part of the Anglican Communion in 1980. The present Bishop Carlos López Lozano resides in Madrid. There are about 25 parishes and missions. These are quite separate from the Church of England's Diocese in Europe churches and congregations in Spain).

Bishop Sánchez was responsible as chairman of FEREDE (the Federation of Protestant Churches in Spain), for heading up negations between the Spanish State and the non-Roman Catholic Churches including reaching important agreements of cooperation, following the difficult Franco years. He also had an international profile having served on the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches.

Don Arturo may be known to many of our Church of England’s long-term residents in Spain. I first met him in Panama in 1987 at the Latin American Anglican Congress, where he was warmly welcomed as a bishop from "la Madre Patria". (This term sounds contradictory in English, but works for Latin Americans).

The funeral for Bishop Sánchez will be held in the IERE Cathedral of the Redeemer in Madrid, on 15 January. Our condolences go to his wife Raquel and their family.

Señor, recíbele en los brazos de tu misericordia, y en el bendito descanso de la paz eterna.

Theodore Gulliford RIP

2012-01-12T09:21:00.000Z

Theodore William Georges Gulliford

I am aware that many of the clergy and laity of the diocese may not yet have heard the sad news of the death of Theodore Gulliford, the young son of our Director of Ordinands, the Revd William Gulliford and his wife Beatrice, and beloved brother of Valentine, Marie-Pia and Philomene. Theodore died in the early hours of 31 December.

Shortly after he was born, he was diagnosed with having a neurological disorder. The family had not expected him to live for more than a year. But in fact this beautiful, joyful and loving child completed his sixth birthday on Christmas Day.

The funeral service was last Monday, with a requiem and committal service on Tuesday.

Fr William wrote these moving words on 4 January:

We are very very sad, but full of memories, and we know that Theodore’s earthly limitations are no more and that he was fully alive until God took him to be hid with Christ in Him. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

I know that across this diocese people have been praying for Theodore these past years. Please continue to pray for the Gulliford family as they mourn their loss. Pray also for Theodore, that he may live, radiant, in the happiness of God’s kingdom.

Conference for Readers and Readers in Training

2012-01-04T09:47:00.000Z

There are still some places left for Readers and Readers in Training to register for the Europe Diocesan Readers' Conference scheduled for this June 15-18 in Cologne, Germany. The theme of the conference is Bearing the Word and an invited panel of speakers and resource persons will focus on different aspects of the ministry of Reader in the Church of England.

Nick Clarke (Senior Communications Officer for the Church of England): Communicating the Word in the Modern World
The Revd Elaine Labourel (Tutor for Reader Training in the Diocese): Bearing the Word in the Liturgy of the Church
The Revd Sara McVane (Assistant Priest, St Andrew's Zurich): Equipping Readers to address conflict in the Church
Dr Clare Amos (World Council of Churches Executive for Inter Religious Dialogue): Reading the Bible and Contemporary Hermeneutics
The Revd Dr Paul Collins (Vicar of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne): Prayer and Spirituality, Rooted in the Word.

Daily worship drawing from the rich liturgical traditions, ancient and contemporary, of the Church of England, will undergird the days together. There will be time for sharing experiences and insights with Readers and those in training for this Ministry of the Word from across Europe.

The cost is £360. Licensed Readers in Europe can apply CME grant money towards this. (£150 is allocated per year, per Reader, so two years allocation almost covers the conference cost). Please contact your Archdeacon (or your priest). Readers in Training should also contact their Archdeacon or speak to their priest for grant support information.

The conference has been planned by a team which includes Readers and Readers in Training from the diocese who are aware of the particular joys and challenges of this ministry in Europe. The planning team is pictured below.

To download a registration form click here.

Recent Retirements in the Diocese

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000Z

As a rule I announce on this website any retirements from active ministry in the diocese. In the last three months there have been three such retirements which I note below.

The Reverend Canon Geoffrey Evans retired as Priest-in-Charge of the Anglican Church of St Nicholas, Ankara, Turkey on 5 October. Fr Geoffrey has had an illustrious career in this diocese having previously served in Izmir, Istanbul, Rome and Moscow. He was the last post-holder of the magnificent title Archdeacon of the Aegean, which he held from 1978 - 1994. In June he was honoured with an OBE in the Queen's birthday list. In his retirement, Fr Geoffrey has Permission to Officiate which will come in useful in our developing work on the Turkish coast.

The Reverend Deacon Ann Babb, the Assistant Curate in the Anglican Church of St Boniface, Antwerp, Belgium retired on 20 November. Deacon Ann has had a long association with St Boniface, and with the Mission to Seafarers chaplaincy in the port. She was ordained deacon in 2006 and has helped to open up the awareness of this distinctive ordained ministry within our diocese. Although now officially retired she continues to serve St Boniface's parish with Permission to Officiate.

The Reverend Robert Ellis, Chaplain of the Anglican Church of SS Philip & James, Palma de Mallorca, Spain retired on 7 December. He has led this active parish since 2001 in outreach to the 50,000 British who reside on the island, as well as to the vast numbers of visitors. Fr Robert has also served on Diocesan Synod and on Bishop's Council and has shared extensively his considerable knowledge of Church communications.

We wish Fr Geoffrey, Deacon Ann and Fr Robert every blessing in their retirement and thank God for their service to his people.

End of Year Book Reviews

2011-12-29T09:54:00.002Z

Here are some books reviewed for your end of the year reading. The 10 works below include one by our former Director of Training, Charlotte Methuen. There are also two Lent Books suitable for both private and group study which you may like to peruse for your forward planning. (Ash Wednesday is on 22 February!). As usual there are also works on prayer and spirituality, volumes of ecumenical interest, and lots of solid theology.

