The first Anglican confirmations in Rabat

Churchwarden Angie and musician Thomas with Fr Medhat Sabry
Services have been held each week in Rabat for about a year now. Fr Medhat Sabry, the priest-in-charge of St John the Evangelist Church in Casablanca, has pioneered this new community in the Moroccan capital which where there are a large number of foreign Christians who seek to worship in the English language.

The community is growing with members coming from the Philippines and several sub-Saharan African countries. The weekly eucharists are held in a chapel of a school run by the Roman Catholic Filles du Cœur Immaculé de Marie.  Fr Medhat is assisted by St John's Churchwarden Angie, and one of St John's musicians, Thomas (who is also exploring Reader ministry).

The candidates make their vows of confirmation 
Sunday 11 October was a significant date for this new community: three members of congregation were confirmed. I believe this may be the first Anglican confirmations ever held in Rabat.

This new congregation has chosen St Augustine of Hippo as their patron. He is, of course, an African saint.

The newly confirmed of St Augustine of Hippo congregation take the light of Christ into the world

Comments

  1. Madge13 November 2015 at 09:05

    Wonderful to read this. at our ICS prayer meeting yesterday we prayed for all the bishops we work with, and it's good to see a new congregation gaining its feet.

    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