Eurobishop

On Saturday 16th October the Revd Fr Howard Levitt SSC was licensed by Archdeacon of Italy and Malta, the Venerable Jonathan Boardman, as Chaplain of St George's Venice with St Anthony the Abbot, Padua and Christ Church, Trieste. Fr Howard comes to this diocese from the diocese of London where he was vicar of St Alban the Martyr, Holborn, a famous Anglo-Catholic shrine in the capital. We welcome Fr Howard to the Diocese in Europe. The photo below was taken after the service, with some of the visiting clergy and the Curate of the parish, the Revd Sampson Ajuka. The chaplaincy website is here .

At the annual Friends of the Diocese in Europe Eucharist on 27 October in St Matthew's Westminster, 5 new canons of the diocese were collated by Bishop Geoffrey. They are pictured above, from left to right: Christopher Jage-Bowler, Ian Hutchinson-Cervantes, Ulla Monberg, Trevor Whitfield and John Wilkinson. The canons of the diocese form, with the Bishops, Dean, Archdeacons and Chancellors, the Cathedral Chapter of the diocese. The principal function of the chapter is to support the Bishop by prayer and counsel. Normally there is only one cathedral in a diocese. It is the place where the bishop's cathedra or chair is located, as a sign of the bishop's ministry as guardian and teacher of the faith. Thus the cathedral is a physical sign of the unity of the people of the diocese with their bishop and with one another in that faith. The size of our diocese and its history have led to the granting of the status of pro-cathedral to two other churches. Each canon is assigned t...

On Monday 25 October the Revd Kevin O'Brien was instituted and inducted into the parish of St John the Evangelist, Burgess Hill, in the Diocese of Chichester. Fr Kevin had served as Bishop Geoffrey's Chaplain and Office Manager for over 4 years. As the service was to take place during the time of our Bishop's Staff Meeting, we managed to field a good representation of archdeacons and bishops from our Diocese in Europe to support Fr Kevin and support him with our prayers as he undertakes this new ministry. Fr Kevin is pictured above, 4th from the right, in the back row, surrounded by his close former colleagues, the archdeacons of the diocese, Bishop Geoffrey, Deacon Frances and myself. Bishop Mark Sowerby of Horsham who presided at the service is pictured in the back row with his crozier. The Revd John-Henry Bowden, formerly chaplain of St George's Venice, with Padua and Trieste, is presently working as interim chaplain to Bishop Geoffrey until a permanent successor...

On 12th October, the Revd Canon Dr Robert Innes took part in a consultation of Belgian church leaders with their Prime Minister Yves Leterme. The one hour meeting took place under the Lisbon Treaty provisions for dialogue between political and religious leaders. Canon Innes is 3rd from the right in the above picture. Canon Innes, besides being Chancellor and Senior Chaplain of Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral in Brussels, is the President of the Central Committee of the Anglican Church in Belgium. Other Belgian religious leaders involved in the consultation included the Roman Catholic Bishop Harpigny and the head of the Belgian Protestant Council Dr Guy Liagre. The discussion was wide-ranging, including themes of globalisation, poverty and ecology as well as the specific topic of the persecution of Christian believers in countries where the EU under its Belgian Presidency may be able to exert influence. The Lisbon Treaty in Article 17 calls for the EU to "maintain an open, transp...

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of the Revd Canon Nigel Elbourne who died of a heart attach on 29th September at his home in Normandy, 20 days after his 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. He leaves his wife Christine and a daughter, son and grandchildren. Canon Elbourne retired to France from Chester Diocese and was active in giving support to our congregation in Caen, for which he had Permission to Officiate. Fr Nigel was committed to ecumenism throughout his priestly ministry. In retirement he continued his devotion to Christian unity and considerably strengthened ecumenical relations in Normandy. Right up until his death he was a frequent representative of our Church at regional ecumenical meetings, and had built up personal links with Roman Catholics, Reformed, Adventists, Russian Orthodox and others. Fr Nigel was a frequent worshipper at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Sées, where he had been given personal permission to receive commu...

The Revd Canon Ben Eaton retired as Priest-in-Charge of St John's, St Raphael, France on Sunday 26th September. Fr Ben has served 8 years in this Riviera parish, and has a long and very distinguished ministry in this diocese. Prior to St Raphel, he served for many years in St George's Barcelona, then later in Holy Trinity, Maisons Laffitte. Fr Ben was born in South Carolina, studied in Lebanon, trained for the priesthood in Puerto Rico, was ordained for the diocese of Ecuador and served parishes in Exeter and Southwark. He is a truly international priest who has brought a richness of experience and a warm pastoral heart to his ministry. On his penultimate Sunday, 19th September I was able to be present in St John's to share in the warm and moving tribute paid by the parish to Ben and his wife Anne. We also managed to squeeze in a moment for quiet refreshment and contemplation, pictured below! We wish Ben and Anne a happy and blessed retirement.

