Festive Confirmation in Finnish, Arabic and English


12 young people of the White Nile congregation were confirmed on Sunday 22 January at a festive (3 hour!) service in Holy Trinity church in Vaasa in western Finland. Readings were in English and Finnish, songs and hymns in Arabic, and my serrmon, preached in English, was also translated into Arabic.

The White Nile congregation is part of the Anglican Church of Finland and consists largely of Sudanese refugees. Their priest is the Revd Amos Manga who is assisted by the Revd Deacon David Oliver. Over 130 people attended the service at which two Lutheran priests, the Revd Sami Saharinen and the Revd Gunnar Särs, also took part. Fr Tuomas Mäkipää, the assistant curate at St Nicholas, Helsinki made the 900 km round trip to be with us for the celebration.

The White Nile congregation was organised during the Revd Rupert Moreton's time as chaplain of the Anglican Church in Finland. Fr Rupert encouraged the establishment of this work and sought Lutheran cooperation from the start to demonstrate how such ministry can be a visible sign of the communion between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland and the Church of England, brought about by the Porvoo Agreement. Fr Rupert left Finland at the end of 2011 to take up a post in the Cathedral in Cork, in the Church of Ireland.

Vaasa is in the Finnish Diocese of Lapua, and the Bishop Simo Peura, is a good supporter of the White Nile congregation. He invited Fr Amos to attend his diocesan clergy conference last November. There has also been a joint meeting between the White Nile Church Council and the local Lutheran parish Council which has opened up the idea of monthly joint services. The Lutherans have offered to include Anglican Sunday School teachers in their regular programme of training. (There are presently 26 children in the White Nile Sunday School).  

During my parish visit to the White Nile congregation I met with the Council to hear updates on their programmes, which include youth work (for ages 18 - 25) and an Adult Education Programme.








Comments

  1. Anonymous19 April 2012 at 21:41

    Dear Bishop David,

    Such a good news! So very nice to read and see that things have taken a good path!

    With Best Wishes,

    Revd Timo Helenius (nowadays in Boston, MA)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farewell to the Diocese in Europe

Image
Deacon Frances and I packed up our office yesterday and turned over our official files, emails and equipment. Thus a close working together for 22 years comes to an end. So it is hard to believe that today, St David's day, a new chapter begins, after 44 years of stipendiary ministry, 22 years as deacon then priest and 22 as a bishop.  Here are just a few memories from the last couple of months...   But now it is time to begin a new chapter.  O God, by whose command the order of time runs its course: forgive our impatience, perfect our faith and, while we await the fulfilment of your promise, grant us to have a good hope because of your Word,  even Jesus Christ our Lord. (St Gregory Nazianzus, 330 - 390)
Read more

Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter: A European Consequence

Image
In his Pentecost letter, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned of certain consequences for provinces of the Anglican Communion which have failed to stand by the three moratoria . (No authorisation of blessings services for same-sex unions; no consecrations of bishops living in same-sex relationships; and no bishop authorising any ministry within the diocese of another bishop without explicit permission). One consequence would be that representatives from such provinces w ould not be able to participate in the formal international interchurch dialogues of the Communion. One of those dialogues is the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council ( AOCICC ), the official instrument set up to deepen the relationship of communion established in 1931 between the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht . As the member Churches of the Union of Utrecht are all European, the AOCICC is effectively a European body. (I am one of the members, appointe
Read more

Advent in Helsinki: Mary, the Church's calling, and the One who brings us out of darkness to light

Image
Outside the Cathedral in Helsinki Yesterday, 8 December, was a very full Advent day, with activities redolent of the themes of the season. It was, of course, the Feast of the [Immaculate] Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary when we contemplate the mystery of the one who was prepared, through grace, to become the Mother of the Redeemer.  At the Vallila Help Centre (above, with Coordinator Eeva and Fr Tuomas) St Ambrose of Milan (whose feast we also celebrated this past week) was the first to refer to the Blessed Virgin as the Mother of the Church,  Mater Ecclesiae,  a title which helps us consider not only her role in giving birth to the Redeemer from whom the Church itself was born, but also how in her own life she responded to God's call in faith and love, as the Church today is also called to respond to the needs of the world.  It was with this in mind that I was so moved by a visit to the Ukraine Vallila Help Centre, a project supported by USPG and this diocese, which provides
Read more