Eurobishop

As a rule I announce on this website any retirements from active ministry in the diocese. In the last three months there have been three such retirements which I note below.   The Reverend Canon Geoffrey Evans retired as Priest-in-Charge of the Anglican Church of St Nicholas, Ankara, Turkey on 5 October. Fr Geoffrey has had an illustrious career in this diocese having previously served in Izmir, Istanbul, Rome and Moscow. He was the last post-holder of the magnificent title Archdeacon of the Aegean, which he held from 1978 - 1994. In June he was honoured with an OBE in the Queen's birthday list. In his retirement, Fr Geoffrey has Permission to Officiate which will come in useful in our developing work on the Turkish coast. The Reverend Deacon Ann Babb, the Assistant Curate in the Anglican Church of St Boniface, Antwerp, Belgium retired on 20 November. Deacon Ann has had a long association with St Boniface, and with the Mission to Seafarers chaplaincy in the por...

Here are some books reviewed for your end of the year reading. The 10 works below include one by our former Director of Training, Charlotte Methuen. There are also two Lent Books suitable for both private and group study which you may like to peruse for your forward planning. (Ash Wednesday is on 22 February!). As usual there are also works on prayer and spirituality, volumes of ecumenical interest, and lots of solid theology.  Buona letttura! Click on  Read more for the reviews ...

I wish a happy Christmas to readers of this blog. At this holy season may you find  a moment of gentle, quiet stillness for the Incarnate Word to be received with joy. May the Good News of his birth rekindle within us the flame of love for others.   Holy Jesus, by being born one of us, and lying humbly in a manger, you show us how much God loves the world. Let the light of our love always shine in our hearts, until we reach our home in heaven, and see you on your throne of glory. (Common Worship)

Reports from across the Diocese in Europe indicate that services this Advent were well attended once again. On the Continent of Europe, many of our congregations hold a service of lessons and carols which has become  immensely popular among Europeans, who find this English / Anglican tradition with its fine music and stirring scripture readings to be very moving. Such services are usually important ecumenical occasions as well, and in many local communities helps to put our Church of England parishes in Europe "on the map". St Paul's Monaco (above) is good example of this. Fr Walter Raymond, the Chaplain of St Paul's said that this year's Carol Service was the best attended ever! The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Monaco, Monseigneur Bernard Barsi, (below 4th from left), was present again this year, to give the final blessing. Photos courtesy of St Paul's Monaco

The World Council of Churches General Secretary,  Olav Fykse Tveit , has sent this Christmas message to the member Churches.  The WCC brings together 349 churches in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 560 million Christians. It includes most of the world's Anglicans (including the Church of England), as well as most of the Old Catholic, Orthodox,  Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, as well as many Independent churches. The headquarters are in Geneva, within our diocese. " For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all".   Titus 2:11, KJV Grace to you and peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the appearance of the gracious salvation of the Triune God enlighten our hearts, minds and spirits in this joyous season. New Testament accounts of the advent and nativity of Jesus stress the all-encompassing nature of the Christ event. Without reservation, the Biblical...

The Revd John Marvell, a retired priest who has Permission to Officiate in the Diocese and who assists regularly in St Bartholomew's Dinard, France, celebrated his 30th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood last Sunday 11 December. To honour the occasion, the priest-in-charge of St Bartholomew's, the Revd Gareth Randall, invited Fr John to preside and preach, and hosted a celebratory lunch following. Fr John was heartened to see many ecumenical friends, Roman Catholic and Protestant, who attended the service, which was clearly a tribute to his ecumenical leadership as he served as chairman of the Groupement Oecumenique for five years. Congratulations, Fr John. Ad multos annos! St Bartholomew's Church, now 140 years old, serves English-speaking residents and visitors on the North Brittany coast. The parish website is here .

The staff of my office (Deacon Frances!) and the staff of the Diocesan Office work very hard together as an extended team in Tufton Street, serving the 300 congregations of the diocese. With well over a week to go before the Christmas break, on Wednesday we unchained ourselves from our desks and came together for a moment to share the festive spirit (i.e.a selection of white and red) and to munch some mince pies. It was also the time for the traditional Secret Santa exchange.  In the photo above from left to right: Bron, Adrian, me, Frances, Sylvia, Verena, Nick and Andy. Jeanne, somehow, escaped the camera! This year's most coveted Secret Santa gift went to Andy Male, the Finance Assistant: Wash Away Your Sins Bubble Bath.

