Eurobishop

Canon Kelham, Dean Paddock, Fr Ford On Wednesday 8 June a new canon joined the chapter of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar. The Revd Canon Adele Kelham, Chaplain of Christ Church, Lausanne, and soon to be the acting Archdeacon of Switzerland, was installed in the Stall of Our Lady of Europe during Solemn Choral Evensong. The service was sung by the Sub Dean, Fr Peter Ford OGS, Port Chaplain of Gibraltar, and the installation was done by the Dean of Gibraltar who brought personal greetings from the Canons of the Cathedral Chapter throughout Europe, with greetings from canons in the See Cathedral of Gibraltar, and the pro cathedrals of Malta and Brussels. The Dean and Canon Kelham were delighted to have in the congregation the Custodian of the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Europe in Gibraltar, representing the Roman Catholic Church. The Swiss Consul in Gibraltar also sent greetings and assurance of prayers. The service concluded with the solemn recitation of the Angelu...

Archdeacon Potter (l) with Archdeacon of France Ian Naylor There are some changes happening in membership of the Bishop's Staff Meeting. Before long Archdeacon Peter Potter will retire from his post as Chaplain of St Ursula's Berne and as Archdeacon of Switzerland. He is the longest serving Archdeacon in the diocese at present and also covered as Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe when that post was vacant for about a year. Last week's meeting of the Bishop's Staff was his final one. Meanwhile it was Archdeacon Vickie Sims's first such meeting. In February she took up her duties as Archdeacon of Italy and Malta, in addition to her responsibilities as Chaplain of All Saints, Milan. The Bishop's Staff Meeting is not a synodical body like the diocesan synod or the Bishop's Council, but an operational committee, bringing together the senior staff who hold particular responsibilities sharing in the day to day oversight and care of the clergy and peop...

Archdeacon Designate Colin Williams During the Nordic and Baltic Deanery Synod held from 4 - 6 September in Helsinki, I was able to grant a general licence as a priest in the Diocese to the Archdeacon-Designate of Germany and Northern Europe, Colin Williams. This is the first stage of Fr Colin's entry into his ministry among us. He will, over the next few weeks, also receive a commission as Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe as well as a commission as Archdeacon of the East. The clergy and lay delegates to the Nordic and Baltic synod were pleased to have a chance to get to know their new Archdeacon.  L to R: Fr Tuomas Mäkipää, Bishop Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga, and Fr Colin Williams It was fitting that Fr Colin's first official act in this diocese was to preside at the Eucharist for the Nordic Baltic Deanery in the Orthodox Chapel of the Sofia Centre in Helsinki where we were meeting. He was assisted by Fr Tuomas Mäkipää, the Chaplain of St Nicholas's Helsinki...

Anglican worship in Berne, the Swiss capital, dates back to about 1832. The present church building St Ursula's was built in 1906. It holds 100 comfortably, but on Sunday 21 June, over 200 squeezed in (and spilt outside) for a festive service of Christian initiation. It certainly does not feel like the Church of England in Europe is on the decline! Candidates for Holy Baptism an Confirmation from Berne were joined by others from Christ Church Lausanne and the Anglican Church in Neuchâtel. The chaplain of St Ursula's is the Venerable Peter Potter, who is also the Archdeacon of Switzerland and Acting Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe. He is assisted by the Revd Linda Bissig. The Revd Adele Kelham accompanied her candidates from her two Churches in Lausanne and Neuchâtel. A moving part of the confirmation rite itself was when each sponsor presented their candidate to me, mentioning a couple of biographical details. It is humbling to take part of the lives of su...

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 ...

On Sunday 20th November, the Feast of Christ the King, the Revd Sara MacVane was licensed as assistant priest in St Andrew's Zurich by the Archdeacon of Switzerland, the Venerable Peter Potter. Sara served her title curacy in All Saints Rome where she also worked part time at the Anglican Centre in Rome. She then moved to Pas de Calais, where she was priest-in-charge for two years. Sara speaks fluent Italian, has a working knowledge of French, and will now add German to her language skills. She joins the team in St Andrew's led by the Chaplain, the Revd Canon John Newsome. One of the Readers in the parish, Brother Marcel Benedict, is in the photo above, along with Sara, Fr Newsome and the Archdeacon (in the chasuble). Of course, Sara is the one without the beard! The website of St Andrew's Zurich, one of the largest and liveliest parishes of the diocese is here . There are daughter churches served from Zurich in St Gallen, Turgi and Zug.

