Eurobishop

The Revd Vickie Sims formally began her ministry as Chaplain of All Saints Milan in a festive eucharistic service on Ascension Day 29 May. Vickie also has oversight of the Church of the Holy Ghost, Genoa and the Church of the Ascension, Cadenabbia. All Saints dates from the end of the 19th century. It plays an important role ecumenically in this the second city of Italy, the see of St Ambrose of Milan. Archdeacon Jonathan Boardman chats to parishioners of All Saints The Church was full and ecumenical guests were present from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the German Evangelical Church and the Salvation Army. Archdeacon Jonathan Boardman was present formally to seat Vickie in her stall, following the receipt of her licence. Clergy and Readers from the Archdeaconry of Italy and many of Vickie's former colleagues and friends from the UK came to support her new ministry. The Revd Vickie Sims (left) with former fellow student from Cuddesdon

Training for the priesthood or the diaconate in the Church of England takes about 7 years. 3 of those years of study and formation are normally completed before ordination. 3 - 4 years of training and formation continue after ordination, in what was once called "post-ordination training". Today this is called IME 4 - 7. Such post-ordination training is compulsory in the Church of England. In the Diocese in Europe IME 4 - 7 is delivered in residential sessions held twice a year. A recent IME 4-7 session focussing on aspects of liturgy and worship took place at St. Columba's House, Woking, from May 13-16. Ten curates gathered from across the Diocese in Europe, from Armenia, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey and Spain. They spent an inspiring couple of days exploring our rich liturgical tradition, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer to the many possibilities offered in Common Worship . The residential sessions also provide an opportunity for the Director of Tr

It is with great sadness that I announce to the people of the diocese that Bishop John Satterthwaite died peacefully this morning, 23 May. He was 88. Bishop John Satterthwaite has a permanent place in the history of this Diocese in Europe. He came into his episcopal ministry from a background outstanding ecumenical work, especially from his time as the General Secretary of the Church of England's Council in Foreign Relations. In that ecumenical work he forged so many significant friendships with Heads of Churches and other Church leaders in Europe which set the course for this diocese playing a role in nurturing those ecumenical links to this day. He served the congregations in Europe first as Bishop of Fulham, then as Bishop of Gibraltar, and finally as the first diocesan bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe. Indeed the foundation of this diocese in its present form as a diocese of the Church of England in 1980 is part of his legacy to the Church. He is warmly

Archdeacon Patrick Curran looks on as Gospel affirms his faith Is this your faith? This is my faith . With this bold response to the question posed by the bishop a wonderfully named candidate for Holy Baptism - Gospel - declared his readiness to become a member of the Body of Christ through this Sacrament. Gospel was then joined by other members of the parish of Christ Church, Vienna, and one candidate from St Margaret's in Budapest, in receiving the Apostolic Rite of Confirmation. Although it is a long service, the Common Worship liturgy of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion can be a powerful and dramatic witness to the redemption in Christ which is at the heart of our Christian faith. It also reminds all the faithful of our mission to "shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father", as the new disciples lead us out into the world bearing their lit candles. Christ Church, Vienna was full for a joyous celebration on Sunday 18 May, and

27 of the 44 countries covered by the Diocese in Europe are member states of the European Union. Tomorrow, 22 May, EU citizens go to the polls to elect members to the European Parliament.  From my discussions around the diocese, I have been heartened to learn how seriously the many EU citizens who are members of our congregations and resident in those countries will be taking their democratic responsibility.  Europe faces many problems. Yet the elections  present a chance for EU citizens to make contributions to overcoming  extremism, renewal of solidarity, respect of differences  and sharing responsibility. To encourage Christians who are EU citizens to cast their vote tomorrow, the General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the Revd Dr Guy Liagre, has issued a statement about the elections, entitled: It’s about Europe, it’s about you!   I have posted the statement below. The elections to the European Parliament are an opportunity for each citizen o

