Archbishop of Palermo at Italy / Malta Synod, a historic moment

Archbishop Lorefice with some of the Archdeaconry clergy

The Italy/Malta Synod was held from 25-28 September in Palermo, Sicily. The theme, "Welcoming, Invitation and Hospitality" was explored through bible studies, plenary sessions and through chaplaincies sharing highlights from their community life. One of the features of this archdeaconry is the fact that some churches are located in places with large numbers of visitors and pilgrims (such as Venice, Florence and Rome). We also recognised that a common feature across the Archdeaconry (and the diocese) is that by and large our members are migrants; that is to say that most of our members come from "somewhere else". Many of our churches in Italy and Malta are exploring how their communities can be a home and a place of welcome for newer waves of migrants who are settling in these countries, from places other than the UK. There is a special charism in being a migrant church.  

During the synod a presentation was also heard on "thy Kingdom Come", the novena of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost, originally a Church of England initiative, but now a global ecumenical phenomenon. The new Diocesan Secretary, Mr Andrew Caspari, also was present at this his first synod of this Archdeaconry.  

Archbishop Corrado Lorefice

We were blessed with the visit of the Archbishop of Palermo, Corrado Lorefice, who graciously agreed to be our preacher at one of the masses during the synod. His Excellency gave an inspiring sermon on the Eucharist, linking the sacred meal to our Christian calling to provide the Bread of Justice in the world. I believe that this was the first occasion when a Roman Catholic Archbishop has preached at one of our synods. A very positive sign of our growing together as Anglicans and Roman Catholics.

The synod was not all work. A pub quiz organised concluded the meeting, with a very humble team emerging as winner. 

The sound of the conch being blown, ancient pre Columbian languages, mariachi and tightrope - all part of a Mexican consecration

The Caracol is blown to call the people to prayer

In the Church of England, the Archbishop (of York or Canterbury) when consecrating a new bishop lays out the duties of a bishop including "joining together in the ordination of bishops". Participating in the ordination of new bishops takes place, for me, most frequently in the Church of England. However, I was asked recently to be a co-consecrator for a new bishop in Mexico, and to preach at the consecration mass. It was a great privilege to do so, as the new bishop was an old friend, Fr Julio César Martin Trejo, now the Coadjutor Bishop of South East Mexico.

I have known Fr (now Bishop) Julio for 30 years. He was still in seminary when we first met. The consecration was in the Anglican Centre in Tuxtepec, in Oaxaca state. (The diocesan centre is in Xalapa, while the largest city in the diocese is Veracruz). Bishops from Mexico, the USA and Spain were present for the service on St Matthew's day, as well as clergy and laity from across the diocese, other Mexican dioceses and beyond. The Primate of Mexico, the Most Revd Francisco Moreno, presided. 

The episcopal regalia set out awaiting the consecration

It was a joyful and colourful occasion, with the liturgy (and preaching) in Spanish, readings and prayers in Zapateco, Maya and Chinanteco. The mass began with the solemn sound of the caracol  - a large conch-like shell - a pre-Columbian tradition marking a sacred event. The congregation included many more young persons than would be seen in England.

Representatives of communities in the diocese present the candidate to be consecrated

Tuxtepec has a very hot and humid microclimate. It was the sweatiest service (of about 2 1/2 hours length) I have been at for quite some time!

Bishop Julio, newly consecrated

Bishop Julio faces many challenges. The faithful of South East Mexico are majority indigenous people and a number of distinct indigenous languages are spoken. Many are not able to understand Spanish well. The people are economically poor, but rich in their faith and in their cultural traditions. There are also many migrants moving through from countries to the south such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, most of whom are heading for the USA. The communities of the diocese are scattered over large distances, and transportation is not always readily available and roads are not always smooth.

A young server filled with joy

Following the service a banquet was offered by the laity of one of the communities of the diocese. This included some features are not seen in Church of England consecrations: a mariachi band to accompany the eating and drinking, for instance. Also a youth group performed afterwards for the new bishop, including a demonstration of tightrope acrobatics. Now this, I thought, ought to be part of the C of E ceremony - a tightrope act is particularly apt symbol of episcopal ministry!

Ad multos annos, Bishop Julio!

MES interns will explore Anglican Identity over the next 9 months

MES interns at All Saints, Rome

Dr Clare Amos, the Diocesan Director of Discipleship, also directs the MES programme of the diocese (the Ministry Experience Scheme, formerly known as CEMES, the Church of England Ministry Experience Scheme). We have 5 interns on placement for this academic year, in Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen, Rome and Warnham Sussex (the intern is from Heidelberg). Together with their supporting advisors and mentors, Clare brought the interns to Rome recently for their official orientation to the programme.