On 3 October, the Reverend Hazel Door, formerly Priest-in-Charge of the Anglican Church of Christ Church, Brittany, was licensed as Assistant Chaplain of the Anglican Church of Christ the Good Shepherd, Poitou-Charentes. The Chaplain, the Revd Michael Hepper, conducted the service as commissary of the Bishop for this occasion. The addition of Hazel to the ministry team of Poitou-Charentes is much welcome. Regular services are held in 10 different locations throughout this huge pastoral area. In addition to Hazel, Fr Michael is assisted by several retired priests with Permission to Officiate and 10 Readers. The parish website is here . Hazel's own vocation to the priesthood was discerned in this parish and her curacy served here before her appointment as Priest-in-Charge of Christ Church Brittany several years ago. We pray for God's blessings as she settles into a new ministry back in her "home turf".

Here is a selection of books for October. It includes a critique of "Fresh Expressions". As someone deeply committed to the mission of the Church I welcome this book. Much in the Fresh Expressions movement is indeed refreshing but some of its theological presumptions need to be challenged. The Davison/Milbank volume is a start. Included in the selection are some good pastoral, biblical and historical studies. Normally I like to list books that are not going to break the bank. However, there is one this month which is pricier than the normal works reviewed. I include the Lucien Leusteau volume (at a hefty £85) because it may well be of interest to some in this diocese as it deals with a period in the recent history of Eastern Christianity. Just click on the read more link for the selection. Buona lettura ! Andrew Davison and Alison Milbank, For the Parish: A Critique of Fresh Expressions , SCM, ISBN 978-0-33404-365-2, £19.99. The Fresh Expressions movement emerging...

From Tuesday 12th to Friday 15th October, 9 postulants for Holy Orders gathered at St Columba's House, Woking, for the Diocesan Vocations Seminar. This annual event, led by our Director of Ordinands, the Revd William Gulliford, is an important step for those in our diocese who are contemplating ordination as deacons or priests. The days together follow the pattern of a national Church of England Bishops' Advisory Panel (BAP), which selects those to be trained for the sacred ministry. Postulants from our diocese are first approved by our assessment team at the annual Vocations Seminar then proceed to a national BAP. Fr Gulliford was assisted by other members of the Ministry Team of the Diocese, Canon Ulla Monberg, Deacon Frances Hiller, Ms Margaret Jeffery as well as Bishop Geoffrey and myself together with some of the Assistant Directors of Ordinands, the Revd Barbara Moss, Canons Michael Bullock, Robert Innes and Malcolm Bradshaw. Three of our former ordinands, now in traini...

The votes for members of General Synod from this Diocese in Europe have been counted and the result verified by the Diocesan Registrar. The results are as follows: For the House of Laity our members are: Canon Ann Turner (Antwerp), Mrs Madeleine Holmes (Aquitaine) For the House of Clergy our members are: The Revd Canon Ian Hutchinson Cervantes (Madrid), the Revd Canon Debbie Flach (Lille)

The Revd Andrew Wagstaff (above), chaplain of St Boniface Church, Antwerp, was commissioned by Bishop Geoffrey as Area Dean of Belgium and Luxembourg on 9 October, at the Eucharist which concluded the sessions of the synod of the Archdeaconry of NW Europe. Fr Andrew succeeds the Revd Canon Ray Jones who retired earlier this year. The Area Dean will work under Archdeacon John de Wit (who is based in Utrecht, Netherlands) in providing pastoral support to the clergy of Belgium and Luxembourg. He will also work with the President of the Anglican Central Committee for Belgium, the Revd Canon Dr Robert Innes, Chancellor of Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral, Brussels. (A unique and helpful feature of our Anglican life in the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is that our clergy in those countries receive a traitement or stipend support from the state. Canon Innes represents our Anglican Church in all dealings with the Belgian State, including the matter of traitements). ...