Buona letttura!

Click on Read more for the reviews ...

Gregory S Clapper, The Renewal of the Heart is the Mission of the Church: Wesley’s Heart Religion in the Twenty First Century, Lutterworth Press, ISBN 978-0-71889-247-0, £15.50

It has been argued that John Wesley has influenced more American Christians that any other Protestant theologian and it has been further suggested that one reason for this is that Wesley often spoke about the ‘heart’ and its ‘affections. This way of speaking has meant that he has seemed to offer an experiential account of religion and this is something that has had great appeal. However, contemporary stereotypes concerning ‘affections’ or ‘emotions’ can often present a barrier to understanding what Wesley actually taught about ‘heart religion’. As a result it is rare for either Wesley’s friends or his critics to appreciate properly his sophisticated understanding of affective reality. In his new book Professor Gregory Clapper, a Methodist scholar from the University of Indiana, seeks to address this misunderstanding of Wesley’s teaching by clarifying what Wesley himself meant when he emphasized the renewal of the heart. Professor Clapper begins by giving an overview of some recent work by contemporary philosophers and theologians that has given us a new understanding of is meant by ‘emotion.’ He then uses this new understanding of emotion to throw new light on Wesley’s vision of Christianity as a renewal of the heart and to reclaim his language about the heart as the framework for a comprehensive theological vision of Christian life and thought. He concludes his book with several practical applications that make clear the power of Wesley’s vision to transform lives today. Wesley was a great Anglican theologian and this new work is helpful tool for anyone who wants to obtain a batter understanding of a central element of his theology.

Stephen Cottrell, The Nail: Being part of the Passion, SPCK, ISBN 978-0-28106-635-3, £6.99

This new Lent Book from the Bishop of Chelmsford is based on a way of presenting the story of the Passion that he has used in various missions and at a Good Friday service at All Saints Marlow in 2008. In his introduction he writes that this way of presenting the story ‘has proved a remarkably effective way of telling the story of the cross and getting over in a powerfully emotional way what it means for God and what it means for us, it is a way of reflecting theologically upon the cross through a retelling of the story.’ The story is retold in seven chapters, each of which focuses on a different key character from the Passion story, who describes his or her experience of Jesus’ death. The nails that were used to crucify Christ are used as a starting point for these reflections (hence the title of the book) and each of the seven characters considers the questions ‘who killed Christ? and ‘who was responsible? ’ Each chapter consists of a Biblical passage, a meditative hymn, a reflection from the point of view of the character concerned, and a short prayer. The book is designed both for individual reflection and for group study. The book finishes with some practical suggestions on how it can be used as a Lent study course and the book can also be adapted to form the basis of a Good Friday liturgy. As we have come to expect from its author, the book is readable and challenging and is likely to prove a very useful resource for both individuals and churches.

Eamon Duffy, Ten Popes that shook the world, Yale UP, ISBN 978-0-30017-688-9, £14.99

John Reed’s classic account of the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 was entitled Ten days that shook the world. This title was adapted by the BBC in 2007 for a series on Radio 4 by the Cambridge historian Professor Eamon Duffy on ten great Popes. In this new book Professor Duffy now gives us his account of these Popes in written form. The book begins with St. Peter and then looks in turn at Leo the Great from the fifth century, Gregory the Great from the sixth century, Gregory VII from the eleventh century, Innocent III from the thirteenth century, Paul III from the sixteenth century, and Pius IX from the nineteenth century. The book finishes by looking at three twentieth century Popes, Pius XII, who was in office during the Second World War, John XXIII who launched Vatican II and John Paul II, the first non-Italian Pope in 450 years. Professor Duffy explains the role that each of these Popes played in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, but as the title of the original BBC series and now this book indicates, he also explains how they shaped the wider world as well, playing a central role in the history of Europe and the world as a whole. This is a very readable account of ten great Popes and it will be of interest to anyone who wants a better understanding of these individuals, of the history of the Roman Catholic Church and of how the Papacy has helped to shape the world in which we live today.

Charlotte Methuen, Luther and Calvin: Religious Revolutionaries, Lion, ISBN 978-0-74595-340-3, £9.99 (Amazon Kindle edition £8.54)

It is generally acknowledged that Martin Luther and John Calvin were, like Eamon Duffy’s ten popes, men who ‘shook the world.’ What they did during their life times and the impact that their lives have subsequently had has fundamentally shaped the Western world as we know it today. However, although their importance is generally acknowledged, what they actually stood for in their own day is now much less well known. Dr Charlotte Methuen, the former Director of Training of this Diocese in Europe, who is now the Lecturer in Church History at the University of Glasgow, is an expert in the history and theology of the Reformation and in her new book she combats this ignorance about the teachings of Luther and Calvin by providing a reliable beginners’ guide to their thought and to why their influence has continued to change the world. The book sets Luther and Calvin in their historical context. It then goes on to look in turn at what each of them actually taught. Next it considers the arguments that have subsequently raged about the interpretation of their teaching and finally it looks at how their teaching changed the face of Europe and then spread to

America

and the wider world. This is an excellent introduction to two of the most import theologians in the history of the Church. It can be confidently recommended to anyone coming to study them for the first time, but it will be equally helpful as a refresher guide for anyone who studied them some time ago and now wants to look at them afresh.

