Eurobishop

  Clergy ordained in the Church of England are required to complete, following ordination, 3 years of further training called IME 2. In our diocese this post ordination programme is run by our Director of Ministerial Development, the Revd Canon Ulla Monberg. Over the past couple of years, due to the pandemic, the teaching and courses have been held virtually, using Zoom. However, there is at least one important module for which Zoom has severe limitations: liturgical theory and practice. So from 30 November to 3 December 17 of our curates in training posts gathered safely for the first face to face IME 2 sessions since the beginning of the pandemic. Canon Monberg chose as the venue Kardinal Schulte Haus in Cologne, well known to many in the diocese from other gatherings there such as Diocesan Synod. It has suitable space for safe gatherings, and excellent transportation links, a vital consideration since our curates come from Norway to Milan, and from Madrid to Moscow! Unfortunat...

  St Mark, traditionally held to be the founder of the Church in Alexandria Advent begins this Sunday. Our Director of Lay Discipleship, Dr Clare Amos, has been busy preparing some resources to help the faithful of the diocese to enter into the spirituality of this season.  This Monday 30 November, 18.00 Central European Time (17.00 GMT), Clare will lead a reflection on the Gospel of Mark. This brief overview of the emphasis that Mark lays out in his Gospel, will be helpful for us as Mark is the Gospel we will be mostly be reading from on Sundays during this "Year B" of the Common Lectionary.  Clare's reflections will be in the context of a brief liturgy called "A Service of Meditations for the Beginning of Advent". Clare is a Biblical scholar (among many other things) and a very engaging teacher. Do join us for this "Journey into Advent with Mark". The livestream is on the Diocesan YouTube channel:    ...

Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians in the Diocese in Europe, and to Canadian friends and relatives everywhere! As Canadians come together with grateful hearts for all the blessings we have received, let us pray for the needs of our world, especially for all those who are victims of war, abuse, racial injustice, alienation and disease. May the strength of our prayers open up avenues of healing, comfort and radical changes in the systems that keep people oppressed.  If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough - Meister Eckhart Photo by  Ryan Christodoulou  on  Unsplash

On Friday 12 June at 12 noon Central European Time (11.00 am British Summer Time) there will be a service of  prayer, scripture, silence of 8 minutes and 46 seconds, and blessing, in solidarity with BAME communities around the world.  This will be a brief service (about 15 minutes in total) at the hour when Our Lord hung upon the cross. It will be led by some of the BAME clergy of the diocese.  We offer this moment to come together to repent of the sin of racism, to pray for an end to injustice, to give thanks for the beautiful diversity of humanity, and to be strengthened for action that will make a difference.  Please join us.  Just follow this link to the live stream (available from about 11.30 am CET/10.30 am BST) on the Diocese in Europe YouTube.   Photo by Nicola Fioravanti on Unsplash

The ministry of deacon in the Church of England is still not well known nor understood.. Most people assume that being a deacon is simply a stepping stone on the way to the priesthood. It is true that priests must first be ordained deacon but the diaconate is also a distinctive ministry, to which people are called, and part of the three-fold ministry of bishop, priest and deacon that Anglicans teach as being characteristic of minstry in the Holy Catholic Church. The Lambeth Conference as early as 1958 made an attempt to renew the understanding of the diaconate as a distinctive ministry and recommended that "each province of the Anglican Communion...consider whether the office of Deacon shall be restored to its primitive place as a distinctive order in the Church, instead of being regarded as a probationary period for the priesthood". The distinctive diaconate, in my view, still needs to be taken more seriously as a vocational opportnity, within the Church of England. ...

The London and Southwark Diocesan Chapters of the Company of Servers gathered recently at St Saviour's Pimlico for their Summer Festival meeting. It was a service of Choral Evensong and Benediction, at which I had the joy of being the preacher. Fr Matthew Catterick, the Vicar of St Saviour's, hosted the event. The ministry of server is an important lay ministry in the Church. As I said in my sermon, I understand that just as servers have the privilege of honouring Christ present in the sacraments and the sacred assembly in the liturgy, through bearing lights, censing the gifts and the people, in dignified processions, in preparing the altar for the sacred meal etc., so they can be first among the laity in the world, serving Christ who is present in everyone we meet, and honouring his beloved children. The "Liturgy after the Liturgy" the Orthodox call this. We do not have a chapter of the Company of Servers in the Diocese in Europe. As the organisation describe...