I have been in touch with the Revd Paul Yiend, the priest-in-charge of our congregation in Liege, Belgium, to offer the assurance of the prayers of the faithful of the diocese for the city which has been terrorised by today's attack by a criminal armed with grenades and guns. 4 people were left dead and over 75 injured. The attack, according to Fr Yiend, was in the very heart of the city where there is an extensive Christmas market. He added that with the crowds that visit the square it was indeed fortunate that there were not more lives lost. There are no reports of any of the Anglican community directly affected. Of course, an event like this will leave the entire population traumatised. We pray for all who are seeking to bring comfort in the midst of the tragedy. Father of mercy, i n this time of grief  let your people know your comforting love,  that you stand alongside them, as the Son who brings hope  and as the Spirit who brings healing. 

Diocese in Europe parishioners in Sweden will certainly be familiar with the Sankta Lucia service. In London, the Swedish Church and Swedish community continues the tradition and shares it with the English. Indeed, the event is a highlight of the Advent season in the city. This year the service was held in St Paul's Cathedral, where the Cathedral choir joined with the 50 voice Ulrika Eleanora Church Choir from the Swedish Church in Marylebone. As a sign of our close links through the Porvoo Agreement, I was invited to be present for this service in a packed St Paul's. The beautiful service of readings, hymns and carols, in Swedish and English, comes to a climax with the appearance of Lucia, dressed in a white gown, crowned with candles and a red ribbon of martyrdom around her waist. St Lucia, whose feast day is 13 December, (formerly the Midwinter or longest night of the year in the Old Swedish calendar), was a martyr in Syracuse, Sicily in 304. The Swedish Dean and Rec...

This morning I received news from the parish of the Aquitaine in France of the sudden death of one of our Readers, Mr Colin Pratt. This comes as a shock to the members of the parish, as he was actively serving in his ministry last Sunday. He had been a Reader in our diocese since 2007 when he transferred from the Diocese of London.  The Chaplain of Aquitaine, the Revd Dr Paul Vrolijk, has written to his parishioners announcing Colin's death, and said: It is with great sadness that I have to share the news that Colin Pratt has died. Colin was a great friend to many....and a great servant to the church. I will miss a wise friend. Please pray for all who are grieving. Lord God, may our brother Colin come to the banquet of life Christ has prepared for us. 

Here are 9 books reviewed in our December selection.  Among the volumes below you will find an important new look at 1 Corinthians,  a resource to help us understand the contemporary  Twilight  phenomenon, a remarkable story of conversion, an anthropological work by an important modern European theologian, and a stimulating volume on leadership in the parish. But there's much more...   Felix lectio! Click  on the  read more  link for the reviews.

Due to Iberia misplacing my luggage, I was 1/2 hour late for the patronal feast of the congregation of St Andrew in Puerto Pollensa, Mallorca, on 30 November. But despite the delay, joy filled the air as the parishioners came together for the celebration which included the confirmation of 4 of their number. The day also marked the 25th anniversary of the congregation, which began its life under the Revd Roy Greenwood, who, though now retired on the island, still actively assists the priest-in-charge. At the offertory, one of the Churchwardens, Mrs Mary Payne, presented a festive cake to mark the anniversary. The present priest-in-charge is the Revd Canon Mel Smith, who, together with Fr Roy concelebrated the eucharist with me that night. The congregation has a webpage here.

The staffing of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Gibraltar is now restored to its normal level. On 30 November, St Andrew's Day, the Archdeacon of Gibraltar, the Very Revd David Sutch, licensed the Revd Andrew Jacobson as Precentor / Port Chaplain. Fr Andrew is pictured above, holding his licence, with his wife Jane to the right and the Revd Jim Sutton, the Dean's Chaplain to the left. The Dean, the Very Revd John Paddock is on the far left, and Archdeacon David Sutch is on the right, with the Peruvian stole. We welcome Fr Andrew to this diocese and to his new ministry in our Cathedral Church!

