Fr William Gulliford DDO reports on new interns being placed in our parishes


Four new interns on the Church of England Ministry Experience Scheme (CEMES) have just attended a two day residential induction. Fiona Hill (back middle), Joshua Peckett (front middle left), Alison Speed (front middle right) and Annie Bolger to the right of Alison have started their programme which lasts until the end of June 2017.

CEMES is part of a strategy to give those considering ordination a parish-based framework for the discernment of their Christian vocation. As well as structured time in parishes alongside clergy and lay people, taking an active part in the ministry of the place, there is time for personal reflection and spiritual guidance with a mentor and monthly academic input from a theological educator.

After a pioneer year in 2015-2016 with two UK interns being placed in Brussels and Ghent, this year 3 of the interns are from the UK and one from within the diocese. Fiona will be based in St John and St Philip The Hague, Joshua will be based at Holy Trinity Brussels, Alison at Holy Trinity Geneva and La Cote, and Annie in Sts Martha and Mary Leuven. Parishes are asked to cover expenses and all accommodation costs, while the National Church provides a grant per intern of £2,000.

The mentors on the scheme are the chaplains: the Revd Andrew Gready (The Hague), the Revd Canon John Wilkinson (Holy Trinity, Brussels), the Revd Canon Alex Gordon, (Holy Trinity, Geneva), the Revd Carolyn Cooke (La Cote), the Revd Canon Professor Jack McDonald (Leuven).
The North West Europe hub is served by Mrs Janet Sayers (Pastoral Supervisor) and Jack McDonald (Educational Supervisor). The Geneva hub’s team consists of Miss Mary Talbot (Pastoral Supervisor) and Dr Clare Amos (Educational Supervisor).

The Diocesan Director of  Ordinands, Canon William Gulliford, has been working with this wider team to plan the event and to co-ordinate the growth of the scheme. We hope that the scheme will grow. (The Diocese in Europe was actually offered grants for up to 8 candidates this year). We look to be able to find places for more candidates next year, so if your chaplaincy is interested, please contact the DDO.

Please pray for the new interns and their chaplaincies.

Comments

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