Pastoral Advisor Mary Talbot and Dr Amos taking a drink from a fountain in Rome. (The figure in the fountain is damaged as it was believed (mistakenly) that it was Martin Luther, not a popular figure in 16th century Rome.)

At the PCPCU in Rome

The orientation in Rome included a visit to the PCPCU, the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, where Bishop Brian Farrell, the Secretary of the Council met with the interns and their advisors.

In terms of the theological areas to be explored over the next 9 months, Dr Amos has decided that given the context of the Diocese in Europe, and the varied nature and backgrounds of the candidates, to focus on the issue of Anglican identity. Clare says, "Apart from being valuable in itself, it would be beneficial to any interns going forward eventually on the ordination process, where the ‘Why are you an Anglican?’ question is likely to be asked of some of them".

The ‘Signposts statement’ which was developed by a working group in the Anglican Communion about 10 years ago, suggests four elements of the ‘The Anglican Way’ which will figure in the theological programme:

• Formed by Scripture
• Shaped through Worship
• Ordered for Communion
• Directed by God’s Mission

A video has been produced by the Revd Dr Robert Kinney and Mr George O'Mahony to introduce the interns to the diocese and to let them share some of their hopes for their participation in the scheme. It is here:

Nordic/Baltic Deanery could be the Church of England's most diverse

Stockholm Cathedral

The clergy from the Nordic/Baltic Deanery were recently hosted and indeed inspired by one of Area Dean Nick Howe's close colleagues in the Church of Sweden Stockholm Cathedral. The Revd Ulf Lindgren, the Canon Precentor of the Cathedral, gave a fascinating historical tour of this church where the Reformation in Sweden actually began. It was here that the first mass in Swedish was celebrated. It continues to be the venue for national events, royal weddings and funerals, and interestingly, even after formal disestablishment of the Church of Sweden, the official service to open Parliament. The Cathedral has many features that are more Mediterranean than Baltic, such as a beautiful collection of Bernini Angels! Fr Ulf also led the clergy in some biblical reflections, picking up some fascinating insights from the Old Testament that were new to us all. 

Bernini Angels in a Lutheran Cathedral

Canon Precentor of Stockholm Cathedral, the Revd Ulf Lindgren

The clergy chapter strikes me as being an essential event for our scattered priests who can feel very isolated in their ministry. Fr Bjarni, for instance, in Reykjavik, is a three hour flight from his nearest neighbouring Anglican priest. Living and working in countries in the region pose some distinct challenges too, as labour laws, issues of contracts and working hours, (even working hours for clergy!), can seem often at odds with the terms and conditions of our Church of England priests. Throw into that mix some of the expectations of some of the laity and you have a very challenging set of circumstances indeed. There was a strong sense of solidarity and mutual support among the clergy as they face these challenges in their localities.

Ok  you Church of England clergy, hands up those who come from England? 

The Nordic / Baltic Synod is likely the most culturally diverse of all our synods. Even the clergy who originate from England are in a very tiny minority as is revealed in the photo above.

Fr Nick gives directions to the clergy in the kitchen

The clergy were joined by the laity for the annual Deanery Synod. The sessions were held at the Church of St Peter and St Sigfrid in Stockholm, again with Fr Nick Howe convening and presiding as Area Dean. Always faithful to their calling as "servants of the servants of God" Nick organised the clergy into a team to cook and serve a festive Swedish meal for the lay delegates to synod. 

Director of Ministerial Development and Bishop find a new calling

Fr Amos (left): "Sorry sir, we only have mashed. No chips"

Andrew Caspari, the new Diocesan Secretary/Chief Operating Officer was able to introduce himself to the Deanery on this his first visit. We hope it was not too stressful, even though he has the unenviable but essential task of interpreting much of what happens at the level of the diocese, including safeguarding and financial matters, always of concern to synod members. He has already endeared himself to many nevertheless, through his love of (and generous sharing of) ice cream.

Diocesan Secretary, Andrew Caspari (centre)

Church of St Peter and St Sigfrid, Stockholm

The synod closed with the members joining the congregation at the Church of St Peter and St Sigfrid for the Sunday mass. The congregation, like many in our diocese, is observing the Season of Creation and the service focussed on our Christian calling as stewards of God's creation and especially planet Earth.

Church of St Peter and St Sigfrid, Stockholm

Holy Ghost Genoa: an interesting past and an important future

Newly baptised and confirmed receive candles - the light of Christ

At one point in the 19th and early 20th centuries there were about a half dozen Church of England parishes along the Italian Riviera. When founded they tended to serve well-heeled British who would come to the region for sunshine and culture, especially in the winter season. The Anglican demographics of the region have changed and there are now only two communities remaining. Monthly services are held in Bordighera but the only community with a regular permanent week to week Church life is Holy Ghost Genoa.  

