Anglicans in Athens readjust response to refugees in light of new circumstances

Examples of items and children’s packs being collected by the Anglican Chaplaincy in Athens for a refugee/migrant camp close to Athens

Since the closure of the Greek northern border with Macedonia a different response to the refugee/migrant crisis in Greece has had to be made. No longer are the needs of transient refugees/migrants the priority. Instead it is the 54.000 refugees/migrants now stranded in hurriedly erected ‘closed camps’.As a consequence the Anglican chaplaincy in Athens, in partnership with Us (formerly known as USPG), is reviewing the programmes it, until of late, has been engaged in and is making appropriate re-adjustments.

Recently the chaplaincy has started a programme whereby, once a month, a collection of a limited number of easily obtainable things is made among the English-speaking community connected to the Church. These will help to make day to day life in a camp a little more tolerable. This month it is toothpaste, tooth brushes and soap. Next month it will be sun-lotion, insect repellent and simple head gear. Another focus will be packs containing crayons, colouring books, stickers, lined and plain paper and small toys for a substantial child population now existing in the camps.

St Paul's in Athens receives many visitors also, particularly pilgrim groups "walking in the steps of St Paul". These pilgrims are also making contributions to these collections.

Refugees in Victoria Square Athens

Consecration of the Icon of the Holy Martyrs of 1915

On Sunday 24 April I was privileged to be invited by His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, the Primate of the Armenian Church in the UK and Ireland, to the Divine Liturgy at St Yeghiche Church, London. The occasion was the annual commemoration of the Armenian genocide. During the liturgy a replica of the icon of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide was consecrated, the original having been dedicated last year in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, when, on the centenary of the genocide, the martyrs were canonised by the Armenian Church. I was particularly moved when His Grace Bishop Hovakim asked me to join him in blessing the icon with Holy Myron (chrism).

In his sermon Bishop Hovakim called his people to be united with their homeland, "where Artsakh once again struggles for its independence and its basic human rights". Artsakh is the traditional Armenian name for the region of Nagorno-Karabakh where in recent weeks conflict has erupted. His Grace reminded Armenians living in Great Britain "to speak the truth boldly so that peace, security and justice will transcend lesser interests". "This icon will remain in our Churches as a shining light speaking about this truth that cannot be hidden", said Bishop Hovakim.

The faithful in St Yeghiche Church prayed, "Through the prayers and intercession of the Holy Martyrs of the Genocide of 1915 and of all the martyrs of the past and present, may the Lord have mercy on us".

St Vincent's Algarve

Nossa Senhora da Luz

St Vincent's in the Algarve is an active and growing parish in the diocese consisting of three congregations in the southern end of Portugal. The Revd Mark Wilson was licensed as Chaplain last 16th February and recruitment is now under way for a colleague to join him on the team which normally consists of two priests and three Readers.

On a recent parish visit I was able to discuss with the Church Council some of their priorities for the future, including deepening their giving and service in the community, continuing their excellent ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholic diocese, and building links with English language schools in the area.

In the beautiful parish church of Nossa Senhora da Luz in Praia da Luz, the weekend visit was rounded off with a celebration of confirmation. The Revd David Kirby is serving as a locum priest on the team at present, and by happy coincidence had the pleasure of presenting to me one young man whom he had baptised 14 years ago when he was himself one of the permanent priests in St Vincent's.

Confirmation candidates with locum priest Fr David Kirby (left) with Reader Bob Kelly and Fr Mark Wilson (right)

An update from Canon Ulla Monberg at ACC-16, Lusaka

Bishop Angaelos (rt) speaks to another ecumenical participant at ACC, Metropolitan Seraphim of the Patriarchate of Alexandria

Canon Ulla Monberg, our delegate to ACC-16 which is currently meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, has let me know that Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Church in the UK, who is an ecumenical participant at ACC, spoke warmly of our diocese's "trememdous work" with refugees to the ACC members from around the world. This work was also mentioned by staff members of the ACC in their reports and by the Anglican Alliance.

Fr Tony Currer and Canon Monberg

Canon Monberg has also spoken to another important partner of this diocese, the representative of the Vatican, the Revd Tony Currer, with whom I work on the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission.

The opening service of ACC-16 took place with a congregation of 5000! Canon Monberg says "I have never experienced anything like it....the service lasted 4 hours with lots of choirs, dancing". Bishops, priests and people attended from around the Province of Central Africa which includes the nations of Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Congregation gathering for the opening service at ACC-16

Refugees, Interfaith dialogue, youth ministry: lively issues in Christ Church Vienna

Men's Breakfast

From Friday 8 April until Sunday 10th, I was at Christ Church Vienna for a parish visit. This is a very active congregation, and a very international one.