Richard S Reddie, Martin Luther King Jr. Lion, ISBN 978-0-74595-282-6, £10.99

In October this year President Obama unveiled a statue of Martin Luther King in the centre of Washington DC and declared him to be a ‘founder of the American nation.’ This ceremony to honour King is just the latest sign of the heroic status that he now has, not only in the United States, but around the world. He has become a symbol of courage, self-denial, compassion and reconciliation, and is seen as exemplifying the fact that sheer force of character can overcome any obstacle. His famous 1963 ‘I have a dream’ speech is widely regarded as expressing the universal values to which all good people now aspire. However, as in the case of many figures who have achieved heroic status, there is the danger that who King really was can become lost and the more difficult and challenging aspects of his life and thought can become forgotten. In his new biography of King, Richard Reddie, who was the Project Director for the Churches Together in

England

's initiative to mark the bicentenary of the 1807 Act to abolish the slave trade, attempts to ensure that this does not happen. In an informative and thought-provoking reappraisal of King’s life Reddie argues that King was not the 'moderate' he is now often portrayed as being, but a radical thinker whose ideas on peace, war, poverty, social justice and equality were well ahead of his time. Reddie explains how in the mid 1960s King broadened his approach from a concentration on civil rights to include 'human rights' issues as well as, and how it was this development which most concerned his detractors and hastened his downfall. This is a very important guide to King’s life and continuing significance that will be of interest not only to those approaching King for the first time, but also to those who want to think more deeply about what he really stood for and the lessons he still has for us today.

Alan Verhey, The Christian Art of Dying, Eerdmans, ISBN 978-0-80286-672-1, £19.99

The question of what it means to die well is a live one because of the continuing debate about assisted suicide. However, the question has focussed on the whether or not it is right to help someone to die when they feel that life has become unendurable. This reflects the fact that in our day the question of how to die well has tended to become reduced to the medical question of how to die with the greatest amount of dignity and the least amount of pain. It was not always thus. In the history of the church the ‘art of dying’ was not primarily about pain relief, but about how to die well as a Christian in order to participate in the blessings offered by God in the life to come. In his new book the American Christian ethicist Professor Alan Verhey, who himself faced death during a recent life-threatening illness, seeks to recover this traditional Christian perspective in order to bring ‘both comfort and courage to other mortal Christians and confidence to the Christian communities who are called to care for them.’ He revisits the fifteenth century Ars Moriendi, an illustrated spiritual manual designed to instruct the medieval Christian how to die well, Although he finds much wisdom in this book he ultimately rejects its Stoic and Platonic worldview and argues instead that it is in the biblical accounts of Jesus death that we find a truly helpful paradigm for dying well and faithfully. This book is a very helpful study of what a good death means from a Christian perspective. In the words of John Swinton from the University of Aberdeen: ‘Death is inevitable. But how we die is not so inflexible. In this scholarly yet deeply personal reflection on death and dying, Allen Verhey offers vital insight into how we think about dying and what kind of people we need to be if dying well is to become our new way of living.’

Miroslav Volf, A Public Faith: How followers of Christ should serve the Common Good, Brazos Press, ISBN 978-1587432989, £ 12.99 (Amazon Kindle edition £8.46)

Professor Miroslav Volf of Yale Divinity School is widely recognised as one of today’s leading theological writers and in his new book he addresses the pressing topic of the role of Christians in public life today. We live in an increasingly pluralist world in which those of various faiths now live side by side in increasing numbers. This raises the question of how it is possible for adherents of different faiths to live together, especially when each religion wants to shape the public realm in line with its own beliefs. In addressing this question Volf explores three major issues which Christians need to consider in relation to today’s world: 1) In what way does the Christian faith come to malfunction in the contemporary world and how should we counter these malfunctions? 2) What should a Christian's main concern be when it comes to living well in the world today? and 3) How should we go about realizing a vision for human flourishing in relation to other faiths and under the roof of a single state? In Volf’s view Christianity malfunctions both when its seeks to impose its vision through coercion and when Christians become ‘idle’ and retreat into a privatised form of religion which ceases to make a contribution in the public realm. As he sees it we need to chart a course between two equally unhelpful extremes, on the one hand ‘totalitarian saturation of public life with a single religion’ and on the other the ‘secular exclusion of all religion from public life.’ Volf’s overall argument is that the main contribution Christianity brings to the public arena is a vision of the common good, or, as he puts it, what makes for human flourishing The primary way that Christians are called to work toward this objective is not by imposing its vision on the world but by bearing witness to Christ who first shapes our lives. This book will be an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to think more deeply about the place of Christianity in a plural world and about how we can find a middle course between totalitarianism on the one hand and a purely private form of religion on the other.

Andrew Watson, The Way of the Desert, BRF, ISBN 978-1841017983, £7.99

Following on from his two previous publications for the Bible Reading Fellowship, The Fourfold Leadership of Jesus and Confidence in the Living God (a study of the story of David and Goliath), the Bishop of Aston’s new book for the BRF is a Lent Book that provides a series of daily Bible readings running through Lent to Easter. In these readings he looks at two accounts of time spent in the desert, the Old Testament story of the time spent in the wilderness by the people of Israel after their crossing of the Red Sea and before their entry into the promised land and the story of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness as recorded in the Gospels. He starts from the premise that the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness were a period of spiritual training in which Jesus meditated on the story of Israel’s time in the wilderness and its lessons for his forthcoming ministry and argues that by comparing and contrasting Jesus’ time in the wilderness with the story of the people of Israel we can learn how to avoid Israel’s mistakes and learn how to follow Jesus perfect example as we too journey through the ‘desert’ of this world to the homeland that God has promised us. This is a series of readable and stimulating studies that will provide a useful course of Lenten reading either for individuals or for Lent study groups.

