Eurobishop

Our Lady of Europe The Easter celebrations in the Cathedral in Gibraltar had a couple of significant ecumenical dimensions. First of all, I was welcomed on Holy Saturday to the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe by Fr Charles Azzopardi, from the RC diocese of Gibraltar. I was accompanied by Fr Michael Wagstaff, the Naval Chaplain in Gibraltar. Fr Azzopardi, Fr Wagstaff The shrine has a fascinating history. In 711 General Tariq Ibn Ziyad led his Moorish troops across the straits which separate Africa from Iberia. (Gibraltar actually means in Arabic, "Mountain of Tariq" (jabal ṭāriq). He built a mosque at the southernmost part of the peninsula in thanksgiving. When Moorish occupation of Gibraltar ended in 1309, King Ferdinand IV of Castille converted the ancient mosque into a Christian shrine and dedicated the continent to the Mother of Our Lord, under the title, Our Lady of Europe. The present statue dates from 1462. The feast of Our Lady of Europe is observed on our Dio...

  At the end of the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday in the Cathedral in Gibraltar, the cross which was venerated by the congregation during the service is moved to in front of the altar which was stripped bare following the Maundy Thursday rites. The cross remains there throughout the day with candles lit on either side, providing a focal point for passers-by exploring the "Rock" who drop into the Cathedral (and there are many!) to ponder the mystery of our salvation. A small gap between the liturgy and the evening's ecumenical Stations of the Cross through the Main Street of Gibraltar, gave me the opportunity to catch up on some aspects of the work of the Port Chaplain, the Revd Peter Ford OGS. Fr Peter is also the Assistant Priest at the Cathedral, working alongside Dean John Paddock. Fr Peter Ford Gibraltar is a busy port, particularly with increasing cruise ship traffic. Fr Peter is now well known around the port, by everyone from the security guards, to officials of t...

  The Sacred Triduum now well underway in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Gibraltar, inviting us to enter into the last steps of Jesus's way to the Father. These ancient rites draw us into the Passion itself. Tonight, following the Mass of the Lord's Supper with the washing of feet, the cathedral fell silent as the faithful gathered around the altar of repose, to watch with Jesus in Gethsemane. A solemn time of deep prayer for a world filled with pain, hostility and suffering. We remember our Lord's own words in that garden "My soul is very sorrowful".   Posted with Blogsy

Archdeacon Ian Naylor of France (rt) greeting some of his clergy Clergy and Readers from France, Monaco and Spain gathered on Tuesday 22 March at Holy Trinity, Nice, for the Chrism Mass. Fr Peter Jackson, the Chaplain of Holy Trinity, was our host for this liturgy.  As always in this scattered diocese, it was a welcome moment for those engaged in ministry and working in relative isolation to connect with their brothers and sisters, to meet new faces, to encourage each other and to pray together. As the Eucharist began, aware of the violent attacks that had taken place in Brussels that morning, the opening words prayed in penitence by the assembly were particularly powerful, and were uttered in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Belgian capital: "have mercy on us, bind up our wounds and revive us". The absolution contained these words "the Lord defend us in trouble and keep us from all evil". Fr Peter Jackson proclaims the Gospel The Go...

The planning is now under way for a diocesan-wide conference for Readers (Licensed Lay Ministers) and readers in training. The last conference was in 2012 and since then our Readers have been requesting another such event. Workshops are held once or twice a year, for specific topics, but a diocesan-wide celebration provides an opportunity to celebrate our ministry on a more significant scale. The planning team working with the Director of Reader Ministry, the Revd Elaine Labourel, the Administrator, Debbie Cunningham and me, are Readers from across the diocese: Celia Paterson (Madrid), Angela Mirani (Varese), Victoria Wadsworth-Hansen (Copenhagen) and Richard Medcalf (Maisons-Laffitte). The dates are booked: 19 - 22 May 2017, in Kardinal Schulte Haus, Cologne. The conference will provide spiritual input for Readers in their ministry, some cutting-edge biblical and theological reflection, time for considering the practical application of theology to lay ministry in the world, and...