Canon Monberg (centre) with our curates All newly ordained clergy or curates in the Church of England must complete what is known as IME 4 - 7, a period of 3 - 4 years when further training is given. This is also known as Post Ordination Training or POT. The Revd Canon Ulla Monberg, the Diocesan Director of Ministerial Development, is the staff person responsible for our own IME 4 - 7 programme in this Diocese in Europe. Our curates recently participated in a POT seminar focussing on the Church's liturgy. At the end of the years of curacy our priests and deacons are required to demonstrate solid rootedness in the liturgical traditions and practices of the Church of England, and to use their gifts and abilities in leading public worship in a variety of settings. In addition the curates are to show an understanding of the insights and practices of the liturgies and traditions of ecumenical partners. Canon Monberg was assisted in this recent IME session by the Revd Canon Willi...

The Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday has many words: the substantial lessons and of course the proclamation of the entire Passion story from the Gospel of St John, plus a sermon. But It is also a liturgy of movement which dates back to the 4th century when pilgrims flocked to Jerusalem on Good Friday to venerate the precious relic of the True Cross, discovered by the Empress St Helena. About the 7th century the practice of devotions before a wooden cross was introduced into local churches for the benefit of the vast majority of Christians who cannot journey to Jerusalem. Of course Christians come to the cross, to kneel before it, touch it, even kiss it, not to venerate a piece of wood but to give honour and praise to Christ who died on the cross. For many, coming into contact with the hard wood is a reminder of the reality of what he has done, for us and for our salvation. So with Christians around the world and across the ages, on this Good Friday in St Thomas Becket Church Hamburg, f r...

Here is a good pub quiz question: Who is the last person officially "canonised" by the Church of England? The answer is Charles, King and Martyr. Charles I was put to death on 30 January 1649. In 1662 his martyrdom was commemorated in the Book of Common Prayer. It is astonishing to know how quickly his cult expanded. In Tangiers, for instance, during the time of the English occupation in the 1680s, our own church there was dedicated to St Charles the Martyr! (Today, the present church in Tangiers is dedicated to St Andrew). Each year, close to his feast day (30 January) the "Royal Martyr Church Union" gathers for a solemn eucharist to honour King Charles. Last Saturday, in St Mary le Strand Church in London, assisted by Deacon Frances Hiller, my Chaplain, and other clergy, I had the honour of presiding and preaching at this mass. Whatever one thinks of King Charles the Martyr, he suffered and died for what he believed in.

  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

I find this particular icon of the nativity to be both moving and comforting. Of course there are the angels, the shepherds on the top right, the Magi to the left. But it is the Virgin Mary who is unusual in this icon. She is looking not at her Child, (who is wrapped in burial clothes, prefiguring his sacrifice), but at St Joseph on the bottom left. Joseph is wrestling with his doubts about the significance of all this; he is goaded on by the devil who encourages his doubt. People through the ages have found the Incarnation, the mystery that God became human which we celebrate in this Feast of Christmas, to be beyond reason and for many it is a doctrine too difficult to accept. Hence the presence of the midwives on the bottom right to affirm that Our Lord was truly born as a human being into this world; he needed washing, as any human baby would.   So this icon is for us.The Blessed Mother looks on St Joseph, as the Church looks on us, with understanding and patience, and...

Today's feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple draws our Christmas cycle to an end. On this day we light extra candles, and as Simeon and Anna greeted the Christ Child, the light of the world, in the temple, we pray that we may be filled with the light of his love. "The true light has come, the light that enlightens every one who is born into this world. Let all of us, my brothers and sisters, be enlightened and made radiant by this light. Let all of us share in its splendour, and be so filled with it that no one remains in the darkness. Let us be shining ourselves as we go together to meet and to receive with the aged Simeon the light whose brilliance is eternal. Rejoicing with Simeon, let us sing a hymn of thanksgiving to God, the Father of the light, who sent the true light to dispel the darkness and to give us all a share in his splendour". (From a sermon by St Sophronius of Damascus, circa 560).

This Sunday is Holy Cross Day. As we gather together around the sign which is both the instrument of suffering, as well as the victory-sign of Christ, it will be an appropriate time to pray for suffering and persecuted peoples in the Middle East, and to unite with them in solidarity and faith. God of Compassion,, hear the cries of the people of Syria and Iraq.Comfort those who suffer violence, console those who mourn the dead.Give strength to all who welcome the refugees.Convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms and protect those who are committed to peace.God of hope, inspire leaders to choose peace over violence and to seek reconciliation with their enemies.Fill us with compassion for the people of Syria and Iraq and give us hope for a future built on justice for all. We ask this through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and Light of the world.