Among the many parish activities is a "Men's Breakfast". Some wonder about whether there should be single gender groups in the modern Church, and that is a good question. However this meeting every couple of months is not intended to be a type of secret den where men can plot together to keep hold of power! Far from it, it simply recognises that very often in the life of the Church, for a variety of reasons, many men seem to be less inclined to engage in the usual (mixed) study and fellowship groups. The Christ Church Men's Breakfast provides space for this encounter. It is a follow up from one of the aims of the parish mission statement: "To engage with one another through the shared experience of worship, education and social events".

On Saturday I was pleased to be invited to the group, to lead a discussion on interfaith dialogue, I focussed on what I had experienced at the Marrakech Meeting in January when over 300 Muslim scholars and political leaders came together to explore the significance of the Charter of Medina for today. The Charter is a model for majority Muslim societies to champion the protection of religious minorities within their societies. There was an interesting discussion around the table coming from the rich and varied experiences of relations with Muslims in Austria and Muslim societies around the world. Some, including the Assistant Curate, the Revd Mike Waltner, are directly engaged in dialogue with Muslims presently, or have been in the past.

Church Council Meeting

At the meeting of the Church Council a variety of mission challenges were discussed including ministry with young people (Christ Church has a flourishing Sunday School) and lay leadership development. A major focus of the meeting was on Safeguarding matters in the life of the Church.

A parish dinner meeting was arranged for me to speak about the refugee situation and its impact, especially in our diocese. I was impressed by the personal commitment and insight of the parishioners on this complex issue. Many have been volunteering in Vienna to assist refugees and some are hosting refugees in their own homes, so their experience is very close to home.

Judy Castelino with a refugee she is caring for in her home

The Sunday Liturgy was an Eastertide celebration of new and renewed faith, with Baptism and Confirmation and Reception into the Church of England of some who have been previously episcopally confirmed.

As one adult was baptised and the other candidates renewed their baptismal faith at the font, the congregation were sprinkled with the baptismal water, reminding them of their own incorporation into Christ's Body.

A sign of the responsibility taken on in Confirmation is shown in the intercessions when the candidates lead the congregation in offering the intercessions for the Church and for the World. At the end of the service the candidates lead the congregation out into the world where their service as Christians is lived out every day.

The Chaplain of Christ Church, Vienna, the Revd Canon Patrick Curran, until last year was also the Archdeacon of the East, so in effect he had two full-time jobs. Now he is able to devote more time to the leadership and pastoral care of this lively community. The Assistant Curate, the Revd Mike Waltner, seen in the photo above, second from the right.

Fr Patrick can be seen below at a hostelry close to Christ Church, tempting me with a local brew.

The Revd Canon Patrick Curran

Many pictures are courtesy of Judy Castelino.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Canon Ulla Monberg - the Europe Representative at ACC in Lusaka

Canon Ulla Monberg in Holy Cross Cathedral in Lusaka where the ACC meeting is being held

The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) is meeting in Lusaka, Zambia. The ACC is one of the 4 instruments of the Anglican Communion (the others being the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference and the Primates' Meeting) but the only instrument where laity and clergy have a full part to play. It gathers every 3 years. We are privileged that our own Diocese in Europe, although part of the Church of England which has its own delegates to the ACC, has a special co-opted member, the Revd Canon Ulla Monberg, our Diocesan Director of Ministerial Development. It is only right that we have a representative since 42 of the 164 countries of the Anglican Communion are in our diocese!

Members of the ACC will be discussing some of the most pressing issues facing the Church's mission in the world, including the challenges presented by migration and refugees, climate change, violence in all its forms and poverty. The Council will consider a major report on the formation of disciples, active followers of Jesus Christ equipped to engage with these mission challenges.

The gathering which began on 8 April continues until 19 April. We uphold Canon Monberg in our prayers during this time, and also pray for all the delegates, that our unity in Christ might shape our common mission in the world. I was a staff person at ACC meetings in Panama (1996), Dundee (1999) and Hong Kong (2002) and I know how exhausting these gatherings can be, but how exhiliaring they are when global Anglicanism comes together to celebrate both our diversity and what we hold in common, and what we can offer to the world in joint service.

 

Posted with Blogsy

St Mark's Versailles welcomes its new priest, the Revd Ajit John

St Mark's Versailles

Many people are surprised to learn that the Church of England Diocese in Europe has 7 congregations in Greater Paris. There are two in the centre of the French capital, St George's and St Michael's. 5 others are located in towns on the periphery, St Peter's Chantilly, St Luke's Fontainebleau, Holy Trinity Maisons-Laffitte and St Mark's Versailles with St Paul's, Gif sur Yvette.