Tom Wright, Simply Jesus, SPCK, ISBN 978-0-28106-479-3, £9.99

As he explains in the preface, in his new book Tom Wright seeks to answer the simple question ‘tell me about Jesus.’ As he further explains ‘I decided to answer the simple question by putting together, layer upon layer, in as simple a form as I could, what I thought might help someone who really wanted to find the way to Jesus, to Jesus as he really was, and so to find the way through Jesus both to God himself and to a life in which following Jesus would make sense.’ The book is in three parts. In the first part Wright explores ‘what the key questions are, why they matter and why we today find them difficult to answer.’ In the second part he seeks to explain ‘what I think Jesus’ public career was all about, what he was trying to accomplish and how he want about it.’ In the third part he looks at the question of what all this means for us today, exploring what it means to say that Jesus’ project of bringing in God’s kingdom ‘can become a reality not only in the lives of his followers, but through the lives of his followers.’ Even for those who have many of Tom Wright’s earlier books this one is worth getting for two reasons. First, it reflects the way that his own thinking about Jesus has developed since he wrote his previous books like Jesus and the victory of God. If you want to know what he now thinks you need to read this book. Secondly, it is written in a straight forward fashion that makes it a useful resource to lend or give way to a serious enquirer who wants to know what can be said with integrity about Jesus in the light of New Testament scholarship.

Irma Zaleski, Living the Jesus Prayer: Practising the Prayer of the Heart, Canterbury Press, ISBN 978-1-84825-101-4, £5.99

What is known as the ‘Jesus Prayer’ is a form of prayer that has been used since the earliest days of Christianity. It has existed in many variations from ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ to the use of the single word ‘Jesus,’ but in all its many forms it has been a basis for prayer and for focussing on God that has been used by monks, nuns, clergy and lay people across the whole of the Eastern Church. Today it has spread beyond the churches of the East and it is used by Christians from many different traditions across the world. However, many Christians in the West are still unsure about what the Jesus Prayer is about and how to use it. This book by Irma Zaleski, a Christian writer now living in Canada, helps to address these issues. In line with the Eastern tradition Zaleski holds that the Jesus Prayer is a gateway to our divinization, our being ‘transformed into that divine image which we were created to be’ and in her book she provides a short, simple and inexpensive guide that is ideal for all who are new to the use of the Jesus Prayer as well as those who are already learning to make it part of their daily practice of prayer. In some forms of Eastern Christianity there is a tradition of continuously reciting the Jesus Prayer, thus fulfilling the New Testament injunction to ‘pray without ceasing.’(1 Thess 5:17). Zaleski’s book may not lead people immediately to this level of spiritual discipline, but it is a useful place to start for anybody approaching the Jesus Prayer for the first time or who are wanting to develop their use of it.

A happy and blessed Christmas

2011-12-24T21:00:00.000Z

I wish a happy Christmas to readers of this blog. At this holy season may you find a moment of gentle, quiet stillness for the Incarnate Word to be received with joy. May the Good News of his birth rekindle within us the flame of love for others.

Holy Jesus,by being born one of us,and lying humbly in a manger,you show us how much God loves the world.Let the light of our love always shine in our hearts,until we reach our home in heaven,and see you on your throne of glory.(Common Worship)

Advent in the Diocese in Europe: full churches and ecumenical importance

2011-12-24T12:30:00.000Z

Reports from across the Diocese in Europe indicate that services this Advent were well attended once again. On the Continent of Europe, many of our congregations hold a service of lessons and carols which has become immensely popular among Europeans, who find this English / Anglican tradition with its fine music and stirring scripture readings to be very moving. Such services are usually important ecumenical occasions as well, and in many local communities helps to put our Church of England parishes in Europe "on the map". St Paul's Monaco (above) is good example of this. Fr Walter Raymond, the Chaplain of St Paul's said that this year's Carol Service was the best attended ever! The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Monaco, Monseigneur Bernard Barsi, (below 4th from left), was present again this year, to give the final blessing.

Photos courtesy of St Paul's Monaco

World Council of Churches 2011 Christmas Message

2011-12-24T08:52:00.001Z

The World Council of Churches General Secretary, Olav Fykse Tveit, has sent this Christmas message to the member Churches. The WCC brings together 349 churches in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 560 million Christians. It includes most of the world's Anglicans (including the Church of England), as well as most of the Old Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, as well as many Independent churches. The headquarters are in Geneva, within our diocese.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
hath appeared to all". Titus 2:11, KJV

Grace to you and peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the appearance of the gracious salvation of the Triune God enlighten our hearts, minds and spirits in this joyous season.

New Testament accounts of the advent and nativity of Jesus stress the all-encompassing nature of the Christ event. Without reservation, the Biblical text says that God’s grace appears to all, offering the promise of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation with God in heaven and with our neighbours on earth. The grace of God has appeared in the person of Jesus Christ. He appears for the sake of marginalized shepherds and their families in his homeland. He attracts the attention of well-to-do scholars in distant nations. He appears to Mary and Joseph as a gift of God’s mystery. Through these faithful witnesses, and the proclamation of good news down the ages, Jesus appears to us. We, too, are called to respond to his presence among us today.