From 6th to 8th October several of our licensed Readers and some readers-in-training gathered at St Columba's House, Woking, for a workshop to explore a theological theme together. The topic was "The Mystery of the Trinity" and the facilitator was the Revd Elaine Labourel, Assistant Chaplain of Versailles. The Director of Training, the Revd Canon Ulla Monberg is delighted that our Readers and trainees wish to spend time deepening their theological knowledge. Past training events have tended to focus on some practical aspects to the ministry of Reader, such as preaching and funeral ministry, but our Readers take very seriously their role as lay theologians and enjoy the opportunity to hone these skills as well through engaging in theological exploration together. The participants are pictured above. In the back row left to right: Julian Simpson (Copenhagen), Michael Brooke (Coutances), John Matthews (Poitou-Charentes and the Vendée), Celia Pat...

The Revd Canon Trevor Whitfield, the Chaplain of Holy Trinity, Maisons-Laffitte, has been appointed Area Dean for France. This is the first time there has been an Area Dean in this Archdeaconry, and although it does not easily fall into natural “areas” we drawn on a model already in place in the Gibraltar Archdeaconry where the Area Dean functions as an assistant to the Archdeacon, working with him and with the Lead Bishop in the oversight and pastoral care of the Archdeaconry as a whole. Thus as Area Dean, Canon Whitfield will be responsible to Archdeacon Ken Letts and through him to me as lead bishop for France. Any new enquiries or new issues should still be directed to the Archdeacon in the first instance, who will then consult with the Area Dean about which of the two will take the lead in follow up and support. We offer Fr Trevor our congratulations and the assurance of our prayers as he takes on this additional responsibility, sharing in the overall pastoring and oversig...

The Churches of Jerusalem have prepared the material for the 2011 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which will be observed from 18 - 25 January. A phrase from the Acts of the Apostles (2.42), "One in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer," has been chosen to be the theme by representatives of the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Orthodox, Syrian, Armenian and Melkite Churches in the Holy City. The Week of Prayer is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church. Jerusalem is the mother church of all Christians. The 2011 material encourages a divided Christendom to rediscover the values that bound together the early church in Jerusalem, and to seek a renewed commitment to unity based on the experience of the first Christians. WCC General Secretary Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit says, "For Christians in Jerusalem, who live in continuity with the apostolic community of Jerusalem, the mother church of us al...

It has been a couple of months since I posted book reviews on this site. Now that the more relaxed pace of summer is well and truly over in the northern hemisphere, here is a selection of some current books for solid, autumn reading. I have included 9 reviews below. They come from Dr Martin Davie, the Theological Secretary to the Bishops. There are works on Pauline theology, ecology, ethics, a timely book n Pope Benedict's thought, "fresh expressions", and much more.... Just click on the read more link for the selection. Feliç lectura!

The Community of Sant’Egidio and the Archdiocese of Barcelona are hosting the International Meeting for Peace in Barcelona from 3 – 5 October. The theme for this year’s gathering is “Living Together in a Time of Crisis: Family of Peoples, Family of God”. This annual gathering is part of the legacy of the historical Day of Prayer of Assisi, convened by Pope John Paul II in 1986. It brings together leaders of Christian Churches, world religions, distinguished representatives of international politics and culture, men and women, searching for peace through dialogue throughout the world. Approximately 500 representatives are joined by thousands of other people, especially youth, who meet explore how religious faith, dialogue and mutual understanding can help people face the challenges of the contemporary world. One panel on Monday afternoon on “Alms Giving and Justice” particularly intrigued me as I recall a time when Christians were challenged about their views on "charity"...

The Revd Canon Dr Alan Maude (chaplain of Costa del Sol West, Spain) recently celebrated 40 years as a priest. He is pictured here (third from the right) with his wife Marjorie. Special guests for the celebration included Lord Carey of Clifton, (the former Archbishop of Canterbury), Archdeacon David Sutch and colleagues from the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar. Warm congratulations to Fr Alan! The Costa del So West chaplaincy includes congregations in Sotogrande and San Pedro de Estepona

Ecclesiastical history in Northern Europe was made on Sunday 3 October. After close to 500 years of separation, visible communion has been restored between the Anglican Churches of Great Britain and Ireland and the Church of Denmark. On Sunday 3 October, following a Eucharist in Vor Frue Cathedral in Copenhagen, officials of the Danish Church signed the Porvoo Agreement.  All the Lutheran Churches of the Nordic and Baltic countries (except the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia) have now signed this ecumenical statement which brings those Churches into a living relationship of shared life and mission, including the interchangeability of ministers. The Church of Denmark comprises 10 dioceses in Denmark itself and one in Greenland. There are 2,200 parishes served by about 2,400 priests. The weekend celebrations began with a service of Evensong on Saturday in St Alban's Anglican Church in Copenhagen. I welcomed the international gathering to the service which the Venerable Jonath...

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)....