On Sunday 4 December, the Dean of Gibraltar, the Very Revd Dr John Paddock, installed Mr Adrian Mumford, the Diocesan Secretary, as a  Lay Minor Canon of Gibraltar Cathedral and Honorary Precentor of the Choral Foundation of the Cathedral Church in the Stall of St Cecilia.   This is a most fitting appointment. Many of us know that, in addition to serving us as Diocesan Secretary, Adrian gives outstanding musical leadership as organist for many diocesan events, including synods. He is, of course, our diocesan organ advisor.  Adrian is also an active singer, a member of the Twickenham Choral Society and the Marble Singers. He often participates in a small choir which provides music for special services in the Archbishop of Canterbury's chapel at Lambeth Palace.  St Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians. Our best wishes to Canon Mumford on this appointment! The Stall of St Cecilia in the Cathedral

The Ship of Fools Mystery Worshipper has struck again in our Diocese in Europe, and for the second time in our Parish of St Laurence on the Canary Island of Lanzarote. The Mystery Worshipper, whose pseudonym is "Chris Teean", gave St Laurence's a 10/10, the highest possible score, and concluded with this tribute: "I would definitely want to be involved actively with this lovely parish if I lived on the island. Everyone had to drive their cars quite some distance to gather at this delightful little church, and the outcome was a most moving act of worship". Well done people of St Laurence, and interim Priest--in-charge, Fr Geoffrey Arrand! Read the full Mystery Worshipper Review here . The parish of St Laurence has an attractive website here .

Each year in Rome are held what are called the "Annual Informal Talks". It is a   meeting of staff of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Anglican Communion Office, Lambeth Palace, the Anglican Centre in Rome, the ARCIC co-chairmen and spokespersons for the ongoing agenda of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission (IARCCUM). I attend these meetings to represent the Anglican Communion's IARCCUM interests. This year we met at the Anglican Centre in Rome on 21 November. The chapel of the Centre is pictured above. The Director of the Anglican Centre, the Very Revd Canon David Richardson, the former Dean of Melbourne, is a good friend of this diocese. He is pictured below on the right, next to Margie, his wife, along with the Revd Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, and the Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon, the Director of Faith and Order and the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, respectively. The Anglic...

The first confirmation in Leipzig English Church since 1999 was held on Advent Sunday 27 November when I administered the apostolic rite to 3 teenagers and 3 adults. English priests were first posted to Leipzig in 1868. All Saints Church, which was located in the memorably named Sebastian-Bach-Strasse, was destroyed by allied bombing in World War II. A new congregation was planted in 1995 by the Revd Martin Reakes-Williams, who still serves as chaplain. Leipzig English Church is a truly international community. There are many Germans who attend (even though the services are in English), but I also met members from Ireland, the USA, Iraq, Canada, Nigeria, Cameroon, and even some from England! The congregation is also supporting one of their members who is in the process of discernment of vocation to the priesthood.  The membership was once largely students, but in recent years the congregation has seen a sizable growth among young families with children. Leipz...

It is not unusual for our parish priests in Spain to travel over 1000 km in a week in the course of their routine pastoral duties. Fr Hugh Broad, the priest-in-charge of Costa Almería and Costa Cálida, (a pastoral charge the size of Wales), has taken advantage of a provision in the diocese to authorise Congregational Worship Leaders to assist with the ministry and outreach over this vast territory. Congregational Worship Leaders, after appropriate local training, are authorised to lead services of the word and assist in the liturgical life of the parish. Three new Congregational Worship Leaders were installed in the parish on the Feast of Christ the King, Sunday 20 November. They are pictured above in the Church at Mojácar. In the background is Fr Hugh Broad (centre), Fr Alan Bennett (assistant priest) and Reader Duncan Burr.

During a recent visit to the parish of Costa Azahar I was able to pay a courtesy call on the Bishop of Tortosa, the Most Revd Dr Xavier Salinas i Viñals, whose churches we borrow.  My meetings with Spanish bishops are always interesting and very cordial. I wasn’t expecting, however, to  have a conversation with Bishop Xavier about the great Anglican classic text by Archbishop Michael Ramsey, The Gospel and the Catholic Church . Much to my surprise I learned that Ramsey’s great work has just been published in Catalan translation! Bishop Xavier is proud of one of his predecessors, (a Dutchman born in Utrecht), who became Pope Adrian VI in 1522, just five years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses against indulgences on the church door in Wittenberg. Pope Adrian VI apparently admitted that some of the disorder in the Church was the fault of the curia itself. He was Pope for only 18 months, but it is intriguing to imagine how Church history might be different had...

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.