The Chaplain of St Andrew's Zurich, the Revd Canon John Newsome, reported on a celebration of Harvest Festival last Sunday 2nd October. Over 200 people attended the service when the congregation also said good-bye to the Revd Dan and Teresa Morrow. Fr Dan has been the Assistant Chaplain for the past three years and came to Zurich from the Diocese of Los Angeles. During his time in St Andrew's he won the hearts of many with his radiant smile and warm-hearted nature. His ministry was especially appreciated by  the children and teachers of Junior Church and by the youth of the  parish. (Fr Dan built up the youth group from the beginning). He also has primary pastoral care of three daughter communities. Dan was also an enthusiastic and valued participant in the Diocesan Post Ordination Training Programme, run by the Director of Training, the Revd Ulla Monberg. Dan and Teresa's stay in Switzerland was somewhat frustrated by problems with the Swiss immigration and labour a...

The Reverend Dr D Paul Dalzell , formerly parish priest of the Anglican Parish of Alexandra, Australia is the new Priest-in-Charge of the Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist, Montreux, Switzerland. Fr Paul took up this new post on  1 July 2011.  Welcome to the Diocese in Europe! The website of the parish of St John's Montreux is here .

On Tuesday in Holy Week, clergy and readers from the diocese gathered with the bishops in two different churches for Chrism masses. For 5 years now, these services have been celebrated simultaneously in different parts of the diocese to enable more people to attend this important Holy Week tradition. This year, Bishop Geoffrey presided at one service in St Boniface, Antwerp while I presided at Holy Trinity Geneva. The service in Geneva brought together clergy and readers from 5 countries - Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and Monaco. The chaplain of Holy Trinity, the Revd Roy Taylor (below centre) hosted the service and some of his parishioners provided lunch following for the visiting clergy and laity. Music was provided by members of Holy Trinity choir. The preacher was the Archdeacon of Switzerland, the Venerable Peter Potter (below left), who linked the service to aspects of the Royal Maundy at which 3 laity from Switzerland will be honoured by Her Majesty the Queen on ...

Ticino is the Italian speaking Canton in the Swiss Federation and in the city of Lugano can be found a thriving Church of the diocese, St Edward the Confessor. The parish priest is the Revd Andy Horlock. The Reader, Mr Bob Gebhardt, is also one of the Churchwardens. Six young people were confirmed on Sunday 31 October, from left to right: Alessandro, Fiona, Camilla, Gabriela, Philip and Edo. A festive lunch followed which included the largest cake I have encountered in a while! Anglican worship has been held in Lugano for over a century. The Church itself was consecrated in 1902. Among the features in the interior is a 12th century Venetian holy water stoup which is now the baptismal font. Worshippers on Sunday 31 October were delighted to find new seating when they arrived, a generous gift from a member of the parish. Click here for the website of the Church of St Edward the Confessor, Lugano

The faithful of the Diocese in Europe have been praying for the people of Haiti since last January's devastating earthquake. There has already been a very generous response to our appeal for the emergency relief efforts. (More about that in another article). Meanwhile, in Geneva, one of the cities in Europe where there is both a Church of England parish and a US Episcopal parish, the two Anglican congregations collaborated in an event at the end of October, in solidarity with their Haitian sisters and brothers. An old personal friend of mine, the Revd Canon Ogé Beauvoir, the Dean of the Episcopal Seminary in Port au Prince was an invited guest and witness. The report below was sent to me by Katie Foot in Geneva. It started with a deafening drum roll “earthquake” and ended in joyful songs of praise. “Psalms for Haiti”, held in Geneva’s old town (Protestant) cathedral on Saturday 30 October, led more than 400 people in a moving exploration of past devastation, present recovery and ...

