The Church in Gibraltar welcomes those who pass by, on foot, or by sea

 

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 the Port Authority, to those who staff the tourism office serving cruise passengers. He is on hand to welcome virtually every ship, and in particular to attend to the needs of the international seafaring crew. One welcome service offered by the Port Chaplaincy is a Wifi station. It is a popular venue for crew members, far from their home, needing to connect with their families and friends. This is such an important outreach of the Church in Gibraltar, supported by the Mediterranean Mission to Seamen fund administered by the Diocese.

An ecumenical Via Crucis through the Main Street of Gibraltar rounded off the Good Friday liturgies on the Rock. The Roman Catholic, Church of Scotland and our own Anglican communities (the Cathedral and the King's Chapel) came together to mark the 14 stations, with meditations and prayers led at each station by different parochial groups - a witness to Christian unity and to our walking together as disciples of our crucified and risen Lord.

 

 

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