It is to this last 2-point parish, Versailles with Gif sur Yvette, that a new Chaplain was licensed on Saturday 2 April: the Revd Ajit John. Ajit has moved into this diocese from the Diocese of Toronto, in the Anglican Church of Canada. The Archdeacon of France, the Venerable Ian Naylor, presided at the licensing service in St Mark's.

This service at the start of a new ministry is a moving moment when the new priest receives, generally through the Archdeacon, his or her authorisation from the Bishop and accepts the solemn responsibilities to conduct divine service, celebrate the sacraments, preside at the occasional offices, preach, teach and hold the cure of souls (i.e. provide pastoral care).

The Revd Ajit John receives the licence for his ministry from the Archdeacon of France

Ajit will be working with his assistant priest in the parish, the Revd Elaine Labourel, who is also our Diocesan Director of Reader Ministry.

We welcome Ajit, his wife Margaret, and their daughter Gabrielle to this diocese and to St Mark's.

Fr Simon Stephens is honoured by Lambeth Palace

Fr Simon in Moscow, 2013

Canon Dr Simon Stephens OBE is a well known and much loved priest of our diocese. He first served as priest-in-charge of Sta Margarita, Menorca, then for many years as Chaplain of St Andrew's Moscow. He retired from that post in 2014. Fr Simon was honoured last Thursday in a ceremony at Lambeth Palace when he was given a Lambeth Cross for service to the Church's ecumenical life. I know from my own visits to Moscow how significant his ecumenical work there has been, particularly with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Here is the full citation for Fr Simon's award: 

Awarded to Canon Simon Edward Stephens for his significant contribution to ecumenism, especially with the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

In June 2014 Canon Simon Stephens retired as Chaplain to St. Andrew’s Church and Anglican Centre, Moscow after fourteen years of outstanding service. He extended the work of the chaplaincy both geographically and pastorally, with visits to Mongolia for Christmas Services, to Kiev and monthly visits to St. Petersburg to take Communion Services, and elsewhere in his role as Area Dean, even travelling to Murmansk Prison to visit British detainees.

At the same time, Canon Stephens built up the congregation at St. Andrew’s where he nurtured the vocations to the Anglican ministry of two Russian Postgraduates. He fostered closer relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and with Patriarch Alexei and his successor Patriarch Kyrill.

He also established strong links with the British Embassy, together with many Commonwealth Embassies. His ministry also extended to several outreach programmes for local Russians, such as a branch of Alcoholics Anonymous, a reference library and concerts and opportunities for other gatherings.

After St. Andrew’s received a grant in 2003 from the Fellowship of St. Alban and St Sergius in Oxford to create a library for the Biblical Theological Institute of St. Andrew (called by its Russian acronym BBI), St. Andrew’s, BBI, and the Fellowship began a dialogue to create in 2006 the very first Anglican - Orthodox Education Centre, bringing together noted theologians and scholars from Russia and abroad to discuss current theological issues and foster understanding between the Orthodox and the Anglican Communions.

Such a ministry over fourteen years demanded exceptional political and ecclesiastical gifts and hard work in order to establish, sustain and build up an Anglican presence and to reach beyond denominational boundaries in such a city and, not least, at such a time.

We send our warmest congratulations to Fr Simon on receiving this well-deserved award.

Fr Simon (Centre) with Churchwardens of St Andrew's Tangier, and Area Dean Canon Medhat Sabry

Fr Simon's ministry in this diocese continues: he is always up to new challenges! I have just appointed him as priest-in-charge of St Andrew's Tangier where he began his new ministry in Holy Week. He is always a welcome visitor to our Tufton Street offices, and usually brings news from all over the world (his networks are impressive!). But most importantly he never fails to deliver much appreciated words of joy and encouragement to the Diocesan Staff as can be seen in the photo below, when he was finalising details of his appointment with our Appointments Secretary, Catherine Jackson.

A safeguarding note

Ian Carter, Diocesan Safeguarding Manager

An anonymous comment was received by this blog (but not published) which may have been related to matters of safeguarding. It was passed immediately to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team for follow up.

Our diocesan safeguarding norms specify that if an individual has a safeguarding concern then this is the course of action: The matter must be reported to Diocesan Safeguarding Team as soon as possible, no matter how trivial the matter may seem.

The person to contact is Mr Ian Carter, the Diocesan Safeguarding Manager. His email is: ian.carter@churchofengland.org.

Eurobishop blog is not the vehicle to relay such information.