Many people in the diocese will have heard of John Bell, of if you have not heard of him, you have probably sung one of his hymns. The Revd John Bell is a minister of the Church of Scotland, a member of the Iona Community, and a broadcaster. He was a guest speaker and guest preacher at the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar Synod last week, inspiring the clergy and lay delegates with stories and insights into congregational development, particularly in music and liturgy. Our liturgy and the place of music in it is vitally important, said John, for "What we sing becomes what we believe". Archdeacon Geoff Johnston presides at the eucharist with John Bell preaching

The Revd Engin Yildirim gives some instruction to the candidate for Holy Baptism Many people are surprised to learn that in the Church of England the method of baptising is either by immersion ("dipping") in water or pouring of water as the three-fold baptismal formula is recited by the priest.     The Book of Common Prayer stipulates either of these two methods but clearly with a preference for immersion. Even for infants, the Prayer Book rubrics state: "Then the priest shall take the child into his hands ... and he shall dip it in the water. But if ... the child is weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon it". The basic point is that in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism there should be a generous and abundant use of water. Baptism changes the life of the Christian for ever and this should be shown forth in a bold sacramental sign. In the Turkish-speaking parish of the Resurrection in Istanbul, one recent candidate for baptism expressed a wish to be baptised...

A reminder that the Church of England, including this Diocese in Europe, has endorsed the observance of a "Time for Creation", which runs from 1 September to 4 October. 1 September is the first day of the church year for the Orthodox Christians who start that day with a commemoration of how God created the world. 4 October is the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, when many western Churches, including the Church of England commemorate St Francis of Assisi, a lover of God's creation.  St Francis is the author of a famous Canticle which is found in our Common Worship: Daily Prayer, as Canticle 85 on age 641. During this "time of creation" we are encouraged to give particular focus to environmental issues. This year the focus is sustainable energy.  The World Council of Churches has assembled a list of resources for sermon and liturgy preparation, including material suitable for Harvest Festivals. They can be accessed here.  Our  Diocesan Environmental Offi...

In worship, "you are the actors, the celebrant is the prompter, the audience is God". With these words of  Søren Kierkegaard, the Revd Elaine Labourel introduced her plenary session entitled "Bearing the Word in the Liturgy" at the Diocesan Readers' Conference on Sunday 17 June. Elaine is the Assistant Priest at St Mark's Versailles and St Paul's Chevry, and is presently completing an MA in Liturgy at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield. She explored how the liturgy of the Church forms the people of God, nourishes them with sound doctrine, and enables them to enter deeply into the work of giving glory to the Holy Trinity. Paraphrasing the old Lennon-McCartney song, Elaine told the Readers, "all we are saying is give liturgy a chance".  At the eucharist on Sunday 17 June, in the midst of the Conference, I commissioned Elaine as "Senior Tutor and Advisor for Reader Ministry", recognising her work as part of the Ministry Tea...

Clergy and Readers of the Diocese who are planning worship over the next months will want to know of resources which have been compiled by the Church of England's Liturgical Commission to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. There is a rich range of prayers and services available, drawn from material from the Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship. The Sunday of the Jubilee Weekend, 3 June, is a Principle Feast, Trinity Sunday, and the collect and readings at the main services that day must be for the feast itself, but the resources are adaptable to fit in with the feast or to be used on other occasions. Some slight modification may be needed to certain prayers recognising that Queen Elizabeth II is of course, not Sovereign in most parts of the diocese, but our clergy and Readers are already used to making these adjustments! Click here for the link to the resources .

The Diocese in Europe, along with the rest of the Church of England, has endorsed the observance of a "Time for Creation", from 1 September (the first day of the church year for the Orthodox Churches) to 4 October (the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi). During this season our congregations are encouraged to give particular focus to environmental issues.  “Time for Creation” links in naturally with the time when we celebrate harvest thanksgivings.  This year the theme is “Our Daily Bread – Food in God’s Creation”.   I want to commend to the clergy and readers of the diocese and to all involved in planning and leading worship the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) website which has a host of useful resources, including sermon notes, intercessions and other liturgical material.  The website is here . Common Worship: Times and Seasons also has a rich selection of resources on pages 599-606 and 623-632. Those who pray the daily office may wish to use the m...

Many people are not aware that in the Church of England the administration of Holy Baptism is either by immersion or by pouring. It is the immersion part that surprises some! Both the Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship: Christian Initiation make clear that these are the (only) two options. Common Worship says that the president of the rite "dips each candidate in water, or pours water on them". I think that few, if any, of our churches in the Diocese have a font large enough to accommodate baptism by  immersion. However, some of our parishes are close to bodies of water! For instance, Christ Church Dusseldorf has taken advantage of its place on the Rhein to provide this option for candidates to be baptised there. The Revd Stephen Seamer, the chaplain of Christ Church, has noted that such baptisms have been a real encouragement to members of the congregation. Such a service is scheduled again for 31 July. Our clergy will be aware, of course, that when adults (...