Yesterday Church and Christian organisations in Europe called for concerted and ambitious action to be taken by the European Council in response to refugees and migrants. Among those Christian organisations are the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC), both well known partners of the Church of England and this diocese, who work, in a certain sense on our behalf. The letter presents an excellent summary of policies that the Churches would recommend to governments and EU bodies. Many people I encounter in the diocese ask what should be done in the face of the refugee situation. This letter sets out some real aims such as provision of safe and legal passage for refugees, appropriate support services once refugees reach Europe, and more effective resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes (including family reunion schemes). It also also raises questions about the EU-Turkey deal reached last week, particularly...

Members and visitors at All Saints, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife celebrated 125 years of worship in the lovely Church on the north of the island on Sunday 13 March. The parish has a fascinating history. When the Church was opened for worship in 1891 it was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Sierra Leone, who also looked after the Gold Coast, the Yoruba District of modern Nigeria and other territories in West Africa! Today it is very much part of the Diocese in Europe, but aware of its history in the Canary Islands, once a crossroad of the world in the 19th century. Renovations in the building were completed just a day before my arrival for the anniversary celebration: new electrical wiring throughout, new flooring, and a new organ which was dedicated during the service. All of this was made possible by the generous donations of individuals in the congregation. The sun shone brightly in the morning, making the snow-capped Mount Teide a brilliant backdrop to the celeb...

11 young persons from the parish of Midi-Pyrénées and Aude in SW France were confirmed on 28 February. One other young adult, orphaned due to violence in his Nigerian homeland, was baptised and confirmed. It was a moving occasion, as always, to see such joy in the faces of the candidates as they take make their commitment as disciples, bearers of the light of Christ in the world, and to sense the support from their fellow members of the Christian community who surround them with their love in that sacred moment.  The chaplaincy of Midi-Pyrénées and Aude continues to grow, numerically and in faith. It is a fine example of one of the strengths of the Anglican Church, that it can become a home to those from many different Christian backgrounds. The eucharistic worship in the 7 congregations in the parish is enhanced by a variety of hymns and music reflecting the richness of church traditions. Most members are native English-speakers, but others are members for whom...

Ecumenical life continues to be strong in the Principality of Monaco. The Monaco Christian community came out in good numbers to attend an ecumenical celebration of Anglican Evensong at Saint Paul's Church on Sunday 6th March. This annual service of ecumenical prayer in the season of Lent attracted a record number in the congregation. As a result Père Patrick Keppel, the Ecumenical Office for the Diocese of Monaco, was quick to suggest that the service of Lenten Prayer return to Saint Paul's in 2017. According to the Chaplain of St Paul's, the Very Revd Walter Raymond (pictured above with RC Archbishop Bernard Barsi), many attending the service commented not only on the beauty of the choral singing but on the much improved sound of the newly refurbished organ. Pictured above, second left to right, Archpriest Michel Seliniotakis, Greek Orthodox; Pastor Didier Meyer, Monaco's Église Réformée; Archbishop Bernard Barsi of Monaco; Pastor Gaston Claudel, Église Réform...

Canon Hawkin presents Clive and Janet to be admitted to the office of Reader Some of our French "parishes" cover a geographic area that larger than Wales. One of those is the Chaplaincy of Midi-Pyrénées and Aude which serves Anglicans and English-speaking Christians in a vast area in the South West of France, from just below Limoges to the border with Spain and Andorra. The English-speaking population is well over 100,000. Regular services are held in 7 locations across the pastoral area. The pastoral area of Midi-Pyrénées and Aude The Chaplain is the Revd Canon Andrew Hawken and the Assistant Chaplain is the Revd June Hutchinson. They are assisted by a larger team of about 6 priests with Permission to Officiate. Essential to the ministry team, as in so many other places in the Diocese, are Licensed Lay Ministers commonly known as Readers. Two new Readers were admitted to this office and licensed to serve in the parish during my recent pastoral visit on 28 Febr...