There has been an Anglican community in Genoa for over 200 years. An early member, who has a commemorative plaque in the Church, was James Smithson, F.R.S, who founded the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC (he lived in Genoa for three years prior to his death in 1829). The building, which was designed by G.E. Street, one of the greatest English architects of the time, was consecrated in 1872. It was badly damaged in 1942 when it received a direct hit from an RAF bomb. Much was destroyed: stained glass, roof, flooring and the organ. There was a restoration in the 1940s and 1950s, but still much remains to be done to restore this unique architectural gem to a fit condition, to serve its present community.

Fr Tony finds jobs for all in the parish. This young member rings the bell at the appropriate times in the mass.

That community and congregation have changed radically in 200 years. Fr Tony Dickinson is the chaplain, and he now serves a parishioners among whom are few from a UK background, but a large number from West African countries. His faithful include some who have made the dangerous journey across the Sahara desert, Libya, then risking their lives in overcrowded inflatables crossing to Lampedusa. Others come from North and South America and Asia, Italy and other European countries. 

Fr Tony and the Churchwardens, Mary and Liz

In July I made a brief parish visit to Holy Ghost, where a jubilant service of baptism and confirmation was held, with a festive meal of African and Italian food following. 

But despite the vibrant spiritual life the financial situation of the community is quite precarious, given the profile of most members. Stewardship of time and resources is a major challenge as some of the long-serving faithful volunteers find they are getting older, while many others, even if employed, live in very modest circumstances economically. Fr Tony and the Council will be looking at how to appeal for support for this unique parish with a remarkable history and an even more remarkable present ministry as a home for migrants from around the world. 

Deacons make history in the Diocese in Europe

The ministry of deacon in the Church of England is still not well known nor understood.. Most people assume that being a deacon is simply a stepping stone on the way to the priesthood. It is true that priests must first be ordained deacon but the diaconate is also a distinctive ministry, to which people are called, and part of the three-fold ministry of bishop, priest and deacon that Anglicans teach as being characteristic of minstry in the Holy Catholic Church.

The Lambeth Conference as early as 1958 made an attempt to renew the understanding of the diaconate as a distinctive ministry and recommended that "each province of the Anglican Communion...consider whether the office of Deacon shall be restored to its primitive place as a distinctive order in the Church, instead of being regarded as a probationary period for the priesthood". The distinctive diaconate, in my view, still needs to be taken more seriously as a vocational opportnity, within the Church of England.

Deacon Giampaolo Pancetti (Florence)

In this Diocese in Europe we are blessed with having at present 4 distinctive deacons in various ministries (and two such deacons retired from active ministry).

Some ask what is the difference between a deacon and a (lay) Reader. Indeed deacons and Readers in the Church of England do many similar tasks - preaching, teaching and praying for instance. But a deacon is something, not simply someone who does certain things. Deacons are ordained to hold up before the Church and the world, diakonia, the distinctive ministry of Christ the Servant, as being central to all Christian ministry.

Some ask how a deacon is different from a priest; is a deacon not simply a junior priest? Well, no. A priest’s focus is on the parish community and sacrament. They are pastors/shepherds of the community, feeding them and leading them. The deacon’s focus is on outreach, service, and supporting the ministry of the faithful in the world.

Being an icon of Christ's servant ministry does not mean that a deacon is simply a servant, mind you. A 2001 Church of England report on the ministry of deacons, For Such A Time As This, emphasised that the deacon is a person on a mission, an ambassador or messenger, making connections, building bridges, faithfully delivering a mandate”.

I believe that it is the ambassadorial role which marks out the ministry of the deacon most clearly. And as an ambassador is sent as an envoy, so a deacon is an envoy between the Church and the world. This is manifest in the traditional role of the deacon in the liturgy (although the deacon's ministry is far from confined to the liturgy!). So the deacon travels from the sanctuary into the midst of the people to proclaim the Good News, and at the end of the mass sends the people out into the world to spread Christ's peace. The deacon as envoy also brings the the needs of the world into the assembled Church in the intercessions, and in the offertory presents the gifts of ordinary human life and labour, bread and wine, on the altar to be transformed in the Eucharistic prayer led by the priest.

Last 30 June was a historic occasion for this diocese. For the first time, in the same place, were to be found three distinctive deacons. Deacon Julia Bradshaw (above centre) was ordained to this order to serve in St Thomas' Church in Crete, in the Greater Athens Chaplaincy. The preacher for the ordination was Deacon Christine Saccali (above left), who is also licenced to Greater Athens. The Deacon of the mass was Frances Hiller.

If you would like to explore a possible vocation to the diaconate, have a conversation with your priest.