In May 2011, one thousand people gathered in Jamaica under the theme, “Glory to God and Peace on Earth.” It is the heart of the Christmas message and gave heart to the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC). This song of angels recorded in Luke called our attention to the need for Just Peace for all in the 21st century. Praying that the peace of God will appear to all, the message of the IEPC made this vow:

“With partners of other faiths, we have recognized that peace is a core value in all religions, and the promise of peace extends to all people regardless of their traditions and commitments. Through intensified inter-religious dialogue we seek common ground with all world religions.”

And the IEPC message offered this exhortation to Christians:

“We as churches are in a position to teach nonviolence to the powerful, if only we dare. For we are followers of one who came as a helpless infant, died on the Cross, told us to lay aside our swords, taught us to love our enemies and was resurrected from the dead.”

May the grace and peace of God appear to many more through this season of Christmas! On behalf of the World Council of Churches, I wish you well at the turning of this year, and I pray for God’s blessing on our common journey in the years to come.

Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit
General Secretary
World Council of Churches

Ecumenical guests join the Revd John Marvell to Celebrate 30 years as a priest

2011-12-16T07:56:00.000Z

The Revd John Marvell, a retired priest who has Permission to Officiate in the Diocese and who assists regularly in St Bartholomew's Dinard, France, celebrated his 30th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood last Sunday 11 December. To honour the occasion, the priest-in-charge of St Bartholomew's, the Revd Gareth Randall, invited Fr John to preside and preach, and hosted a celebratory lunch following.

Fr John was heartened to see many ecumenical friends, Roman Catholic and Protestant, who attended the service, which was clearly a tribute to his ecumenical leadership as he served as chairman of the Groupement Oecumenique for five years.

Congratulations, Fr John. Ad multos annos!

St Bartholomew's Church, now 140 years old, serves English-speaking residents and visitors on the North Brittany coast. The parish website is here.

A festive moment in Tufton Street

2011-12-15T07:42:00.000Z

The staff of my office (Deacon Frances!) and the staff of the Diocesan Office work very hard together as an extended team in Tufton Street, serving the 300 congregations of the diocese. With well over a week to go before the Christmas break, on Wednesday we unchained ourselves from our desks and came together for a moment to share the festive spirit (i.e.a selection of white and red) and to munch some mince pies. It was also the time for the traditional Secret Santa exchange. In the photo above from left to right: Bron, Adrian, me, Frances, Sylvia, Verena, Nick and Andy. Jeanne, somehow, escaped the camera!

This year's most coveted Secret Santa gift went to Andy Male, the Finance Assistant: Wash Away Your Sins Bubble Bath.

Prayers of the diocese for the people of Liege, Belgium

2011-12-13T20:23:00.001Z

I have been in touch with the Revd Paul Yiend, the priest-in-charge of our congregation in Liege, Belgium, to offer the assurance of the prayers of the faithful of the diocese for the city which has been terrorised by today's attack by a criminal armed with grenades and guns. 4 people were left dead and over 75 injured. The attack, according to Fr Yiend, was in the very heart of the city where there is an extensive Christmas market. He added that with the crowds that visit the square it was indeed fortunate that there were not more lives lost.

There are no reports of any of the Anglican community directly affected. Of course, an event like this will leave the entire population traumatised. We pray for all who are seeking to bring comfort in the midst of the tragedy.

Father of mercy, in this time of grief let your people know your comforting love, that you stand alongside them, as the Son who brings hope and as the Spirit who brings healing.

Lucia in St Paul's Cathedral

2011-12-10T08:13:00.001Z

Diocese in Europe parishioners in Sweden will certainly be familiar with the Sankta Lucia service. In London, the Swedish Church and Swedish community continues the tradition and shares it with the English. Indeed, the event is a highlight of the Advent season in the city. This year the service was held in St Paul's Cathedral, where the Cathedral choir joined with the 50 voice Ulrika Eleanora Church Choir from the Swedish Church in Marylebone. As a sign of our close links through the Porvoo Agreement, I was invited to be present for this service in a packed St Paul's.

The beautiful service of readings, hymns and carols, in Swedish and English, comes to a climax with the appearance of Lucia, dressed in a white gown, crowned with candles and a red ribbon of martyrdom around her waist. St Lucia, whose feast day is 13 December, (formerly the Midwinter or longest night of the year in the Old Swedish calendar), was a martyr in Syracuse, Sicily in 304.

The Swedish Dean and Rector in London, the Revd Michael Persson, prays "May this Lucia celebration inspire us to receive the light, which is Christ, into our hearts this Christmas and to pass it on to everyone we meet in 2012".

Mr Colin Pratt, Reader in Aquitaine, RIP

2011-12-09T16:39:00.001Z

This morning I received news from the parish of the Aquitaine in France of the sudden death of one of our Readers, Mr Colin Pratt. This comes as a shock to the members of the parish, as he was actively serving in his ministry last Sunday. He had been a Reader in our diocese since 2007 when he transferred from the Diocese of London.

The Chaplain of Aquitaine, the Revd Dr Paul Vrolijk, has written to his parishioners announcing Colin's death, and said:

It is with great sadness that I have to share the news that Colin Pratt has died. Colin was a great friend to many....and a great servant to the church. I will miss a wise friend. Please pray for all who are grieving.

Lord God, may our brother Colin come to the banquet of life Christ has prepared for us.

December 2011 Book Reviews

2011-12-09T07:14:00.001Z

Here are 9 books reviewed in our December selection. Among the volumes below you will find an important new look at 1 Corinthians, a resource to help us understand the contemporary Twilight phenomenon, a remarkable story of conversion, an anthropological work by an important modern European theologian, and a stimulating volume on leadership in the parish. But there's much more...

