Eurobishop

The ministry of deacon in the Church of England is still not well known nor understood.. Most people assume that being a deacon is simply a stepping stone on the way to the priesthood. It is true that priests must first be ordained deacon but the diaconate is also a distinctive ministry, to which people are called, and part of the three-fold ministry of bishop, priest and deacon that Anglicans teach as being characteristic of minstry in the Holy Catholic Church. The Lambeth Conference as early as 1958 made an attempt to renew the understanding of the diaconate as a distinctive ministry and recommended that "each province of the Anglican Communion...consider whether the office of Deacon shall be restored to its primitive place as a distinctive order in the Church, instead of being regarded as a probationary period for the priesthood". The distinctive diaconate, in my view, still needs to be taken more seriously as a vocational opportnity, within the Church of England.

St Andrew's Tangier has a growing ministry among migrants and refugees from sub-saharan African countries. It is an oasis of calm and peace in the heart of the city, where a very international community finds their spiritual home. St Andrew's Tangier Fr Dennis Obidiegwu (pictured above with Archdeacon of Gibraltar, Geoff Johnston) is the Chaplain of St Andrew's and is himself a priest of Nigerian origin, who was trained and served in Ghana as well as worked in Togo. He is well experienced in the challenges that West Africans face, who seek to find a life with dignity. An increasing number are flee north towards the Mediterranean shores of Morocco, looking with desperation for a way to enter Europe. From certain vantage points in the city, Europe seems tantalisingly close. However the waters are treacherous, and many lose their lives attempting the crossing. On the horizon, Europe can be seen, from Tangier In partnership with USPG Fr Dennis is building a minis