Ministry in Tangier

St Andrew's Tangier has a growing ministry among migrants and refugees from sub-saharan African countries. It is an oasis of calm and peace in the heart of the city, where a very international community finds their spiritual home.

St Andrew's Tangier

Fr Dennis Obidiegwu (pictured above with Archdeacon of Gibraltar, Geoff Johnston) is the Chaplain of St Andrew's and is himself a priest of Nigerian origin, who was trained and served in Ghana as well as worked in Togo. He is well experienced in the challenges that West Africans face, who seek to find a life with dignity. An increasing number are flee north towards the Mediterranean shores of Morocco, looking with desperation for a way to enter Europe. From certain vantage points in the city, Europe seems tantalisingly close. However the waters are treacherous, and many lose their lives attempting the crossing.

On the horizon, Europe can be seen, from Tangier

In partnership with USPG Fr Dennis is building a ministry in St Andrew's that not only seeks to address immediate spiritual needs of the migrant population, but also to explore ways to encourage them not to take to the dangerous waters of the straits, but to consider other options, including returning to their homelands. He recently was a guest speaker at the USPG annual conference about the work in Tangier.

Some of the congregation of St Andrew's

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tangier is a solid ecumenical partner for us, and provides many inspiring models of outreach and ways of bearing witness to the love of Christ for all persons. The Archdiocese has several projects serving both migrants and Moroccans who are themselves in grave need, through severe disability or through circumstances of their lives. 

The Archbishop of Tangier (centre) with some of his workers

  

An historic day at St John the Evangelist, Casablanca

The Community Centre is opened by Fr Medhat, UK Ambassador Tom Reilly, Bishop David, HE Rachid Afirat, Governor of  Casablanca-Anfa, and Archbishop Cristobal Lopez

St John the Evangelist Church, Casablanca, is the oldest church in continuous use in the city. Consecrated in 1906, by the then Bishop of Sierra Leone, it has been the home to English speaking Christians in Morocco's largest city for over 100 years.

Fr Medhat greets HE Governor Rachid Afirat

In recent times, especially under the direction of its current Chaplain, the Revd Canon Dr Medhat Sabry, St John’s has grown significantly. Two packed church services are now held each Sunday. The community itself counts on people from at least 17 different nations around the world. St John's also hosts a Chinese congregation and a French speaking student congregation which both use the church each week.

Fr Medhat in 2016 began working with the parish in putting together an ambitious development project in two phases. Phase One included the construction of a community centre with facilities to serve the burgeoning migrant and refugee community in the city. The community centre includes classrooms where basic skills can be taught and training given, and a place for assistance with pastoral questions, counselling, documentation and other advice, and mutual support groups for the various sub-Saharan nationalities, as well as being a centre for the St John’s humanitarian outreach programme. It will also provide an office for the priest, new toilets, and space for the parish's own educational work with children and adults. 

On Friday 21 June, in a joyful civic occasion, the community centre was opened. Among the official guests were the Governor of Casablanca-Anfa, representing His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the UK Ambassador, the US Acting Head of Mission, a host of other diplomats, the Archbishop of Rabat, and several ecumenical dignitaries. Ribbon cutting, official speeches and a festive reception marked this, the conclusion of Phase One of the development project. 

Rebecca Boardman from USPG, (United Society Partners in the Gospel) which has been supporting the project, remarked on the significance of the community centre, in terms of the Church's ministry to those in need: "Within the perimeter walls of St John’s is a safe space for the many who are now finding themselves, either permanently displaced in Morocco, or among the thousands seeking a route eventually to Europe, to meet, and to have their needs addressed, in a country and city, where for many refugees and migrants, there are few such options".

The door to St John the Evangelist compound.

Mr Andrew MacDonald, US Acting Deputy Head of Mission signs the guest book

Fr Medhat greets the UK Ambassador, HE Thomas Reilly

Following the civic opening, a eucharist was celebrated in the church during which a procession was made to the community centre, (accompanied by African songs and drum), for it to be formally blessed. Archdeacon Geoff Johnston spoke of the vital witness of St John's and its impressive international and lively community. Canon Joanna Udal, who is currently serving as locum priest in Tangier, was also able to join us in Casablanca.

  

Phase Two, an expansion of the church building itself to double its seating capacity begins almost immediately. The total cost of the development project, (Phases One and Two) is about 5 million Moroccan Dirhams, (approximately £400,000) of which all but about 200,000 Dirhams remains to be raised. It has been an incredible cooperative effort by parishioners, partners such as USPG, and other individuals. But most of all it is due to the constant prayer and hard work on the ground by Fr Medhat and the parish lay leadership team which have brought us to this day. 

Laus Deo