New Chaplain Licensed in Copenhagen


On Saturday 12 September I licensed the Revd Jonathan LLoyd as chaplain of St Alban's Copenhagen and the Anglican congregation in Aarhus. The service in St Alban's was well attended, and special guests included the British Ambassador, HE Nicholas Archer, the Bishop of Copenhagen, the Rt Revd Peter Skov-Jakobsen, Roman Catholic Bishop Creslaw Kozon, and over 20 clergy and lay representatives from the Churches of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Old Catholic and Methodist Churches.

St Alban's is a thriving international congregation with over 20 nationalities represented each Sunday. It has been a welcoming home for English speaking people since it was consecrated in 1887, although Church of England services have been held in Copenhagen since about 1834. (and even earlier in Elsinore).

Fr Jonathan has arrived at a busy time in the life of the parish as St Alban’s has been taking a key role as a member of the National Council of Churches in Denmark in the planning of events related to the upcoming UN environmental summit, COP 15, which takes place in Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December. The parish itself is taking the diocesan synod recommendations regarding environmental practice very seriously and is consciously moving towards becoming a "green church". 

At St Alban's, Fr Jonathan will enjoy the support of a team of honorary assistant clergy including the Reverend Ulla Monberg (who is the Director of Ministry of the Diocese in Europe) and the Reverend Rickard Stenberg and the Reverend Deacon Robert Vester-Bendtsen. (Fr Rickard and Deacon Robert are clergy formally under the jurisdiction of the Old Catholic Bishop of Haarlem).

Fr Jonathan comes to us from the diocese of Bath and Wells. We warmly welcome him, his wife Sue and two daughters Emma (20) and Sarah (17) to the diocese. He is also Archdeacon-designate of Germany and Northern Europe and will take on these further responsibilites on 20 January 2010.

St Alban's Copenhagen has an interesting website here.

Here is a picture of the clergy taken after the service. (Fr Jonathan LLoyd is on the right holding the red and gold Gospel Book). Click on the picture for a larger view.

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