Bishop Joachim Vobbe, Old Catholic Co-Chairman of AOCICC  The other official Anglican-Old Catholic activity to report on this month was the meeting of the AOCICC in York from 4 to 8 November. I have to admit it is not the most mellifluous acronym, but AOCICC stands for the Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council. It is the official instrument serving the relationship of our two respective families of Churches, a relationship of full communion established by the Bonn Agreement of 1931 . Two people from our diocese, myself and Mrs Maryon  Jägers  of Holy Trinity Church, Utrecht, are among the Anglican Communion representatives appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury on AOCICC. At the meeting an important paper on ecclesiology and mission, Belonging Together in Europe,  was finalised and will now be presented to the authorities of our Communions for evaluation and reception. The members worked hard and prayed hard for 5 days. The only t...

November has been a busy month for official Anglican-Old Catholic relations. This note covers one aspect of that activity, the (English) Society of St Willibrord.  The Annual General Meeting of the Society was held in York Minster on Saturday 5 November. St Willibrord is the patron of the relations between our Churches. He was the Northumbrian born missionary to Frisia and Northern Germany in the 8 th century. He founded many bishoprics, including that of Utrecht. The Archbishop of Utrecht is, today, the first among equals in the Old Catholic hierarchy. The AGM began with a solemn Eucharist in York Minster, at which the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill presided, assisted by the (Old Catholic) Bishop Emeritus of Germany, the Rt Revd Joachim Vobbe. The Bishop of Haarlem, the Rt Revd Dick Schoon preached. My chaplain, Deacon Frances Hiller, is a member of the executive of the Society of St Willibrord, and led the intercessions. Although the r...

Here are November's book recommendations. Thanks, once again, to Dr Martin Davie, the theological advisor to the Church of England's bishops, for these thorough reviews. (Martin - where do you get all the time to read?)  This month's selection includes works on Methodism, Inter-faith relations, Anglicanism, preaching and the increasingly important area of Christian apologetics. Also, given the nature of the questions that come to my office each day, I would say that the volume on Church law should be standard reading for clergy, churchwardens and readers. Feliç   lectura! Click  on the  read more  link for the reviews.

The Bishop of Newcastle, Co-Chairman of the Consultation From 1 to 4 November, the Churches of the Porvoo Communion held a consultation in Turku, Finland on the Churches’ teaching on marriage. Delegates represented the Anglican Churches in England, Ireland and Scotland, and the Lutheran Churches in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Observers were present from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia, the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, and the Latvian Lutheran Church Abroad. The consultation was felt to be timely, given that in our countries legislation on marriage is changing, and these changes are drawing responses from our Churches. For instance, Sweden passed a gender neutral marriage law in 2009. The Church of Sweden subsequently revised its liturgy of marriage accordingly. I was invited to the consultation as a “keynote listener” - a kind of rapporteur - to feed back to the consultation what the participants were saying to each other. It was 4 days of ...

The Diocese welcomes back the Reverend John-Henry Bowden who was licensed as Priest-in-Charge of the Anglican Church of St George, Malaga, on 11 November by the Archdeacon of Gibraltar, the Venerable David Sutch. Fr John-Henry comes with a rich experience of life in our diocese. He was  formerly Priest-in-Charge of St George's, Venice (with St Anthony of Egypt, Padua and Christ Church Trieste) and subsequently served as Interim Chaplain to Bishop Geoffrey.  The Very Revd John Paddock, the Dean of Gibraltar, and the Revd Canon Alan Maude, from the neighbouring parish of Costa del Sol West, attended the service in St George's at which Churchwardens Rosella Parmiter and Anne Ecclestone formally welcomed John-Henry and his wife Marilyn on behalf of the parish. St George's Church has a special place in our diocesan history. It is the oldest Anglican Church in mainland Spain. The first priest was appointed in 1850 when services were held next door to the British Consulate...

The Revd Augustine Nwaekwe It felt like the Anglican Communion was gathered at Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral in Brussels on 9 October for a liturgy which was described by the Revd Augustine Nwaekwe, the Assistant Chaplain in Brussels, as an "All-in-One" service. As F r Augustine noted, "it incorporated baptism, confirmation, admission into the Church of England, "churching"- thanksgiving after childbirth, and a memorial thanksgiving service for the father of a member!  Candidates for confirmation from Holy Trinity Brussels were joined by others from from St Pauls Tervuren and the English Church at Oostende. Clergy present included the Reverends Clifford Owen (Oostende), Gillian Wilton (Tervuren), Jack MacDonald (Leuven), Robert Innes, and Augustine Nwaekwe (Brussels).  The 2 1/2 hour service had a distinctive African style, with the multi-lingual music provided by Holy Trinity's African Choir "Living Waters Singers" led by Dr David...