Ephraim Boms, Reader in Athens, RIP



Yesterday I received word from Athens of the death of Mr Ephraim Boms, one of the licensed readers in the parish of St Paul. Ephraim became very ill suddenly last October and has been hospitalised ever since. He was an outstanding lay minister, much loved in the parish and in the community. He helped to pioneer the Church's outreach to the large migrant population in the Greek capital. He was taking steps to explore Holy Orders last year, just before he became ill. 

The Revd Canon Malcolm Bradshaw, the Chaplain of St Paul's Athens wrote: 
"It has been a long and painful struggle for [Ephraim] and those supporting him – 11 months of high maintenance care in hospital. His wife Victoria has been in Athens since the New Year. Our hopes were raised that he may be flown to Germany for rehabilitation. Unfortunately the bureaucracy was incredibly slow in trying to deliver this – and not helped by strikes of doctors and ambulance crews. Three weeks ago his blood pressure began to fall linked with an infection. Since then the doctors have struggled with the infection and the blood pressure but to no avail. For the Chaplaincy it is a genuine loss – before his heart seizure some twelve months ago he had just blossomed as a Reader. As you know he was to come to the next Diocesan Vocations Conference. We were all proud of him.
His family has asked that he is buried in his robes as a Reader. We will have a Requiem Mass at St Paul’s before Ephraim leaves for Nigeria" 
O Lord, receive our brother Ephraim into the glory of your Son, who is Lord for ever and ever. Amen 

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