Felix lectio!

Click on the read more link for the reviews.

Kenneth E Bailey, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes, SPCK, ISBN 978-0-28106-455-7, £16.99

Kenneth Bailey is an American Presbyterian theologian who spent forty years living and teaching in seminaries and institutes in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem and Cyprus. His experience of living and working in the Middle East has led him to believe that an understanding of Middle Eastern culture and a knowledge of Arabic, Coptic and Syriac sources that are often overlooked by Western scholars can help us to a clearer understanding of the teaching of the New Testament by making us more sensitive to the way that the New Testament texts work as literary structures and to the cultural norms that they reflect. Most of Bailey’s work along these lines has found expression in studies of the gospels such as his study of the parable in St. Luke’s Gospel Poet and Peasant and his more recent study of the Gospels in general Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes. However, in his new book he has turned his attention to the Epistles and specifically to St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. In this book Bailey looks at 1 Corinthians in the light of what we know about Paul's Jewish socio-cultural and rhetorical background and the Mediterranean context of the Christians in Corinth In a series of essays he highlights the way in which 1 Corinthians is rooted in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets, how the structure of the letter reflects St Paul’s theological purpose in writing it and how the rhetorical form of the letter reflects the cultural practices of the Middle East. He then further explains how this fresh understanding of how 1 Corinthians works helps us to understand more clearly nature of Paul's response to the critical situations facing the Corinthian community: racial, ethnic and theological divisions, sexual misconduct, interaction with Hellenistic paganism and disputes about church practice. This work is warmly commended by Professor Anthony Thiselton and it is a useful resource for anyone who wants to be stimulated to think afresh about what St Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians and why.

Henry Bettenson and Chris Maunder (eds), Documents of the Christian Church, OUP, 4 ed, ISBN 978-0-1995-689-8, £16.99.

Since its first publication in 1943, Professor Henry Bettenson’s anthology of key documents from the history of the Church has been an invaluable resource to students of theology. However, Professor Bettenson published the second edition of his anthology in 1963 and many important documents have been produced by the churches since that date. In order to ensure that the anthology remained as useful as possible Chris Maunder, who is now Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University College of Ripon and York St John, therefore produced a third edition of Bettenson’s work in 1999 which added a selection of more recent documents. This additional selection illustrated the Second Vatican Council, theologies of liberation, Church and State from 'Thatcher's Britain' to Communist Eastern Europe, Black, feminist, and ecological theologies; ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue. It also reflected the developing ethical debates in the churches through documents on topics such as homosexuality, divorce, AIDS, and in-vitro fertilization. In this new fourth edition Maunder has added a further selection of documents illustrating the issues facing the churches in the twenty first century. This new selection includes documents that reflect the churches' responses to questions of social justice, international politics, trade and debt, environmental change, technological development, the global growth of Christianity, the progress of Christian unity, and mission in multi-faith and postmodern societies. This new edition brings a classic work up to date and is highly recommended to anyone who wants a handy work of reference giving you a comprehensive set of the key texts from the history of the Christian tradition.

Radu Bordeianu, Dumitru Staniloae: An Ecumenical ecclesiology, T & T Clark, ISBN 978-0-56733-481-7, £65.00.

The Romanian theologian Dumitru Staniloae (1903-1933) is generally regarded by those who know of his work as one of the most important Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century. However, because most of his work was produced in Romania during the communist era it is not yet very well known outside the relatively small circle of specialists in contemporary Orthodox thought. The purpose of the new book by Professor Radu Bordeianu, a Romanian Orthodox scholar working in the United States is to make Staniloae’s work better known. Its particular focus is on Staniloae’s teaching about the nature of the Church, which Bordeianu believes can make a helpful contribution to ecumenical discussion about this topic. Bodeaianu argues that Staniloae understands the Church as a communion in the image of the Trinity. As Staniloae sees it, the continuum of grace between the Trinity and the Church means that the relationships that exist among the persons of the Trinity are manifested both in creation in general and in the Church in particular in the relationships that exist between human beings and the non-human creation, between the Church and the world, between the local and universal aspects of the Church, between the clergy and the laity, and between the various charisms that exist in the Church. In this way, the Trinity fills the world and the Church and determines their modes of existence. Although this is an expensive volume, it is worth reading both as a useful introduction to the thinking of an important but neglected Orthodox theologian and as a contribution to the continuing ecumenical debate about how the nature of the Church relates to the Trinitarian structure of God’s own being and to God’s activity in the world as a whole.

Elaine Heath, The Gospel According to Twilight, SPCK, ISBN 978-0-28106-661-2, £9.99.

Given that her core fan base is teenage girls it may be that not many readers of this blog are familiar with Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series of vampire romances or have been to see the films based on the series. However, if they wish to relate to the culture in which we live, we need to understand the Twilight phenomenon since it has been the most popular series of books and films since the Harry Potter franchise with over one hundred million copies of the books in print and the films all being big box office hits. For many people the fictional world created by Stephanie Meyer is an important part of their mental furniture and is therefore necessary to be able to engage with this world from a Christian point of view. Elaine Heath is the Associate Professor of Evangelism at the Perkins School of Theology at the Southern Methodist University in the

United States

and in her new book she undertakes such an engagement, addressing both the problematic and the more positive aspects of the Twilight series. She notes that there is a deeply problematic emphasis on gender stereotyping and violence towards women. On the positive side, however, there is also a strong emphasis on salvation, on the importance of a strong and mutually supportive faith community and above all on reconciliation with the chief heroine, Bella Swan, being able in the end to bring peace between the warring species of humans, vampires, and werewolves. As Heath notes, the novels ultimately present a vision of a world in which a lion and lamb may lie down together, and a child and a viper can be friends. The series concludes with metaphorical glimpses of a world freed from the powers and principalities, from the terror of religious leaders who declare "holy" war. It is a redeemed world in which vampires, werewolves, and teenage girls belong to one another - a world made new through love, where all are family. Heath gives us a reliable guide to the world Meyer has created and her book, which includes questions for discussion, is a very useful tool for anyone who wants to understand the Twilight phenomenon and to explore its positive and negative aspects with those who are its fans.

