Gozo Congregation Celebrates 5th Anniversary


The Anglican congregation in Gozo is one of the newer congregations of the diocese and has just celebrated 5 years of formal organisation, although Anglican services have been held in Gozo since the mid 1970s. Dedicated to "Our Lady the Blessed Virgin Mary and St George the Martyr", it is one of 3 congregations of the Anglican Church in Malta and Gozo, served by the Chancellor of St Paul's Pro-Cathedral in Valletta, Canon Simon Godfrey and the chaplain of Holy Trinity Sliema, the Revd Jeff Williams, and Mr David Felgate, licensed reader in the parish.

On Wednesday 14th April, I presided at the anniversary eucharist wich was held in the magnificent St George's Roman Catholic Basilica in Victoria (see photo below). Three of the clergy of the Basilica, including Archpriest Mgr Pawlu Cardona (who read the Gospel), were present, a sign of the warm ecumenical relations between Anglicans and  Roman Catholics on the island.

Warm congratulations to the congregation of Our Lady and St George, Gozo for a faithful first five years, and every blessing for the time ahead.

The website of the Anglican Church in Malta and Gozo is here.

Photo courtesy of http://www.stgeorge.org.mt/

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, appo...
Read more

Bishop Austin Rios of California

Image
It was a joyful, colourful, multicultural three-hour liturgy. At Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, the Revd Austin Rios was consecrated the bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of California. I have known Austin from his time as the Rector of St Paul's Episcopal Church in Rome, where he was a great friend and collaborator with our own Church of England All Saints Chaplaincy in that city. The liturgy, appropriately, marked the multiculural make-up of the diocese, with prayers, readings, hymns and songs in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Tonga and Mandarin. The final procession was led by a Chinese dragon! I was told that there were about 300 in the procession and 2000 present in the beautiful gothic cathedral on Nob Hill San Francisco. My good friend and ecuenical colleague from Rome Fr Keith Peckers SJ was also in attenance, so the Church of Rome and the Church of England were both represented! Among the bishop friends present were Bishop Mark Edington of the Episcopal Convocation in Europe, a...
Read more