Crete - interviews held in London

On Monday 11 October interviews were held for the post of assistant chaplain of the Greater Athens Chaplaincy at the Diocesan Office of the Diocese in Europe in London. The assistant chaplain is to serve St Thomas', Kefalas, Crete. This is a new part-time stipendiary post. The following were part of the interviewing panel from left to right (see photograph above) : Canon Mike Peters, Canon Malcolm Bradshaw (Area Dean), Jan Lovall and Revd Tony Lane (representatives for St Thomas) and the Archdeacon.

The portrait in the background is of the first Bishop of the Diocese in Europe the Rt Revd John Satterthwaite. The Diocese is an amalgamation of the Diocese of Gibraltar and the rest of Europe that up until then was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London and was the particular responsibility of the Bishop of Fulham. The Diocese was founded in 1980. 

Patrick Irwin licensed as Chaplain of Bucharest with Sofia

Representatives of the churches in Romania (Romanian Orthodox, Armenian and Lutheran) together with members of the diplomatic corps amongst whom where the Ambassadors for the United Kingdom, the United States and Ireland joined the Anglican congregation for the licensing of the Revd Patrick Irwin as Chaplain of the Church of the Resurrection, Bucharest, Romania with Sofia, Bulgaria. The service was conducted by the Ven Patrick Curran on behalf of the Bishop of Europe as his commissary.

The Anglican church building was built during the time of Queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938), a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and stayed open throughout the Cold War. The church is home to an icon that was given to the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese by the Romanian Patriarch on the occasion of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s visit to the country in 1965.

For the last seventeen years Patrick Irwin served as a chaplain in the British Armed Forces. The church building was recently redecorated inside and plans to repair the roof are well underway.

Labels: Bucharest

First Communion at Christ Church, Vienna

On Sunday 3 October six children were admitted to receive First Communion at Christ Church, Vienna. I am often asked about this recent practice within the Anglican Communion and especially in the Church of England. There are three things I would like to say. Firstly, all children who ask to receive Holy Communion are supported by their parents and are carefully prepared by a member of the congregation to do so. Secondly, children must be of an age that they can distinguish (appropriate to their age) between their daily bread and the food of the Lord's Table. Thirdly, the custom of admitting children to First Communion is about ensuring that at an early date children receive the grace this food supplies while at the same time anchoring their belonging in the Body of Christ. Confirmation is then about making a mature confession of Christian faith and not about admission to Holy Communion. In our Austrian context our practice mirrors that of the Roman Catholic Church, whereas the historic Protestant churches in Austria have gone over to an open table not requiring either Confirmation or even Baptism to receive Holy Communion.

Report on the Eastern Archdeaconry Synod, Vienna  16-19 September 2010

This was my third synod as representative from Vienna, and it was certainly convenient to leave the church office at 4pm and arrive at the Palotti house half an hour later, rather than spend a whole day travelling to some far-flung destination in the Eastern Archdeaconry.  

New participants this year were Revd Patrick Irwin, Bucharest and Jack Noonan, Prague. Janet Berkovic attended as an observer from Zagreb. Other participants attended from Athens, Corfu, Crete, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Izmir, and Vienna.

Belgrade, Istanbul and Ankara were unable to send representatives this year.

 The Synod started at 5pm on Thursday with Evening Prayer; after supper meetings were held until 9pm, including a short presentation on the Roman Catholic Church in Austria by Christa Pongratz-Lippitt.  The synod continued on Friday and Saturday with two full days of meetings, starting each day at 730am with morning prayer.

The Revd Dr. Walter Moberly led three informative and inspiring sessions on the use of the Old Testament in public worship and preaching on (1) Self-interest, suspicion and the dark night of the soul: the story of Job (Job 1.1-2.10); (2) Whence spiritual blindness? The story of Balaam and his ass (Num.22.1-35) and (3) How can we be honest in worship? The conflict of faith and experience (Psalms 44 and 89).

Ann Turner, Diocesan General Synod representative, led two sessions on the Diocesan Strategic Review, giving a concise presentation of the review with explanations where necessary and concluding with a short discussion on the two questions: What is the view of the Archdeaconry on the DSR as well as its views on the actual cost and financing.  A motion was passed (one abstention) as follows:

The 2010 synod of the Eastern Archdeaconry of the Diocese in Europe affirms the recommendations of the Diocesan Strategic Review as presented to and signed off by the 2010 Diocesan Synod (May) and encourages their implementation, aware that funding will need to come from a variety of sources including the churches and congregations of the Eastern Archdeaconry.

 Furthermore the 2010 synod requests that the proposal to locate the archdeacon responsible for the Eastern archdeaconry outside the Eastern archdeaconry should only be taken forward after consultation between the respective archdeaconries (Italy and Malta, Eastern) and the diocesan bishop.

 The Diocesan laity report from the General Synod in York, July 2010 was also discussed and in particular the draft legislation on women bishops.  In conclusion, the participants of the Archdeaconry Synod voted on the question “Would you personally accept the authority of a women bishop?” (14 yes, 7 no, 8 abstentions, 1 spoilt ballot).

David Healey, Communications Manager and General Manager of the Intercontinental Church Society gave a presentation on “The how and why of group bible study”, and suggested suitable material and resources.

Chaplaincy reports were presented from Moscow, Bucharest (including Sofia and Skopje), Kyiv, Budapest, Crete, St. Petersburg, Izmir, Prague, Athens, Corfu, Warsaw and Vienna.  Reports had also been received from Belgrade and Ankara. The Revd Denis Moss in presenting the report for Budapest, remarked that this would be his last synod. He expressed his thanks for all the support he had received over the years from these synods and in particular from members of the Vienna congregation, noting that “it was always good to hear about others worse off.”

It was agreed that following the suggestion of one of the representatives from Corfu, a day of fasting would be held in the Archdeaconry, the exact date to be announced.

The synod concluded on Sunday morning with Sung Eucharist at Christ Church and the congregation had the opportunity to meet the participants over coffee.

Miranda Kopetzky, Archdeaconry Synod Representative, Vienna

Vienna, 26 September 2010

ANGLICAN MINISTRY IN HUNGARY - Diocese of Europe

THE ANGLICAN / EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST MARGARET OF SCOTLAND, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

The Bishop seeks to appoint a priest from January 2011 to serve this small but enthusiastic congregation in a vibrant and culturally rich capital city. St Margaret's is the only Anglican Church in Hungary, and there is considerable potential for growth within the international and national community.

Applicants should be outgoing, interested in working with members from a wide variety of backgrounds and be comfortable with a traditional worship style.

Resolutions A and B have been passed.

The appointment initially for three years will be on a 'house for duty' basis. Accommodation, utilities and expenses of office will be provided. Appropriate arrangements for health care will be made by Church Council.

Further information and application form from:
The Assistant Diocesan Secretary, Mrs Jeanne French
14 Tufton Street, London SW1P 3QZ
Email: jeanne.french@europe.c-of-e.org.uk

Closing date: 28 October 2010 • Short-listing date: 2 November 2010 Interview date: 16 November 2010

There is a commitment to safeguarding children and young people and child protection screening will apply to this post