W Paul Jones, A Different Kind of Cell: The Story of a Murderer who became a Monk, Eerdmans, ISBN 978-0-80286-651-6, £8.99.

A Different Kind of Cell is the story of a Roman Catholic monk called Clayton Fountain. It is an unusual and challenging story because Fountain, who died in 2004, was a cold blooded multiple murderer. He was a soldier in Vietnam who murdered his sergeant and was incarcerated for the crime. In prison, he killed four more people in succession, violently and without remorse ‘The simple facts are indisputable. He was a hardened killer, convicted of murdering in cold blood five different people at five different times with no apparent motive.’ Because the death penalty was not imposed in United States in 1984, Fountain was sentenced to a lifetime of solitary confinement and in the context of his solitary confinement he encountered God and was transformed as a result. In the fifteen years from 1989 until his death Fountain became a Christian and was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church. He went from being ‘both incorrigible and uncontrollable’ to being someone who was gentle, even meek. He began studying for the priesthood, though he knew that the prison would be his only ministry. He turned his cell into a holy hermitage, the ‘different kind of cell’ of the title. A life of solitary confinement became a life of solitary prayer. Fountain’s story has been written by the Roman Catholic priest who was his spiritual advisor during the last six years of his life. This is a book that deserves to be widely read as a witness to the fact that God is capable of changing people’s lives even in the most unpromising and seemingly unlikely circumstances and as a challenge to the idea that we can write anyone off as beyond redemption, no matter how dreadful their behaviour may have been. As Sister Helen Prejean puts it in the Foreword ‘No one is beyond the mercy of God. No one. The message of this book is that to kill anyone on the assumption that their redemption is impossible is to take the place of God.’

Sebastian Kim, Theology in the Public Sphere: Public Theology as a Catalyst for Open Debate, SCM, ISBN 978-0-33404-377-5, £40.00.

One of the key problems that the Christian Church now faces, at least in the Western world, is how to avoid the privatisation of the Christian faith in a context in which society is increasingly secular. How can Christianity still have a voice in the public square in a setting in which the Church can no longer claim an automatic right to be heard on matters of ethics or public policy? The new discipline of public theology has emerged in recent years as an attempt to address these issues. It seeks to promote a new form of participation by Christians in the public domain in which they make a contribution to the thinking of wider society by engaging in dialogue with those outside the Church and by promoting critical inquiry and public debate. The new volume by Professor Sebastian Kim, who holds the Chair in Theology and Public Life in the Faculty of Education & Theology and York St. John University, outlines a constructive model for the practice of public theology. In outlining this model Professor Kim draws on his experience in a number of different international contexts and explains how public theological thinking works with reference to a number of case studies of recent issues such as the Danish cartoon affair, the debate about the place of Sharia Law in Western societies and the involvement of the churches in reconciliation. This book will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the discipline of public theology or anyone who is interested in Christian involvement in public life. The key theological issue it raises, however, is whether the Christian contribution should in principle be restricted to acting as a ‘catalyst for open debate’ (Professor Kim’s preferred option) or whether in an ideal world the Church should be accepted as having the right to speak authoritatively to the nation on behalf of God.

Christoph, Cardinal Schönborn, Man the Image of God: The Creation of Man as Good News, Ignatius Press, ISBN 978-1-58617-420-0, £9.37.

Cardinal Schönborn is the Archbishop of Vienna. He is a renowned theologian who was the primary editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In this book he looks at the subject of Christian anthropology. He takes as his starting point the teaching of Genesis 1:26-27 that human beings are created in the image of God. According to the Cardinal this teaching tells us that ‘Man is created by God and for God; he has an incomparable dignity because God, in creating him, has for him an infinite love, the very origin of creation and the reason for the work of redemption.’ Drawing on the insights of philosophy, theology, science and art the Cardinal reflects on what it means to say that human beings have this incomparable dignity and to claim that all the works of God in creation converge towards, and find their fulfilment in, humanity and that humanity in turn was made for a relationship with God that is made possible through the work of Christ. As the title of the book suggests, he also explains why it is good news to see human beings in this light, not simply as the end product of impersonal processes of natural selection but as the objects of God’s love and of His personal and providential care. This is an important study that will be of benefit to anyone who wants to explore the common Christian belief in the unique dignity of human beings as those made in God’s image and to think further about how to explain and commend this belief to others.

Mike Starkey, Ministry Rediscovered: Shaping a Unique and Creative Church, BRF, ISBN 978-1-84101-616-0, £7.99.