At its General Meeting in Lausanne on 22 September, the Revd Adèle Kelham was elected President of the Swiss national ecumenical body ( Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in der Schweiz AGCK-CH – Communauté de Travail des Eglises Chrétiennes en Suisse CTECH ). She will take up this office on 1 January 2011, and will serve for a term of 2 years in succession to Bishop Vitus Huonder, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Chur. Bishop Huonder is pictured above congratulating Adèle. This is not only a great honour within Switzerland, but is an appointment with global significance; Adèle will be one of very few women worldwide to hold the office of president of a national council of churches. Adèle is the priest-in-charge of our parish of Christ Church, Lausanne. She is also our Diocesan Advisor on Women's Ministry with a specific responsibility to support the ministry of women clergy in the diocese. (Over 20% of the licensed clergy of the Diocese in Europe are women)....

The following is an extract of a report written by Claudine Haenni Dale, the Anglican Communion's Main Representative to the UN in Geneva, about the Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN) meeting which was held in our diocese a couple of weeks ago. APJN is one of the most important networks of our Communion. Networks, unlike commissions of the Communion, have to be self-funded. Nevertheless, this particular one focusses on matters which are close to the heart of the Church's mission to the poor and marginalised. The parish of Holy Trinity Geneva, where Claudine is a member (and trainee reader) played a major role in hosting the event and welcoming the international delegates to Geneva, who, from the report, clearly felt at home with us. It is a privilege that the APJN met in our diocese and we are pleased indeed that Claudine is closely connected with its work. She is pictured above administering Holy Communion to the Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the General Secretary of the...

The Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN) is one of the Communion’s official networks. It meets every 2 - 3 years and this year representatives appointed by the Primates of 24 Anglican Provinces will gather in Geneva from 14 to 20 March. Dr Jenny Te Paa, a theologian from the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, is the present Convenor. Our own Church of the Holy Trinity in Geneva has the privilege of hosting the opening Eucharist on Sunday 14 March. APJN works on  issues of conflict resolution, human rights, economic and environmental justice, and lifting up the voices of women, young people and all those marginalized by oppressive systems. Many Anglicans in Geneva have connections with the international institutions based in the city which are engaged matters of global justice and peace, including the United Nations and the World Council of Churches. The APJN meeting in Geneva is therefore a strategic one, building and consolidating links wit...

The Venerable Peter Potter, chaplain of St Ursula’s Berne with Neuchâtel and Thun, became the Archdeacon of Switzerland on Friday 25 September. Bishop Geoffrey Rowell “collated” the new Archdeacon during the eucharist at the end of the recent Clergy Conference in Cologne. Archdeacon Potter and his wife Shareene came to St Ursula’s in June 2008 from the diocese of Glasgow & Galloway in the Scottish Episcopal Church. In the Church of England an archdeacon provides pastoral care of the clergy and oversees their ministry within an area of the diocese, an archdeaconry, on behalf of the bishop. Archdeacons have the title “The Venerable”. In the Diocese in Europe there are 7 archdeaconries . A synod of the Swiss Archdeaconry Synod meets twice a year. There are 28 Church of England congregations in Switzerland, although some have services only on a seasonal basis. Click here for the official diocesan announcement of this appointment . The archdeaconry has a website here . S...

On 12 June the synod of the Christ-Catholic Church of Switzerland elected the Revd Dr Harald Rein, currently the parish priest in Zurich, to be their next bishop. Dr Rein is a good friend of the Anglican Church. I first met him back in 2002 when he was the official Old Catholic participant in the Anglican Consultative Council meetings in Hong Kong. We serve together on the Anglican Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council (AOCICC) and I look forward to working with Dr Rein as a brother bishop, and to continuing the task of deepening the relationship of communion which our Churches share. He will succeed Bishop Fritz-René Müller, also a close friend of our diocese and well known to Anglican parishes in the Swiss Archdeaconry. The Christ-Catholic Church of Switzerland dates from just after the Vatican I declaration of Papal Infallibility in 1870, when a lay-led revolt in Switzerland resulted in the organization of a Catholic Church outside the jurisdiction of the Pope. It has ove...