During 1938 over 1800 Jews were baptised at Christ Church, Vienna according to the baptism rite of the Church of England as found in the Book of Common Prayer 1662. On Monday 8th August BBC Radio 4 broadcast a programme about this episode of our chaplaincy's life as part of the radio series 'Document'. It in turn occasioned an article in the Daily Telegraph on 11th August by Christopher Middleton. He writes, 'First there was Oskar Schindler, then Sir Nicholas Winton. Now the names of the Reverends Hugh Grimes and Fred Collard are to be added to the roll of honour of those who helped hundreds of Jews escape the clutches of the Nazis'. If you would like to read more about this episode turn to 'Hitler's Gamble, 1938' by Giles Macdonogh.

A Prayer for the Second Sunday of Advent

Christ, now and always, you are our peace. May the second candle of this Advent wreath remind us that that you came and come to bring peace. May your peace fill our lives, our relationships, our churches, our cities and this nation. Your peace is a peace that we cannot give ourselves but all things are possible with you. Your peace passes human understanding help us to open ourselves to your peace. Amen.

The sketch above is by Christine Kohlmann of the Memorial to the women who served in World War II, Whitehall, London.

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.