Readers: Central to the Diocese in Europe's Ministry

Reader Angela Mirani
There are over 100 licensed Readers in the Diocese in Europe. These are lay ministers, theologically trained and formed in liturgical, preaching and pastoral ministry. They are recognisable by the blue preaching scarf they wear over their alb or surplice. In most places Readers work as members of ministry teams, providing essential auxiliary support to the ordained ministry of priests and deacons. There are some places in the diocese, however, where a Reader is not providing a supplementary ministry, but is the minister of the congregation, at the centre of parish life and responsible for keeping the (non-sacramental) worship of the Church going from week to week.


One such example is the congregation of St John the Baptist, Varese, in northern Italy, close to the Swiss border. Although a relatively small congregation without a resident priest, under the leadership of Reader Angela Mirani, it pulled out all the stops to join in this year's celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Book of Common Prayer with a beautiful  service of Choral Evensong on 20 May. A small but competent choir was formed for the occasion from members of the congregation and  friends. A few were nonplussed when faced with  Anglican chant for the first time, but soon got the hang of it and then  found William Smith and Thomas Tallis straightforward in comparison. Reader Angela Mirani, led the service which was a truly ecumenical affair as the congregation included members of the German Lutheran Church (whose building the Anglicans use), local Italian Roman Catholics and also the Ecumenical Officer for the Diocese of Milan. The  nearest Anglican churches, All Saints Milan and St Edward's Lugano, were also represented. The wonderful afternoon was rounded off in true Italian (or might one say Diocese in Europe? ) fashion with splendid food and wine!




The first diocesan wide gathering for Readers and those in training for this ministry will be held in Cologne Germany from 15 to 18 June. If you have not yet registered and you wish to attend, further information can be found here. (Financial support may be available: speak to your Archdeacon).




Comments

  1. Anonymous30 May 2012 at 09:34

    Congratulations to Reader Angela Mirani adn her choir! What a lovely initiative!
    Grada Schadee

    ReplyDelete

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