Eurobishop

It is not very often in the Church of England that we have to expand a church building in order to accommodate a growing worshipping congregation.  The fact that this should also happen in a country which is officially Muslim adds to the rarity of such an occasion. That is precisely what has happened in St John the Evangelist Church in Casablanca. Canon Medhat Sabry St John's has been home to Anglicans and other English speaking foreign Christians since 1906. In recent years the numbers of Christian migrants from all over the world has increased in this, the largest city in Morocco. Under the then Chaplain of St John's, the Revd Canon Dr Medhat Sabry, a plan was developed to build a community centre as a first phase, which was opened 2 years ago. The next phase was the extension of the actual church building, including the construction of a balcony, to be able to almost double the capacity for attendance at services. The historic church is considered to be part of the patrimony...

"Do you believe that God is calling you to this ministry?" At the ordination of deacons and priests this question is solemnly asked of the ordinands who usually by this time are filled with a mixture of nervousness, joy and anticipation. In the past month and a half I have had the privilege of ordaining deacons and priests in St George's Madrid, All Saints Milan and Her Majesty's Chapel of the Savoy in London. The ordinands all answered the question with a resounding, "I do so believe". In recent weeks, even as the Church of England has been celebrating ordinations in every diocese, there have been some voices raised which seem to question the need for the ordained. "Key limiting factors" was an expression used to describe them, which caused, rightly, some push-back. Surely  t hese are times when priests and deacons are needed more than ever.  So I am incredibly proud and humbled by the strong calling of these men and women who are ordained in this...

It is with sadness that we in the Diocese in Europe learn of the death yesterday of the Very Rev. Walter H. Raymond OGS. Fr Walter was the Chaplain of St Paul's Monaco where he served for close to ten years before retiring to his beloved Quebec in 2017. Before coming to Monaco h e had served in the Diocese of Toronto and the Diocese of Quebec where he was Dean of the Cathedral in Quebec City. He was a member of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd, and the spirituality of the Oratory fed and sustained his fruitful ministry.  With Archbishop Bernard Barsi Fr Walter was known in Monaco for his ecumenical commitment, and he and the Roman Catholic Archbishop, Mgr Bernard Barsi, were great friends. During his time in St Paul's he regularly presented many candidates for confirmation, and was dedicated to nurturing the faith among the young. He also loved to share his passion for the Grand Prix and other sporting events in Monaco, and was a warm and generous host.  From the French langua...

Fr Malcolm Bradshaw and Fr Castro Adiebah I was marooned for a few more days in Italy than I had counted on, due to changing COVID quarantine requirements imposed by Italy after I arrived for some parish visits. A return to the UK (with the usual quarantine) then a return to Milan for in time for ordinations, with a newly imposed Italian quarantine, was going to be impossible.  But it was far from lost time, as I was able to touch base with several of our parishes in Italy duing these days, including Venice. Fr Malcolm Bradshaw, the Chaplain of St George's, was able to introduce me to a Ghanaian priest from the Anglican Diocese of Sekondi, who has been sponsored to do a masters degree in ecumenism, at the prestigious Ecumenical Institute of Venice. Fr Castro Adiebah is clearly an emerging young African theologian, and it is very good to be able to give him an Anglican home in Venice during his studies.  It was also good to have a chance to have a meeting with Metropolitan Poly...

The Marsala Chapel in Holy Cross, Palermo Many Anglican churches have side chapels, but on a recent parish visit to Holy Cross, Palermo, Sicily, I was reminded of the particularly splendid, and wonderfully named, "Marsala Chapel". In fact the whole church building is rather beautiful, with a splendid apse decorated with mosaics in a style common to this part of Sicily.  The chapel's dedication comes from the fact that the church was built in the 1870s by the descendents of Benjamin Ingham Sr, an Englishman who settled in Sicily and built up the Marsala wine industry. (There are a few other churches in the Diocese with a similar history, such as in Malaga, Porto and Madeira!) Today, the members of Holy Cross Church come from around the world, the UK and Northern Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East. Others have been born and raised in Italy and have found a spiritual home in this Anglican congregation. Over the years, excellent ecumenical relations have been ...

  All Saints Church Council All Saints Rome describes itself as "an open-minded and welcoming Anglican community in the heart of Rome".  An Anglican congregation has been worshipping in the Eternal City since 1816. Once largely English, today it is the home for "an eclectic mix  of expatriated employees of international companies, people working locally in Rome, diplomatic personnel from embassies, visiting scholars and international students". Each Sunday, outside the extraordinary time of pandemic, the regulars are joined by a healthy community of tourists and pilgrims.  Now that some of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic are being relaxed, like so many congregations, priest and people are working together to map the way forward, with physical worship restored, and online / hybrid services continuing. In All Saints, the numbers at Sunday liturgies are now back to a healthy size and the Council and the Chaplain, Fr Rob Warren, are looking at how to s...

St George's Madrid The Diocese in Europe, even though part of the Church of England, is not very English at all. In fact, it is a particular privilege as a bishop to be able to accompany congregations as they grow and develop in response to the challenges of multicultural and multinational ministry.  Solomon Ike (left) with St George's Chaplain Canon Sabry (right) St George’s Madrid was once called "the British Embassy Church of St George". Today it is like so many of our churches in capital cities: a magnet for people from every part of the world who use English as a first, second, or even third language and who are seeking a church home.   Many years ago I had the pleasure of a meeting with a dozen or so members of the church who are originally from Nigeria. They spoke to me with great pride that one of their own compatriots was wanting to become a priest. That began a long journey of discernment and training for Solomon Ike. The ordination of Solomon in St George’...