In his new book Mike Starkey, a Vicar in West London, suggests that there are currently two main models of church leadership on offer, neither of which is helpful. The first model sees the role of the successful church leader as being to guard the traditions of a particular denomination or tradition of churchmanship. Those who adopt this model seek to act as faithful stewards of these traditions in changing times and to ensure that they are passed on to the future. The second model encourages the church leader to look for inspiration not to church tradition, but to what has been shown to work in large and successful churches today. Those who adopt this model seek to imitate the practices of these churches in the hope that what has worked elsewhere will also work in their church as well. In Starkey’s view the problem with both models is that all the reference points for what the local church should be a re drawn from elsewhere. In commercial terms both are a form of central buying that leave too little room for local creativity or uniqueness. What he suggests as a better alternative is for churches to learn to nurture something in their own context, which grows authentically out of the local community, congregation and leadership. In this scenario church leaders are not simply guardians of tradition or those who seek to replicate a successful model of being the church imported from elsewhere, but are creative explorers. In Starkey’s own words: ‘What if we were to see the role of church leader not so much as the guardian of a tradition or formula, but as an explorer, a creative person who takes people on a journey of discovery and opens up fresh possibilities? The explorer is somebody who heads off on a journey with others, for the sheer excitement of travelling and the wonder of arriving at new places not seen before. How can this sort of leader possibly know in advance precisely what the journey will look like or where it will take them?' This is a provocative and stimulating contribution to thinking about ministry which will be of interest to those engaged in ministry and those training people for it.

Benjamin Gordon Taylor and Nicholas Stebbing, Walter Frere, Canterbury Press, ISBN 978-1-85311-868-5, £18.99

Walter Frere (1863-1938) is not someone is well known today, even among people with a good general knowledge of Church history. However, in his day he was among the most important figures of the second generation of the Anglo-Catholic movement in the Church of England. He was a monk who was a musician, theologian and liturgist. He was one of the founders of the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield and subsequently Bishop of Truro. His liturgical influence stretched across the Anglican Communion and he was the first person in the Church of England to compile a book of collects and reading for saints days. He was heavily involved in the development of the 1928 Prayer Book and was also involved in ecumenical discussions with the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. This new volume of essays, edited by a member of the Community of the Resurrection and a tutor in liturgy at Mirfield, is the first critical study of Frere and his work. The essays it contains offer an overview of Frere’s life and character and a reflection on his spirituality. They consider his role as a teacher, his innovative vision of the priesthood, the controversy he aroused as Bishop of Truro, his pioneering ecumenical work, his influence on the 1928 Prayer Book and finally his enduring influence as a founder of the Community of the Resurrection. This work will be obviously be of interest to anyone associated with Mirfield and the Community of the Resurrection, but it will also be of interest to those who want to know more about the history of the Church of England at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries and to students of liturgy and church music.

25 years of Anglican worship in Puerto Pollensa, Mallorca

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000Z

Due to Iberia misplacing my luggage, I was 1/2 hour late for the patronal feast of the congregation of St Andrew in Puerto Pollensa, Mallorca, on 30 November. But despite the delay, joy filled the air as the parishioners came together for the celebration which included the confirmation of 4 of their number.

The day also marked the 25th anniversary of the congregation, which began its life under the Revd Roy Greenwood, who, though now retired on the island, still actively assists the priest-in-charge. At the offertory, one of the Churchwardens, Mrs Mary Payne, presented a festive cake to mark the anniversary.

The present priest-in-charge is the Revd Canon Mel Smith, who, together with Fr Roy concelebrated the eucharist with me that night.

The congregation has a webpage here.

The Revd Andrew Jacobson, new Assistant Priest in Gibraltar

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000Z

The staffing of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Gibraltar is now restored to its normal level. On 30 November, St Andrew's Day, the Archdeacon of Gibraltar, the Very Revd David Sutch, licensed the Revd Andrew Jacobson as Precentor / Port Chaplain.

Fr Andrew is pictured above, holding his licence, with his wife Jane to the right and the Revd Jim Sutton, the Dean's Chaplain to the left. The Dean, the Very Revd John Paddock is on the far left, and Archdeacon David Sutch is on the right, with the Peruvian stole.

We welcome Fr Andrew to this diocese and to his new ministry in our Cathedral Church!

Diocesan Secretary Installed as Canon

2011-12-05T12:54:00.001Z

On Sunday 4 December, the Dean of Gibraltar, the Very Revd Dr John Paddock, installed Mr Adrian Mumford, the Diocesan Secretary, as a Lay Minor Canon of Gibraltar Cathedral and Honorary Precentor of the Choral Foundation of the Cathedral Church in the Stall of St Cecilia.

This is a most fitting appointment. Many of us know that, in addition to serving us as Diocesan Secretary, Adrian gives outstanding musical leadership as organist for many diocesan events, including synods. He is, of course, our diocesan organ advisor.

Adrian is also an active singer, a member of the Twickenham Choral Society and the Marble Singers. He often participates in a small choir which provides music for special services in the Archbishop of Canterbury's chapel at Lambeth Palace.

St Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians.

Our best wishes to Canon Mumford on this appointment!

The Stall of St Cecilia in the Cathedral

Mystery Worshipper strikes again in Lanzarote!

2011-12-05T06:05:00.000Z

The Ship of Fools Mystery Worshipper has struck again in our Diocese in Europe, and for the second time in our Parish of St Laurence on the Canary Island of Lanzarote.

The Mystery Worshipper, whose pseudonym is "Chris Teean", gave St Laurence's a 10/10, the highest possible score, and concluded with this tribute:

"I would definitely want to be involved actively with this lovely parish if I lived on the island. Everyone had to drive their cars quite some distance to gather at this delightful little church, and the outcome was a most moving act of worship".

Well done people of St Laurence, and interim Priest--in-charge, Fr Geoffrey Arrand!

Read the full Mystery Worshipper Review here.

The parish of St Laurence has an attractive website here.