Eurobishop

On 8 July I was privileged to be part of a memorial service for Janet Anderson, one time organist, music director and long time member of the Church of the Ascension Cadenabbia, who had served this congregation for 55 years - a remarkable stretch of voluntary service to the Church.  The late Janet Anderson with a visiting organist Janet was a tireless worker for this parish and in particular was keen to keep its profile visible which she did through bringing musicians and choirs to perform in the beautiful building, which also has a remarkable acoustic. The Church of the Ascension in Cadenabbia is a gem of a church building, on the edge of Lake Como, in the beautiful area of the Italian Lake District. Worship and community fellowship has been offered to English-speaking visitors and residents since the 1880s. The Ven. Vickie Sims, the Chaplain of Milan, gives general oversight to the congregation, but its day to day life during the "season" which lasts from East...

On Sunday 1 July in St Mark's English Church in Florence, an historic ordination was held. Giampaolo Pancetti was ordained deacon in a bilingual English/Italian service. Deacon Giampaolo will serve as assistant curate in St Mark's Florence, which includes the congregations of St Peter's Siena, and Holy Cross, Bologna. Archdeacon Vickie Sims of Italy and Malta presented the candidate, Registrar Aiden Hargreaves Smith took the oaths and Mother Teodora Tosatti preached the homily at the ordination mass. Deacon Giampaolo comes from the former Old Catholic community in Italy. The Bonn Agreement of 1931 brought Old Catholics and Anglicans into full communion, based on agreement on the sacraments, ordained ministry and ‘all the essentials of the Christian faith’. In 2012 the Old Catholic community in Florence (along with Old Catholic communities elsewhere in Italy) became part of the Church of England, following the recommendation and consent of the Old Catholic Bishop of Swi...