Musicians from the Christ Church Vienna Gala Concert Most of our Churches in the Diocese in Europe must raise funds from stewardship and from special events to pay their expenses - including clergy stipends, housing and pension. (Only in Belgium and Luxembourg is support available from the state). This means that our Church Councils and dedicated volunteers spend many hours each year in fund-raising activities. Some imaginative lay members of Christ Church Vienna staged a very successful event on Friday 16 May: a Gala Concert, held in the residence of the British Ambassador. Well over 120 tickets were sold for a concert featuring outstanding musicians followed by a buffet supper. The musicians performing were Margit Urbanetz Vig (violin and Viola d'Amore), Jack Ridley (piano), Johanna Cabili-Reuss (soprano, accompanied by Rié Capek-Suzuki) and Stephen Chaundy (tenor, accompanied by Antoinette Van Zabner). Jack is also Christ Church's director of music and Johanna sings

People across the diocese and across the world have been appalled by the kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls by the Boko Haram insurgency several weeks ago. In this diocese we have a large community of Nigerians who are a central part of our Church life in every country that we serve. It is appropriate that this Sunday we join with them in prayer for the immediate release of the schoolgirls. In the intercessions at services on Sunday, petitions can be included for: the safety of the kidnapped schoolchildren,  that they may God’s love and care in this time of fear, and that God may comfort their families and friends and grant repose to all who may have been killed in violence perpetrated by this insurgency group. the Nigerian Government and the international community, that they may find effective strategies to resolve this present crisis and to address the on-going incessant killing and abduction activities of the Boko Haram group. leaders in Nigeria to find ways to a

St Andrew's Zurich, true to form as an international congregation, presented 9 candidates for confirmation on Sunday 11th May, from at least a half dozen different national backgrounds. One candidate, Sergio (originally from the Dominican Republic) was also baptised at the service and received particularly warm support and congratulations from his fellow confirmands. The parish is embarking on a consultation among parishioners to agree some "core values" for the life of the church. This will be helpful background to the work that the Church Council will soon need to engage in as it begins to work with the diocese in the recruitment of a new Chaplain. The Revd Canon John Newsome is due to retire on 31 October. Fr John is presently the longest-serving priest in this diocese, having completed 28 years serving in Hamburg, Bonn/Cologne and Zurich. Fr John is assisted by Assistant Chaplain the Revd Sara MacVane and Readers Brother Marcel Benedict and Carolyn Jay. The

The Synod of the Archdeaconry of France met from Wednesday 30 April until Saturday 3 May at St Jacut de la Mer in Brittany. Clergy and laity representing the over 60 congregations in France and Monaco gathered with their Archdeacon Ian Naylor to do the routine business of synod but also to spend some time reflecting on the theme "Equipping for Mission". Dr Clare Amos Several key resource persons provided input on the synod theme. Dr Clare Amos, the World Council of Churches' Programme Executive for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Cooperation gave two inspiring Bible studies on the ending of each of the four Gospels, lifting up the mission mandate for the infant Church which is embedded in their concluding chapters. The Revd Canon Philip Mounstephen, CMS The Revd Canon Philip Mounstephen, formerly of St Michael's Paris and now Executive Leader of the Church Mission Society, spoke on the local and global dimensions to the Church's mission. The Revd Keith

L to R: Debbie Flach, Adèle Kelham, June Hutchinson, Jill Strachan, Hazel Door, Ulla Monberg, a male interloper, Anne Jenkins and Mary Strommen The Diocese in Europe was well represented at the national service to mark the 20th anniversary of the priesting of women in the Church of England on Saturday 3 May. There were 8 women clergy who joined the thousands from other parts of the Church of England and overseas for the celebration: Jill Strachan (Aquitaine), June Hutchinson (Midi-Pyrénées), Debbie Flach (Lille), Hazel Door (Poitou-Charentes), Mary Strømmen (Trondheim), Adèle Kelham (Lausanne) and Anne Jenkins (Costa Brava) and Ulla Monberg (Diocesan Staff). The celebration began as hundreds gathered in Dean's Yard, Westminster for a "walk of witness" to St Paul's Cathedral for the service. Many bemused tourists stopped us along the 2 mile route to ask what we were about. I had a couple of interesting conversations with visitors from Spain who had clearly nev